R2 Thoughts for You Hello world!
Welcome to R2!
This is my first post and acts as a “trial run” for my blog. My blog represents an attempt by me to learn, through writing, what is is happening in our life. I use the word “our” to emphasize that I am not in this alone. In the future I plan on writing about many different topics and hopefully, having guest writing done by many of you. In other words, this blog will, hopefully, contain the thinking of many.
Develop a yearning to write for learning! :-)
R2 Thoughts for You 
What a bunch of words!
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a-ok
Comments on content later.
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You should be careful about opening a blog about yourself and inviting comment. Here’s the thing. There are some folks hanging around the internet that have some interesting and slightly incriminating stories about you, dating back to 1965 or so. For instance, I know a guy that considered himself such a close friend that he named his first born after you!! Can you imagine the sorts of things he knows about you?
Wonder if anyone out there would be interested?
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Rich,
Being a “closet” voyeur, I would be very interested in stories of the author of R2. My preference would be the non-incriminating.
Please update us as to how Ron Burnett is doing.
Thank you.
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“Ron Burnett” turned out to be a girl but I wasn’t to be deterred do she was named Rona Deanna Burnett. Rona is now living in England, where she recently earned a degree in International Accounting and is working near Birmingham England. She will be 40 this year, dang Ron, where did 40 years get to.
Now a story for you. Your dad and I were both teaching math in what was termed “underprivileged schools, which got us a deferment from being drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t draft dodgers, but we wanted to put it off as long as possible. Anyway, they came up with a lottery system based on birthday to determine draft priority. They started drawing out numbers around 3:00 and had already drawn the first 50 numbers before your dad and I got in the car and were able to listen to a radio. So we didn’t know if our birthdays were in the first 50 or not. As we drove home we listened for our birthday to be drawn. Finally at 247 mine came up. Your dad wass starting to sweat because it had already been announced that numbers up thru 195 would for sure be drafted and numbers up to 215 would be called for physicals. When we got to your dad’s place wee just sat in the car and listened to the dates be assigned a number. (And drank a few beers) They were up to 350 or so and your dad was about ready to get out of my car and start practicing marching. Then they called his number. I think it was 360 or there about. He was safe as you could get. He always was lucky.
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Rich,
Wow, what can I write that adds to your comment. You have brought back some old and often, good memories. Thanks for refreshing my memory. Please continue sharing.
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Blogs are a bit confusing.
HERE SOME BUSH QUOTES JUST FOR OLD TIME’S SAKE.
“The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.
“If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.”
“One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is, ‘to be prepared’.”
“I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.”
“The future will be better tomorrow.”
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This one is from SNL but I thought this skit sums up Bush pretty damn good.
When asked what one word summed up what he planned to focus on Bush (Will Farrell) screwed up his face and answered,
“Strategi-er-ery” You would have to ask Will how to spell this.
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Rich,
Thank you for the sobering story. Having never lived through anything as surreal and (seemingly) cruel as a draft, I cannot begin to understand what that must have felt like.
While I am most thankful that R2’s number was a “safe” one, I trust and hope that your experience in the war was not filled with horror and unthinkable sadness as it was for so many.
You have added another layer to the man I most respect in life. And for that, I thank you.
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Erick,
I probably wasn’t clear on my last note because my number of 247 was also a safe number so I didn’t get drafted either.
Rich
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Rich,
My apologies for not reading your post correctly. I now see that you also would have been safe from the draft.
I am glad to know that.
It would appear that you too have always been lucky.
Erik
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