Songs can bring back old events. (Read 788 times)

Several weeks ago while I was having trouble sleeping I got up and got on the computer. I figured I'd surf alittle and select some old mellow songs to listen to off the internet. When this song played it brought back these memories as clear as if it was only yesterday.
This just a little short story I quickly typed out one early morning about 2:00AM when I couldn't sleep. It was even raining at the time.
There is a link to the song at the end.



An "Early Morning Rain" rain was falling the morning my two children and I waited for the bus at the Base Billiting Office to take us from Sembach Air Base to Rhien-Main Air Base near Frankfurt Germany. From there we would jump on a chartered civilian airline jet for the United States. I had completed my four year tour of duty with the 601st Tactical Control Wing. Our home and destination was the family farm along the Delaware River in Wayne County Pennsylvania.

An old song titled “Early Morning Rain” reminds me of that morning my children and I departed Sembach Air Base and Europe.
The song’s lyrics seem to speak of that time back then very well.


In the early mornin' rain, with a dollar in my hand,
And an achin' in my heart, and my pocket's full of sand.
I'm a long way from home, and I miss my loved one so,
In the early mornin' rain, with no place to go.
Out on runway number nine, big 707 set to go.
But I'm out here on the grass, where the pavement never grows.
Well the liquor tasted good, and the women all were fast.
There she goes my friend, she's rollin' down at last.
Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver wing on high.
She's away and westward bound, far above the clouds she flies.
Where the mornin' rain don't fall, and the sun always shines.
She'll be flyin' o'er my home, in about three hours time.
This old airport's got me down, it's no earthly good to me.
Cause I'm stuck here on the ground, cold and drunk as I might be.
Can't jump a jet plane, like I can a freight train.
So I'd best be on my way, in the early mornin' rain.
So I'd best be on my way, in the early mornin' rain.

Early Morning Rain: by Gorden Lightfoot

There was a light rain that morning, and I did have many dollars in my pocket from my selective reenlistment bonus ($5,600) , recent pay check, & advanced travel money.
My heart was yearning to get back on the farm with my kids.
Indeed Germany was a long way from home and I was missing my Dad and other relatives.
That morning in the rain we had no place to go except to wait for the bus to take us to Rhien-Main Air Base, Frankfurt and our plane.
Our plane was not a 707 but a DC-10. These airliners were commonly referred to as Freedom Birds by many military members.
During our four years in Germany we had spent lots of time in the German grassy countryside.
The German liquor (Appel-Korn, Beer, & Wine) did taste good. Some of the women were fast, especially my ex-wife when she walked out the door leaving our family.
After a long wait our DC-10 did roll down the runway at last. Runway #9 or not, doesn’t matter. Her mighty engines did roar and we saw her silver wing carry us on high.
We were westward bound, far above the clouds, where the morning rain didn’t fall, and the sun always shines.
We’d be flyin' o'er our home & farm, in several hours time landing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.


That song "An Early Morning Rain" rings true and describes our trip and flight back home to the United States from West Germany.