March 23rd, 2009
The internet is a wonderful thing.
Just the other day I received a friend request on Facebook from a person I hadn’t seen or heard from in over 20 years. This isn’t some long lost high school friend (although I get those too), I am talking about a friend who is from another country I met while attending a NATO school on the Italian military base Borgo Piave in the middle of nowhere outside the town of Latina, Italy.
SATCOM Classmates
The school we classed up for would keep us there for about 3 months, the classes we attended prepared us for working on NATO’s satellite ground terminals. We arrived in May 1988, the class was made up of people from many NATO countries but five of us formed a bond I recall often and do cherish the memories.
They called the five of us the Beastie Boys. Three from the United Kingdom, one each from England, Wales and Scotland, one Canadian and myself.
Arriving in May allowed us to spend the best part of the summer within 25 minutes of some great beaches. I left Italy with the best tan of my life! But, beach stories and touring Italy will have to be for another time as the first memory my friend brought back to me is the one I had filed in my subconscious – he brought the nightmare back…
Just about every night after a good meal somewhere in the town of Latina we, the Beaties Boys, would make our way to Piccadilly’s, a small pub in the center of town with a video jukebox.
The jukebox contained what has become one of my favorite songs, each time I hear it I remember the friendship and also get a craving for some vino bianco (white wine).
Our drink of choice was whatever white wine the bartender had in the bottle behind the counter. We had the bartender trained. Each time we played the song “Hotel California” by the Eagles and sung aloud the words, “So I called up the Captain, ‘Please bring me my VINO!”, he would quickly bring us a fresh bottle, some nights he would make no less than 20 trips. By the look on his face each night I guess he hadn’t had that spirit there since nineteen sixty nine! :)
Now understand we would be there for hours, we talked, we would listen to our Englishman sing pub songs and of course we played games. One game we played… well, I’ll get to it.
After a few weeks in school we decided to bring our wives over for a holiday so they could also enjoy Italy.
Once our wives arrived our routine didn’t change, in hind sight I guess it should have. Each night we would eat out and then end up at Picadilly’s. We would tell stories, sing and play games.
The rules of one game we played, slaps, included a member filling your glass with vino – most cases the vino would actually be above the glasses rim. The game was to pick the glass up and take a drink without spilling a drop. If you spilled a drop and were seen, the person who saw you was allowed to slap your face for alcohol abuse. Because each one of us would spill some at least once a night the slap was more of a tap on the cheek, nothing violent, all in fun.
My wife, Bonnie, didn’t/doesn’t drink alcoholic beverages.
My wife understood the rules of the game. I later found out she was also very eager to play. You see, she witnessed me spill a drop…
A look of pure evil came over her face, my palms started to sweat. Bonnie had her chance and she wasn’t going to waste it.
Bonnie stood in front of me (oh yea, the Beastie Boys and their wives were rooting her on), pulled her arm so far back I lost sight of it. I think somewhere up in Rome, about 45 kilometers away, they first reported the sonic boom as Bonnie’s hand made as it way though the countryside and approached my face.
Schlew-PAAAAP!
You always think it’s funny when the cartoon character gets hit and he sees stars and small birds flying around their head, until it happens to you. “How many fingers am I holding up?”, Ummm, “Thursday!”
Before I could react, Bonnie jumped into my lap and gave me a kiss. She looked at me and said, “hey, I may never get that chance again! Do you still love me?”
Of course I love her and patiently for the last 20 years I have kept a watchful eye on her drink, someday she’ll spill some and then it’s my turn :)
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Ha! Sounds like your wife has a good sense of humor. :)
By the way, that TDY sounded awesome!