One Step at a Time

Howard Thompson

Description

Throughout his short lived life, my Dad had been befriended by such powerful people as; Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and boxing legend Jack Dempsey. My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun and a bow and arrow at a very young age.

Sujets

• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 17 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665567558
• Langue: English

Extrait

One Step at a Time
 
I Got This!
 
 
 
HOWARD THOMPSON
 
 
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
© 2022 Howard Thompson. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  08/02/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6756-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6755-8 (e)
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
HOWIE THOMPSON

Other Books for sale from the 4 Time Best Author on the B each.

 
 
 
 
Written By: Howie Thompson
Editor: Howie Thompson
07/23/20
“The heart of a man from the North, The soul of a man from the South.”
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1Lies, and more lies
Chapter 2Junior High School 1962-1964
Chapter 3“High School Days and nights”
Chapter 4College Years…Party on Garth!
Chapter 5A re-creation of my Life.
Chapter 6“There are changes in My Life”
Chapter 7“I’m glad I live in the Land of Cotton”
Chapter 8“Why am I here?”
Chapter 9“You wanna do what?”
Chapter 10“I Got this”
Chapter 11“The way we were”
Chapter 12“Th, tha, that’s all folks”
INTRODUCTION
M y name is Howard Edward Thompson Jr. I was born on January 11 th , 1949 in the Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Ct. at 8:15 a.m. I was supposed to be born on Christmas or New Year’s Day, but I guess the surroundings were comfortable and the food was good and free, so I hung out until it was my time. I later found out that both my mother and father were a bit anxious as my mom had two miscarriages before me. So, at 8:15 a.m., ten days after New Year’s Day, I was born.
“Hello World. It’s me, you will never believe what I am going to do”
My mom was a loving mom, raised in a family of 5 sisters and 2 brothers. She was a very smart student for the time, finishing High School at the age of 13 which was unheard of in her day. But a battle with Scarlet Fever caused her to lose her hair and deal with several kinds of wigs for the rest of her life. She became a Master seamstress and mastered the art of knitting as well. These two skills would prove valuable to her in later life. Her mother and father came over on “The Ship” from Ireland to the United States for a better life.
My Dad! He was a tough guy. Born into a large Southern Family in the back hills of Tennessee, he had 5 brothers and 3 sisters. He also had several great grandparents and great grand aunts and uncles. He lied in order to join the War when he was 15, and won the Golden Gloves boxing championship at the age of 16 for the US Marines.
All young men in Tennessee learned to shoot a rifle at an early age. So my Dad, became a skilled marksman with a rifle, and the Marines made him a sniper on Iwo Jima. He was promoted and busted 5 times in the Marines, as he never met a fight he didn’t like. He and my mother’s Brother, Eddie were in the same outfit. My dad was one of the best Fast Pitch Softball pitchers and my Uncle was his catcher. He got to tour with the Marines, and never lost a game.
Throughout his short lived life, my Dad had been befriended by such powerful people as; Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and boxing legend Jack Dempsey. My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun and a bow and arrow at a very young age. My mom always told him that he was teaching me to be a “thug.” My Dad would always tell her; “I’m teaching him what my dad taught me. How to take care of himself and to always make sure he has someone who has his back.”
My mom was trying to teach me to be nice and not fight. My dad was teaching me to defend myself, and if need be, fight. I remember one afternoon we were sitting on this huge rock outside a cabin in Kent, Ct. that my Uncle Eddie and my dad owned. It was primitive, but I guess it was a way of toughening me up. We were shooting at cans, when I saw a Mountain Lion walking between the trees. I told my Dad, and he told me that he had seen the lion 20 minutes before. I asked why he didn’t kill the lion and he said:
“You don’t just kill animals for sport, unless you are hunting to feed your family or you are under attack by the animal.” My dad was about 30% Native American Cherokee Nation. So animals, the land and their Gods were important to all Native Americans.
My Mom and Dad gave me a diverse knowledge of life. My Mom was a passive woman who hated conflict. My Dad was anything but passive. He was a hardened killer who took no prisoners. The Marines taught him to kill and taught him to fight. My Uncle, when explaining my Dad to me in later years would always say;
“Howie, you are your Dad’s son. I see the fire in your eyes to succeed. Your Dad had the skills to fight inside and outside the ring, whether that was on the Softball Field or in a Bar.”
So while I do not recall every day, week or month, or even every year from birth to age 9, I do remember the most obvious traits of my Mom, my Dad and my Uncle Eddie, who while I didn’t know it then, I would find out how he molded my life at the age of 16 and would become the most important person in my life.
I have not included the names of some people who came in and out of my life, and those people who are closest to me now. They know who they are, and if they decide to come forth, so be it. There will be a section of this book dedicated to those men and women who were my closest friends both in Ct., where I grew up, Florida where I went to college, North Carolina where I moved to in 2000 and South Carolina where I live now. As of the writing of this book, I have moved back to Florida and reside in Sarasota.
“The events that took place in my life may or may not be exactly as they happened. However, they are the way I remembered them, and to the best of my knowledge happened the way I remember. After all, this is my story.
I have left off or changed names of people to protect their identity in some special circumstances. My purpose with this book is to give people who read it (hopefully more than 10) a look into my past and an understanding of who I am today.
If for some reason, I don’t get to finish this book before my death, I would hope that someone who knows me can finish it.”
Howie Thompson, Author
CHAPTER ON E Lies, and more lies
F riday, December 13 th 1958. This was the day when I first realized that my life was going to change forever. The phone in our small 800 square foot house rang at 11:00 p.m. I was asleep in my room, and my mom had fallen asleep on the couch. I got up and picked up the phone.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but answering the phone on December 13 th 1958 would change my life forever. From this point forward I would become hardened to the “truth” that was being fed to me and my mom, and this would leave me to be skeptical of everyone and every thing that would enter my life.
Phone Conversation 12/13/1958 2:00 a.m.
“Hello”
“Is Marion Thompson there” the voice on the phone said.
“Yes, who is this? She is asleep”
“Listen kid, wake her up, her husband just died in a car crash”
“Her Husband? That’s my Dad.”
From that point on, all I remember is that I dropped the phone and woke up my Mom. She got on the phone and began to cry, say “No, No” and finally hung the phone up and called her Mother and Father who lived next door.
The very next thing I remember is attending my Dad’s funeral. It was a Military Funeral with all the pomp and circumstance’s that accompanies this kind of funeral including a 21 gun salute and a lone Marine playing Taps.
At the Wake, my mom was talking to one of her sisters and I over heard her say that the embalmer here would not let her see my father’s arm where his Marine Tattoo was. He told her that he was so disfigured in the car crash, and that it was burned beyond recognition. She then told her sister that he had gone off an unlit, half way constructed, bridge on a road he knew well, in his boss’ car. It was right about then that I walked up to the casket, looked inside, and announced to all that would listen;
“This is not my Dad, this is not my Dad.”
I then turned and walked out of the room and the building. My Mom came outside to get me and told me to get back in there. I told her I would not, that whoever was in that casket wasn’t my Dad, and that she knew that as well.
Well, as what would be one of my “issues” in life, my speaking out like that got me a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee for a year. My Mom said that she had to handle things with the house and could not handle me as well during this time of grief. So, my Uncle Earl, my Dad’s brother, stepped up and offered to have me live with them. Arrangements were made with my fourth grade teacher to ship my homework to me each week, and I would send it back. Little did I know, there were alternative reasons for my Uncle Earl wanting me to stay with him forever.
My Mom was very non-confrontational. My Dad was quite the opposite. I mirrored my Mom’s way of reason until this situation went to court. As much as I had fun in Knoxville, and my Uncle was very much like my Dad, all my friends were back home in Darien, Ct. So when this situa