Oldtimer New to MIP

Larry_H · MIP Old Timer

Oldtimer New to MIP

cramcj01 · Senior Member

Wow. That's pretty amazing that you are still attending AA as often as you do, after all these years. I sure hope my dedication grows and sticks as much as yours has!

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

Hey Larry, welcome to the board. Congrats on 33 years. My Mom got sober in '75 and consequently I attended my first meeting that year but wasn't ready for another 14 years. Glad that you are here and looking forward to your E,S&H.

Dean

carlasober · Senior Member

Welcome. Keep Coming Back

Jerry F · MIP Old Timer

Aloha Larry...Welcome to the board. I was born in Honolulu and served in the
Navy there also and that had nothing to do with my sobriety. Then I was grateful
for the small stores liquor sales, the beer garden and "shore time" with my buddies
with my alcoholic family. I lived just 100 feet from the USMC club and 100 yards
from the store. The "beer" garden at the main gate was also a usual hangout.
I would have never gotten sober while serving in the military I don't think. Didn't
occur to me. I got sober in Central Valley California before coming back home
to the islands. I'm on the Big Island now and my home group is AA by the Bay
4 miles out of Hilo which meets Saturday at 8AM and Sunday at 8:30AM. I am
the remaining co-founder of that meeting and still do service for it. We are just
30 feet off the edge of the Pacific Ocean and right in the middle of God's handi-
work. I am grateful for all old timers who have searched for my pulse and fanned
my brow while breathing life back into my spirit. Mahalo Nui ...grateful smile

Larry_H · MIP Old Timer

Thanks so much for making me welcome.

I returned to the Islands for a 7 day cruise in October 2006.

I could not believe Honolulu!   Were did that big city come from?

I spent almost 21 years in the USN and retired as a Chief Petty Officer. I joined in August 1962 and retired in June of 1983.   With a sobriety date of 7/12/1976 I had a good chance to experience the Navy both drunk and sober. Sober's Better.

I really enjoyed pulling into a foriegn port knowing that I had friends there to welcome me that I had not met yet.   I even got to attend a prison meeting in Australia with a great bunch of AA friends.

I am attending meetings every day now and I am sponsoring several men because it is time to pay back what I have freely received.  This program is truly amazing I 33 years sober and I still see miracles every day and as my sponsor promised it keeps getting better.   Today I start my day at OUTSTANDING as a choice and work up from there. When I came to AA I did not know that I had a choice in how I felt.

Sobrietyspell · MIP Old Timer

Welcome to MIP, Larry. I love our Oldtimers. Your ESH in the program is my heritage & example so I hope tis a good one ;P lol What an interesting life you're having! I hope you will stay awhile with us & share how you've been doing it 1Day@aTime. God bless you, Danielle x

pinkchip · MIP Old Timer

Welcome Larry :) Stick around and help us stay sober. I really enjoyed reading what I interpret to be "happy, joyous, and free" with 33 years sobriety. This is truly inspiring to me still being at the start of my AA journey. Thanks for being one of those who gives back what they received. I know personally I could not have made it this far without the wisdom of oldtimers in the program.

Mark

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

Hey Larry,

I'm very familiar with the USN as I was born on a base in Newport, RI. Dad was a carrier pilot, flew in Korea, and Vietnam (along with the Cuban Missile Crisis). He served from '51-'80 USN CDR RET RIP Arlington. As a kid 6-14 yo, I swam competitively year round. In the summer I swam for the Ft. Meyers swim team in Arlington. I spent all day every day there and watched many burials at Arlington Cem. during the Vietnam years '66-'74 including RFK who's son was in my class at Catholic school in DC. All during that time my father would tell me that Arlington was where he would be resting eternally some day. So I would watch these burials with full military honors and imagine that some day I'd be attending my Father's. That day came in 2002. He's in a newer section directly across from the west side of the pentagon that the plane struck on 911, which I understand is the Army section. Dad used to work in the Joint Chiefs on the east side.

Larry_H · MIP Old Timer

Mark,

Being an oldtimer is easy ------- Just don't drink and don't die.

Being Happy, Joyous and Free comes from working the 12 Steps of AA. Part of te work of course is working with others. I see miracles happening everyday. Some of them at meetings when I see Alcoholics like me not drinking. I see another miracle
looking at me in the mirror each morning when I shave.

All I wanted to do when I came to AA was to stop drinking and stop hurting. I had no idea that AA had promises that result from step nine that always materialize if we work for them. The big book does not say they may materialize, or you may get a few of the promises, it says that they always materialize if we work for them.

They have for me, they did for my sponsor and they will for you!!!

Then you will truly know the meaning of happy, joyous and free.

Larry_H

The Promises, that are read in many A.A. Meetings can be found on page 83-84, of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

THE A.A. PROMISES

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and selfpity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among ussometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

Larry_H · MIP Old Timer

St Pete Dean

I would have liked to have known your father. From your writing I am sure that he is proud that you are choosing one day at a time to do the next right thing and help others.

One day I will be joining your father in Arlington, but, I am in no hurry life is too good today.

This is from a guy that 33 years ago was pretty much consumed with planning my suicide. Alcohol gave me the desire to take my life but not the courage so I was planning on how to set something in motion that I could not back out of.

That's where I was at when God led me to AA. Then AA led me to God and my life has been getting better ever since

Larry_H

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

Larry, maybe you did (Phil Collins). I used to visit him at work quite a bit. Got on a few carriers too. I met many CPOs and my Dad respected them greatly, he said that they ran the ship. I loved the uniforms and the Chiefs had stripes all up and down their sleeves. It used to make me wonder how you Chiefs could wear short sleeves lol.

Btw, great fez that you've got there. Are you a Mason? It's something that I'd like to do when I settle down a bit. My Grandfather, whom I'm named after was a member of the
"Tall cedars of Lebanon" in NJ. I have his fez. A couple of Shrinors tried to talk me out of it. Something about contributing it to their historical museum lol.

-- Edited by StPeteDean on Monday 12th of October 2009 10:26:25 PM

angelov8 · MIP Old Timer

Welcome to MIP Larry. I have been sober since 5/30/09 and joined with this site in fellowship a few days later. I absolutely love checking in here and was thrilled to see another oldtimer sign up to share ESH. We need eachother! I don't have an connection to the military except for an uncle who served in Vietnam and is only now willing to talk about that time. I do have a fondness for Hawaii though. Spent my absolute favorite family vacation staying in a house outside Pahoa near Hilo, (Nods here to Jerry F in Hilo) See you around.