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Received 3/30/06
- Posted 3/30/06
Bill,
Here's a piece
you may find of
interest. Keep
up the good
work!
Jim Depp
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Trabzon
Returning from
an outing in
1961, we were
huddled in the
back of two of
our pickup
trucks with
covered tops.
While passing
through a small
village, we came
to an abrupt
stop. There was
a lot of
commotion ahead
of us, including
screaming and
crying. God
forbid, I
thought, that
we’ve struck a
local,
especially a
child. We pulled
to the side of
the road and all
bailed out to
witness a fire
of some
proportion in
progress. The
villagers had
formed a bucket
brigade from a
river stream to
the fire, but
were losing the
battle. Without
hesitation we
all jumped in
and fought that
fire with them.
I’m proud to
tell you that
our numbers made
a difference,
and we were able
to extinguish
the blaze.
It turned out
that this was a
combination
residence for an
extended family
of over twenty,
as well as the
family tea house
business. These
people were
devastated, and
at the same time
grateful for our
assistance in
salvaging most
of the building.
In the aftermath
we huddled
together and
decided that the
best use we
could make of
our free time
would be to
further assist
these folks in
getting their
lives back in
order. We
gathered some
lumber, and
headed back to
that village to
give them a hand
at tearing out
the charred par
of their prized
structure, and
rebuilding it.
We even bought a
new window,
which was a
treasure at that
place and time.
We sawed,
hammered and
painted our way
into their
hearts, and they
couldn’t have
been more
grateful.
They wrote a
letter of thanks
to President
Kennedy,
organized a
hunting trip for
us, and had a
ceremony in the
village where
they awarded
each of us a
Turkish pin.
What a great
feeling it is to
know that I was
a good
ambassador,
albeit in a
small way, when
the opportunity
presented
itself. All the
years since I’ve
felt that there
is at least one
small village in
Turkey where the
citizens feel
the Americans
are good guys.
We always had
heard that the
only reason we
were there in
the first place
was that they
hated the
Russians more
than us.
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