Harold Schrage

I just found the website yesterday and was surprised to learn that I had died. "I'm not dead yet."

Went to HP JC for a little then dropped out. (That school is gone too.)
I enlisted in the Navy in 1965 and was a medic, dental tech. I figured that if I was going to Vietnam, it would be by ship. I never saw a ship in 4 years of service. I was transferred to MCB3, the Navy Seabees, in Oct of '67. I learned that they built roads, housing, power plants, communication systems and safe water supplies for the U. S. Marines.
I was in the northern portion of Vietnam, Hue/Phu Bai from December '67 to Feb 1, '68. We lost 8 of 500 men due to the war. I am a Tet vet. As a part of the medical team I was responsible to handle medivacs and loaded 4 badly injured men on a chopper in the early morning hours of 1/31/68. I thought that one of the men was hopelessly injured and I didn't know his name or home town. I attend MCB3 reunions yearly and was startled to meet Gary Berg from Minnesota last year. He's got scarring and limited vision but has supported himself completely since he was delivered home. This was about the most meaningful moment in my life as I realized that I helped to save a life.

My second tour was about 6 months in DaNang and always very frightening but we had no fatalities that deployment. I met Roz (OPHS) in LA 2 days before my first trip and we started dating in March. We became engaged quickly but I didn't want to leave a young widow so we married in Feb. '69. It's been 45 wonderful years and I know how lucky I am. I have a sister, Faye Ullmann Kanter and loads of cousins still freezing there around DTW. My brother Bob followed us out here and lives in San Luis Obispo. We have loved LA, heat and all, but this year is hard due to the continuing draught. Please send us bottles of water.

I was supposed to graduate in the summer of '62 but enjoyed American History II so much that I repeated it 4 times. I didn't have a true appreciation of the dates but I heard the stories repeatedly and could probably have taught it better than some. I panicked in Mr. Thaddeus Korczynski's Economics class and was failing the course. I found a pattern in his multiple choice test and got a B on the final. Loved Dr. Kovach in languages. Hated swimming in the nude but it prepared me to share restrooms with up to 80 guys in the Navy.

Funniest memory was going to Mumford Sports to buy my first jock strap. The female owner asked me at an immature 14, "What size?" She then said, "what is your waist as I blushed and squirmed."

We get Vernors out here and have a Faygo source. I miss Zukin's Ice Cream, the Royal Theatre, Fredsons, Darbys, etc. We occasionally find a 1 layer Sander's bumpy cake and, even though it's not as fresh, we're in heaven. Used to have a Barton's store out here but I'm not sure they exist any more.

MHS is the only school that had its own driving track that I've ever seen. Loved to shift gears with my thumb and forefinger on the Corvairs and Falcon's and push buttons on the Plymouths.

I spend time as a volunteer tutor with at risk kids at the local elementary where my sons went and also with the LAPD Jeopardy program for at risk kids.

In summary, I survived high school as a smaller kid, but I'd hate to repeat it with the zits, anxiety, etc.