BOOMER by Tim Engel (smallest ebook reader txt) 📕

I first got the CMSR and scheduled it, I knew it was something ‘different’. And what I should have done from the get-go was ask JB for help.
O r I could have gone to Jack Straight. Jack was a super man – he had fought in the Army in WWII and when Honorably Discharged, was hired by Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica. He showed me in some historical documents, where he worked during WWII on the SBD Douglas dive bomber assembly line. I was blessed and honored to be able to work with and be trained by a man of courage, honor, and bravery. As much experience as Jack had in running the landing gear shop as well as various other departments and his war time experience, I truly appreciated his mentoring and guidance.
When the Iranians held some 400 hostages in 1979, Jack shared some advice. He said that what we should do is run a couple destroyers up off shore of Iran and start lobbing missles into Iran. He said this would get their attention. After all, the Ayatollah Khomeini was making a mockery of America. Flaunting the fact that he held hundreds of Americans hostage for all the world to see. The super power of the world held hostage by a tiny group of extremists. I nodded approval at Jack’s suggestion. Seemed like a good idea. And with Ronald Reagan being sworn into office, the airplane releasing the hostages cleared air space as the ceremony concluded. If not, I’m sure they would have seen some missiles or worse.
Jack lived in nearby Belmon Shores in an exclusive area right off Alamitos Bay. He had a get together at his home where we had a meal and played cards. A great time was had by all. When Jack finally retired after some 40 years of service, we gave him a moped and a trailer stocked with fishing gear so that he could easily navigate the confines of the popular area.
I worked in a bullpen. A bullpen was an area with desks pushed together. Generally you sat across from a desk mate with a table or desk separating you. So people were allowed to smoke in this era. Imagine – people with asthma, emphysema, etc. sitting three feet from someone who smokes cigarettes or cigars. Thinking back on it it’s a wonder we didn’t all come down with some horrible disease. It was a different time and thank goodness that was then and this is now. Honestly now I don’t think I could sit in an area like that. I have had symptoms of asthma in the past and I think it would make me sick to sit in an area that allowed smoking. Also, I had a bout of pneumonia 10 years ago and I know smoking had some weight in that happening.
My Dad was a true health nut. He ate whole foods, no white flower, no sugary foods, no soda, and not candy. He ate meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, and cheese. He lifted weights, jogged, rode bikes, did all kinds of sports over his lifetime. And imagine his frustration with me when he walked by my desk one day in 1980 and saw me smoking a cigarette. “Tim!”, he exclaimed. “Hi, Dad!”, I answered. “What in sam hill are you doing?” “Oh, uh, smoking a cigarette…”, I managed. “Why in the world would you be smoking a cigarette?” “Oh, I don’t smoke much; just a couple a day.” Liar. Big fib. Dad was pretty disheartened by this news. I mean parents want better for their kids. More for their kids. Not going from health nut to “smoker!” And so on I went smoking. It was a social thing. Something to do with my ‘spare’ time. JB smoked; why shouldn’t I? And as I write this with a cold I’m thinking thank God I don’t smoke any more because if I did, even with this cold, I’d be out there having a smoke right now. Killing my bodies’ chance of defending itself against the onslaught of the virus, the phlemn, the yuck.
We worked fab parts, assemblies, welded parts, and composite assemblies. Each order carried a unique set of instructions. As simple as a nameplate which was fabricated in department 647 right there in Long Beach. Even a nameplate had a 6 week schedule. For a ‘normal’ priority job the typical schedule was 6 weeks. Then as jobs got more and more complex, we would add time. Interestingly , much of the time was wait, move, and queue. That is, as the order set waiting to move to the next department; this is ‘wait’ time. Then ‘move’ time is the actual transportation of the part from one station to another. For example, there was a department that cut the material. Then it had to be moved to the heat treat department, then to the forming department, etc. The queue time was the time the job set waiting to be worked. It was considered ‘in queue’ if it had to wait for people or machine time to actually be worked.
A standard pipe or tube assembly might take 6 weeks, but a welded part made in 426 or 6426 (the initial 6 indicating Torrance or C-6) would take longer because generally two or more pieces had to be welded together. This meant another work center or department with more wait, move, and queue. Department 553 was what we called pots and pans. This was a general assembly department where parts were assembled on a ‘bench’.
Composite parts generally required lay ups of layers and resin and time in the autoclave. These parts were generally made in Torrance. I got to visit the Torrance facility many times and always marveled at the capability we had. From basic fabrication to complex machining of large parts like the DC-10 engine ‘banjo’ fittings. I had the opportunity and responsibility to go to Torrance to get status for various parts built for the Special Products Program Office. I worked on the KC-10 and was assigned to the Program Office. Later they folded in ‘special products’ which included items like the bomb racks, NACESII sets and the like. I also got status on ‘big bones’ items or those items deemed to be line or jig stoppers. One of my contacts for information was a nice lady named Markeel. I still see Markeel on occasion. She works on the commercial side in CASS or Commercial Aviation Services (what we used to call Product Support).
I remember walking through one large building and seeing aisle after aisle of machines capable of machining pretty much any part we needed. Rows and rows of machines. Some busily turning out quality parts and some idle. But the size of this might and capability was awe inspiring. Then there were the ESD or Electrostatic Discharge Machining areas. And Chem Milling. And water jet part cutting. And later would come stereo lithography. Making a part quickly directly from a 3D model out of plastic for fast prototyping.
Dad lived in Huntington Beach and later Westminster. I remember his carpool buddy telling me about pulling up in front of his house in the morning to pick him up and Dad was busy doing pull-ups and bar dips. In the morning. When many are having a second cup of coffee or a second donut. He was doing dips and pull ups. And Dad could do them like nobody’s business. He would often put a harness around his waist with a chain hanging down and would secure some plates to the end of the chain. The weight might be as much as 50 pounds. And he would do dips or chins with this much extra weight hanging down. No exaggeration. And most men can’t do one of either. With no weight. Dad was in great shape.
With my lack of discipline both in the gym as well as at the dinner table, was it any wonder that as an adult I could do no pull-ups and perhaps 5 bar dips? Sad. Measly. Pitiful. Only after working hard at losing weight and developing more strength was I able to knock out a set of 7 to 10 pull ups and perhaps 15 dips. I would also hold weights between my knees in memory and dedication to my Dad. Of course I couldn’t compare with his performance, but I was getting better. I can remember hanging from a bar a couple years ago and not only couldn’t I pull myself up, but I was in pain!
My workout partner for a number of years was Robby. Robby and I met at Bally’s on a Saturday about 6 years ago. I was adding weight to my benchpress and he helped add weight. He put a 25 on one side as I put a 25 on my side. He waved and I waved back. Later I would find that Robby was also a Christian and that he was deaf. He would go on to teach me sign language (or basically the alphabet and a hand full of words) . It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I would also find out that Robby had eye problems. That he was probably half way to being blind. It boggled my mind at the life he must lead. And it also boggled my mind at how well versed he was and how well read he showed to be in the Bible. He would recite verses and I wondered how he knew these things since he could barely read any longer. But he had been an adept student and had an excellent memory.
I would later marvel at his memory as we sat and ate dinner. Robby, Annie, and I. Annie was /is Robby’s girl friend. And in that one sitting I recall Robby telling approximately 15 jokes. One after another. One of my favorites is the one about the cat. A man and woman decide they want to get rid of their pet cat. He had become a real annoyance and he decided to take the cat ‘for a ride’.
So he puts the cat in the car and takes off and drives a mile or two and drops off the cat. He quickly leaves and accelerates and heads for home. Upon arriving he is shocked to see – you guessed it – kitty sitting waiting for him on the front porch. He asks the wife what happened and she replied he just showed up a couple minutes after you left.
So he takes the cat again and drives around the corner heads up about 2 miles, turns left, turns right, goes another few miles and drops the cat off. Surely he figues, this will lose kitty. He gets home and shock of shocks he sees kitty waiting with the Mrs on the front porch.
So this time he says hey, I’m gonna take this cat and really lose him this time. So he drive and drives; turns left, turns right, doubles back, goes 5 miles, then turns and goes