This section will eventually contain a collection of probably a couple dozen stories about some of the more interesting things that have happened to me through the years. More than a few people have told me that I have many interesting stories that should be written down, so this seems like the right time and place to do so. Some will be amusing, some strange, some adventurous, and some (hopefully) just interesting.
But here is a disclaimer: Many of these things happened to me decades ago. I do not have a photographic memory. Everyone knows what happens with memories over time. Often for me (more of an abstract person than a detail person) much of what remains of an event is just the impression of it–the main gist of it (i.e., I almost died, or I experienced something amazing, etc.)–in other words, the theme made the event memorable. Some of the details may not be accurate in my mind anymore. This is not done intentionally, but is just a function of both my age and the age of the stories themselves.
The second disclaimer is that I claim the right to exercise some “poetic license” in some of the stories, especially the ones with some humor, because I’m writing these as stories, not historic research papers. A slight exaggeration or minor invention here or there can make the story more interesting for the reader, which is my goal. All the stories happened pretty much as described, but if I, for example, I say that 100 of the enemy came pouring over the hill, when in reality there were only 50, the fact is that there were still a lot coming over the hill! The same is true with conversations. I certainly don’t remember verbatim what was said four decades ago, but I remember having the conversations. So while probably not the exact words that were said, conversations in quotes will be close enough.
Thanks for your understanding