Growing up wasn’t easy. My mom and dad divorced when I was 3. Up until that point, my dad was a drunk, very angry, and had severe PTSD resulting from his time in Vietnam. He would later be in my life, and pretty much the same, then. My mom remarried to an ex convict, spent 5 years in prison for armed robbery. We were VERY poor. Quite often, where ever we happened to live at the time, you would see us combing the side of the road picking up cans and other recyclables. You’d see us digging through garbage for the same, and dumpster diving to find anything that might be useful. Our favorite days were when they tossed the soda pop out, this was a treat to us.

By the time I was 12, I had lived in Washington State (where I was born), California, Arkansas, Texas, Wyoming, Oregon, and back to Washington State. We lived in a 20’ Terry Travel Trailer most the time, pulled by an old Ford LTD, which was constantly catching on fire. Mom’d usually just put it out with some diet pepsi, and Frank (my step dad) would jury rig it to get along to whatever our destination was. Frank was abusive, and a con man. Worked for Carnivals at first, he was also a chef later on. What NEVER left him, however, was the fact that he was a con man. He’d pull all kinds of tricks to get money from people. I don’t remember anything specifically, but, I do remember him hitting 2 men on the head with a hammer that came after him for some reason. Frank had, in his younger years, also been a boxer. I had learned to box fairly decently by the time I was 11 years old. And, then, I began to take up martial arts, even though I didn’t stay with them for very long. It did, however, add to my boxing and street fighting, which proved quite effective for me at the time.



This is the trailer. LOTS of time spent in that puppy.



When we were going someplace on a long trip, one of us would sleep across that huge back dash, one on the seat, and the other (my little bro) on the floorboard. I don’t know how that car got as far as it did, it really was a hunk of junk. But, it somehow just kept going, and going, and going LOL.


Also, by the time I was 12, I had been in more schools than I can count. This did WONDERS for my education. The biggest lesson I learned was that one shouldn’t make friends as they will all go away anyhow. Later this changed into understanding what a real friend was, and that it’s better to have 1 or 3 real friends, and to hell with the rest. I also leaned from these parents that if someone was a friend, they were family. Not everything I went through was negative. While living in Arkansas (outside of Bradford), I got used to listening to the rain fall on that roof, and for years after, I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t hear it. It was soothing. I also, in Arkansas, taught my sister how to read out of the bible. Today, my sister and I are avid readers, and my sister has just gotten her degree in nursing. I learned how close a family can get in that trailer. And when we did live in a house, or apartment, I was always afraid. It was too big.

After a time, things did get better. We regularly lived in a house, then. Well, it was a duplex, but, same difference to me. I then spent all my time in the woods. Conditions in that house were not so good, as my mom became mean, and my step dad became more abusive. The house was always filthy, and, we still had to dumpster dive and such for cans and whatnot. I eventually moved in with my biological dad, and while he was angry and could also be abusive, we tended to get along much better. He was a good man regardless, and I understood that he’d been through some times and hadn’t been able to sort it out. I learned to just avoid him if he was in a mood. He taught me about the woods, hunting, fishing, integrity, doing a job no matter if it’s killing you, and to avoid women LOL. Well, I morphed that last one to be careful of women. This helped me to see my current wife for what she is, my angel.

When I got to my teenage years, I was living with my mom again, and we lost the house. I then lived in a tent with them for the summer and early fall, completely homeless. I did odd jobs, caught bugs for fishing bait, and swindled some to get by. That eventually, that fall, worked itself out, and when I was 19, just before I joined the army, I was again homeless, but a month after, I moved in with my mom again, then joined the Army.

What does all this do? It’s helped me understand just what hard times are. It’s helped me believe I can survive anything thrown at me. And I pass this attitude on down to my kids. I know that if all else fails, I’ll be OK. Today I have a decent job. I own a house, and have a wonderful family, and I’ve fought like a dog to keep us from living like I did growing up. But, sometime soon, The S will HTF and we may face many of the things I went through as a kid, and worse. However, I’m ready. I can do this. We may not have a lot for the moment, but we’re getting there for preps, and we’ll be fine.

All of the things we go through in life prepare us, as people, for one thing or another. Some don’t recover, most tend to recover, or at least recover some. The lesson to see, here, is that Humans are resilient beings. As a species we’ve been through much worse, and lived to tell the tale. I’m going to add this into my other post about how things will get better after the Collapse. We humans can survive a heck of a lot worse than a simple collapse. We survived so many catastrophes that it’s hard to count them all, and we still do so. Some say there is no hope whatsoever, and to them I say they’re wrong. No Agenda 21, REX 84, or Mayan prophesy is going to stamp us out.

Just a thought for the day…

We are more alike than we are not alike, Ed.

We were forged in similar fires, and both emerged much stronger.

Fantastic story, and much appreciated.
Reality is so much more instructive than fiction, and every one has a different
story from their youth or life experience.
FWIW, we had a 1971 LTD wagon and the engine WAS bullet proof.
One time we drove it almost 180 miles essentially out of engine oil, and the engine didn't overheat.
390 CI, 8 cyl, windsor IIRC.

That old LTD was freakin bomb proof! It did have some issue with overheating, but that was only on long trips. I remember several times it just died on the side of the road. I swear my step dad would get out, beat it with a hammer a time or two, and off we were again LOL. Was solid too, I was in a car accident in 2005 and was rear ended by an LTD, while my wife and I were in an outback. Our car was totaled, while that LTD hardly had a dent.

Inspirational story sir. You embody the undying true American spirit that refuses to be kept down...American Revolutionaries had it, American Pioneers had it also...as did those who survived the Great Depression...Future events will very likely be a litmus test to who else has it & who does not...Thanks again for the testamonial of sorts...it should be a wake up to most of those who think they've overcome adversity... I salute you!!

With our LTD, the starter, or rather Bendix would fail to engage and start it frequently.

My Mothers cure was beating it wish the ever present 16 ounce glass Pepsi bottle,
worked every time, though I don't for the life of me why one of us didn't
throw a hammer the car.
She probably would have broken something anyway.

I am sorry that your life was so hard but you are now blessed in many ways, a loving wife, a family, a home not just a house.
I am on the outside looking in and I see a man that will still be standing long after many have fallen.
Yes when the SHTF it will be bad but just like your life has been but it will get better in time and you have what is needed that very few have. A will to live, and make it through what ever is thrown your way.

Most Americans are weak and soft, they talk the talk but don't know how to walk the walk.

I am sure you are an inspiriation to your whole family.

The significant difference in my story is that I had a Dad who would do anything it took to support the family after the farm would not support us. Yep, moved a lot. In one 6 year period (my age 10-16) we moved 8 times. My folks had a '73 LTD that they drove from shore to shore and border to border many times (selling Indian jewelery out of the trunk). I think they put about 180k miles on it in two years. Well, no matter, I don't think I would swap childhoods with anyone here.

kevster wrote:I am sorry that your life was so hard but you are now blessed in many ways, a loving wife, a family, a home not just a house.
I am on the outside looking in and I see a man that will still be standing long after many have fallen.
Yes when the SHTF it will be bad but just like your life has been but it will get better in time and you have what is needed that very few have. A will to live, and make it through what ever is thrown your way.

Most Americans are weak and soft, they talk the talk but don't know how to walk the walk.

I am sure you are an inspiriation to your whole family.

While I thank you for the kind words, I don't wish to come across as having a pity on myself. I am not sorry in the least my life was as it was, it has made me a better man for it I believe, and stronger for my family. I know should anything like that ever happen again, and I don't intend to let that happen, I will be able to guide my family to survive just fine, and we'll pull through it and come out better for it, just as I did. Funny thing about living through tough times... Some days things may seem bad, but they are never as bad as that. You also, when things are bad like that, learn to find the good. Such as fond memories of rain falling on that trailer roof, or teaching my sister to read, stories about places we've been and done, people we've met, experiences we shared. It wasn't all bad. I got the chance, then, to do things and see things many would never see if they lived a stable life.

Sometimes, bad things are a blessing. I look back at my deployment to Iraq, now, and can see it the same way, mostly. Sure, there is quite a bit that will haunt me probably the rest of my days, but I know that I can look back and positively say, no matter how much something sucks here in the states, it isn't as bad as that. When SHTF, I can pull on those experiences to get me and mine through. I know what it is like to scrounge and claw your way through, and I know real fear. I know when something doesn't feel right that I should pay attention to that, it will likely save my life. I know what real brothers are, the ones that have your back no matter how pissed they are at you for something, and what it's like to have their back no matter what.

I wouldn't trade any of it for anything on earth or otherwise. It's shaped me to what I am, not always great, but not too bad either. I feel stronger for it. It makes my family stronger for me to be here with them. They know they can count on me to do anything and everything possible to make sure they are cared for. And that is enough for me. It's a good life