#1 Helps- Dedicated to SSgt. Ray Bushnell
Posted: Fri, 08 Apr 16, 21:08 pm
originally posted Jun 13, 2015 by Commander on the original Cantina
Growing up in the 60's and 70's, military men (and women) often did not get the respect and gratitude they deserved. I lived in Lakewood, Ohio (birthplace of Teri Garr BTW) a suburb of Cleveland. In Lakewood, that bastion of liberalism, was an Ohio National Guard Armory, right on my own street. The units that used that Armory changed through the years, but included the 37th Signal Corps, the last vestige of the Ohio 37th Infantry Brigade (The Buckeyes). But when it all boiled down toward the end, the last unit to occupy the Armory was the 3rd Batt. 107th Armored Cav. Staff Sargent Ray Bushnell was an "orderly" (I can't remember the official title all these years later), although his position in the unit was Supply Sargent.
The "orderlies" were the members of the National Guard who came in on a daily basis (like a regular job) and took care of the paperwork and what not of the unit. One of the extra "duties" they could perform was to be in charge when the Armory hall was rented out. Through the years of hanging around and making nuisances of ourselves, some of us neighborhood kids got to know the orderlies and would come visit with them during these rentals. Sometimes it was a way to pick up some extra money by assisting with the cleanup and break down of tables and chairs after the event.
Ray was unique in that when he came in to do the events, he would often bring in his plastic model kits (airplanes for the most part) and work on them to pass the time. He was one of those modelers who went above and beyond creating works of art and realism I could only dream of attaining. Through the months, I was shown and picked up on certain tricks in model building from him.
I lost touch with Ray in the early 80's when the government closed and sold the Armory. The last I heard he had transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard. But I still remember and use some of the knowledge he passed to me and will pass some of it on here and hope others would add their knowledge also in respect to their mentors.
[Last edited Sep 05, 2015]
Commander
Starport Sagitta
NAR No.97971
Growing up in the 60's and 70's, military men (and women) often did not get the respect and gratitude they deserved. I lived in Lakewood, Ohio (birthplace of Teri Garr BTW) a suburb of Cleveland. In Lakewood, that bastion of liberalism, was an Ohio National Guard Armory, right on my own street. The units that used that Armory changed through the years, but included the 37th Signal Corps, the last vestige of the Ohio 37th Infantry Brigade (The Buckeyes). But when it all boiled down toward the end, the last unit to occupy the Armory was the 3rd Batt. 107th Armored Cav. Staff Sargent Ray Bushnell was an "orderly" (I can't remember the official title all these years later), although his position in the unit was Supply Sargent.
The "orderlies" were the members of the National Guard who came in on a daily basis (like a regular job) and took care of the paperwork and what not of the unit. One of the extra "duties" they could perform was to be in charge when the Armory hall was rented out. Through the years of hanging around and making nuisances of ourselves, some of us neighborhood kids got to know the orderlies and would come visit with them during these rentals. Sometimes it was a way to pick up some extra money by assisting with the cleanup and break down of tables and chairs after the event.
Ray was unique in that when he came in to do the events, he would often bring in his plastic model kits (airplanes for the most part) and work on them to pass the time. He was one of those modelers who went above and beyond creating works of art and realism I could only dream of attaining. Through the months, I was shown and picked up on certain tricks in model building from him.
I lost touch with Ray in the early 80's when the government closed and sold the Armory. The last I heard he had transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard. But I still remember and use some of the knowledge he passed to me and will pass some of it on here and hope others would add their knowledge also in respect to their mentors.
[Last edited Sep 05, 2015]
Commander
Starport Sagitta
NAR No.97971