After graduation, we finished the house we had been building all spring in Roland. We moved in over the July 4th. Holiday and I moved to Oklahoma City, on July 7 and started school. My uncle put me to work on one of his parking lots in downtown Oklahoma City. A year later, I was offered a management training position with 1st National Bank of Oklahoma City. That lasted almost a year and I had to get out and see the sun again. I moved back home and started school at Fort Smith Junior College and was doing ok until I let Steve Becker talk me into joining the army on the buddy plan (ha ha). We signed up, I got the flu, and he shipped out to Kansas. Two weeks later I shipped out to Missouri. Steve went to Indiana for school and I went to New Jersey. After graduation, I got orders for Fairbanks, Alaska. And I found a whole new world. Six months later I get a phone call from who else, but Pvt. Steven Becker who is now in Ft. Greely, Alaska about a hundred miles south and deep in the mountains. We saw each other twice during those three years. After service, I came back home and worked for the Boatwright Company for a couple of years. And then I went to Dallas for the weekend. Twenty-nine years eleven months and eight days later I came back home. Most of those years were spent in transportation management; along with a few failed marriages (ha ha) and three wonderful kids: two boys and one girl. After I retired from the freight lines, I went to work for Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club for another twelve and a half years. This time I stayed retired for almost a whole year. Did I mention I met my present wife, Mary after I came back home this last time. We dated for six years and have been married for six years come July. I always knew home town girls were the best, “she is from Poteau”, where I was born as well. Anyway, in ’04 I started a small “hot shot trucking company” that keeps me busy about nine months a year. Guess I’ll do this until Mary retires and we can both run and play together. Wow that is skipping over the top of 65 years!! Jerry Butler - 2006