thedrifter
11-29-06, 07:43 AM
After A Half Century Apart, What's The First Thing You Would Say?
(Columbia) - If you had stepped into Dianne's on Devine Street Tuesday evening, you probably wouldn't have realized what was going on around you. At a corner table, there was David Sotelo with his wife Patricia.
David was waiting on someone who he hadn't seen in a very long time. 51 years, to be exact.
The year was 1955. David was a 22 year-old Aviation Operations Clerk in the U.S. Marine Corps. One of his buddies on the base was a 24 year-old pilot named Norm Padgett.
For five decades, the two had lost touch. But two years ago, they re-connected through the Internet, and Tuesday night, they were scheduled to meet again.
But after a lifetime apart, what do you say to each other? How do you act?
“That's easy,” said David. “Marines are never at a loss for words when they meet each other. They can talk about good times, bad times, future times."
But as he got up to meet his old Marine brother, words suddenly escaped him.
The two men came into sight with one another, then they said what Marines say: “Semper Fi.”
Then came a few seconds of amazement, realizing they were seeing each other after having lived full lives.
“It's only been 50 years," said Norm to his friend David, who was holding back emotion. Continued Norm, “I wasn't nervous. I sort of knew it was going to be very comfortable."
“It's like it was last week (that we saw each other),” said David.
“That's the amazing part about it," said Norm.
Added his buddy Dave: “It's magic."
Ellie
(Columbia) - If you had stepped into Dianne's on Devine Street Tuesday evening, you probably wouldn't have realized what was going on around you. At a corner table, there was David Sotelo with his wife Patricia.
David was waiting on someone who he hadn't seen in a very long time. 51 years, to be exact.
The year was 1955. David was a 22 year-old Aviation Operations Clerk in the U.S. Marine Corps. One of his buddies on the base was a 24 year-old pilot named Norm Padgett.
For five decades, the two had lost touch. But two years ago, they re-connected through the Internet, and Tuesday night, they were scheduled to meet again.
But after a lifetime apart, what do you say to each other? How do you act?
“That's easy,” said David. “Marines are never at a loss for words when they meet each other. They can talk about good times, bad times, future times."
But as he got up to meet his old Marine brother, words suddenly escaped him.
The two men came into sight with one another, then they said what Marines say: “Semper Fi.”
Then came a few seconds of amazement, realizing they were seeing each other after having lived full lives.
“It's only been 50 years," said Norm to his friend David, who was holding back emotion. Continued Norm, “I wasn't nervous. I sort of knew it was going to be very comfortable."
“It's like it was last week (that we saw each other),” said David.
“That's the amazing part about it," said Norm.
Added his buddy Dave: “It's magic."
Ellie