Number Five of My "Thought Starter" List

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My most memorable day was… Actually, it was not difficult for me, to decide what would be number one on that list. I decided that I would tell you about my trip to Okinawa, Japan, which actually lasted 72 hours from start to finish. I tried to keep it short, but that's not easy for such a story as this. I think you will enjoy the tale. I actually think I have already told this story. I was 6 months pregnant. I was traveling alone with my 19 month old daughter. My mother and father took me to the airport in Bridgeport, West Virginia to begin my long journey. Later, my mother told me that she believed that day, that she might never see us again. And, if she only knew what I went through, she would have had real reason to be worried. We flew on a shuttle plane to Pittsburgh, PA, where we boarded a 707 to Chicago, landing at O’Hare. The flight I needed to be on however, was at Midway Airport on the other side of Chicago, so we boarded a helicopter and flew across the city. There we boarded a PROP plane, not a jet. We flew to San Diego, California. We were told that the airplane we were on had some problems, so we were put on another airplane and flown to Oakland, California where we waited for hours. My brother happened to be stationed at an Army Post in Oakland and came to the airport to see me, with his future wife, who was an Army nurse. She noticed that my ankles were swollen and had me prop up my feet, but it didn’t help much. They both suggested that I go back home and wait until after the baby was born, but I was determined. Dumb me. I was 20 years old at the time and just wanted to be with my husband. This was even after the airline told me that I would only have ONE seat, even though I had paid for two seats. So, I had to hold my daughter on my lap the rest of the way. She was a really good baby and never cried once. But, it was still exhausting for me. Finally, after a very long time, my daughter and I boarded the plane. It was the same plane that had had problems. Supposedly, it was repaired in San Diego and then flew up to Oakland. We then took off for Honolulu, across the Pacific Ocean, which took a really long time in a prop plane. We had a few hours at the Honolulu airport and got back on the same plane. Then, we landed in Wake Island several hours later. By then, my ankles were really swollen and I was feeling very weak. But, we still had a LONG way to go. Next stop was Guam, after several more hours in the plane. A few hours layover there and then after several more hours in the air, we finally landed in Okinawa and my husband was there to meet us. By this time, I didn't have any idea what day it was or what time it was. Flying past the International Date Line, I later found out that it took me about 72 hours to get there and I don't remember sleeping during the entire trip. How could I sleep with a baby on my lap? No one offered to help me at any point. He had borrowed a car from a fellow airman and had rented a house for us to live in. It had ZERO furniture. He had managed to get a crib from family services and two “army cots” with some sheets and pillows. There was no refrigerator or stove or any other furniture, not even curtains at the windows. But that very day, I went into the hospital. My husband was on 24 hour alert and could not stay there with me. After he left us in the house, I was in so much pain that I thought I was going into labor. I literally stumbled to the house next door because I saw an American car in the driveway. We were in the village and surrounded by Okinawans mostly. I pounded on her door and told her that I thought I was in labor and needed to go to the hospital. She immediately grabbed up her daughter and my daughter and took me to the hospital. I was there for a week and she, a complete stranger, took care of my daughter. I did not lose my baby. He and I survived a severe kidney infection and he was born in December. There is so much more to this story, but as you can read, it was a very memorable and vivid experience that I actually lived to tell about. So, now I have completed my challenge of the FIVE “thought starters.” Have you tried the challenge? I will give you FIVE more in my next post. Thought starters can make you remember certain experiences about which you can write. Take the challenge.