eagle709

Does anyone know what became of Dana Armstrong?

Late answer, but he is some kind of clergyman in Boise.

Thank you for your response. I agree with you. Since I don't even know who I'm writing to I'd have to say "get over it" is too harsh and I apologize.

I failed to mention that I and all my peers were trashed also. I think in my case I was raised by a very strong Dad who made more of an impression on me than VPW, which probably made it easier to leave. By the way , I wasn't a gun toting cowboy on a daily basis, it was just once, and Chris Geer set me up with it, and I didn't know how TWI abused women until after I left the thing. I actually didn't know that anywhere near the amount went on as I am finding out now. Once again, I apologize, and thank you for your response.

Eagle

Dear Eagle 709. Sometimes people just need to talk. Sometimes it's hard to find people who understand what it was like. Each person is at a different place. There is not one quote or phrase that is a cure all. I think you have to really know someone before prescribing that they "get over it".

I do know someone I wish I could say that to. She was hurt by the way. They never should have treated her the way they did. But she does get annoying because it's been almost ten years and I am sick of hearing about it. I'm also sick of hearing her blame her parents, her siblings, coworkers, spouse, me etc... for her life being miserable.

She has worn me down because nothing has changed or become even a little better. She even once said that her kids would be permanently traumatized because of her life experiences. She's planning on upseting them with things that happened before they were born and don't have anything to do with. But she's like that. She enjoys feeling sorry for herself and likes holding grudges. But the reason I know this is because I have spent a lot of time with her. But I still haven't told her to just "get over It." Although I'm dangerously close.

Point being, sometimes someone does need to be told to "get over it". But i would be very careful about who you say it to. What if they still need some time to talk and sort things out and you scare them off, thus making their recovery take that much longer?

You're right and I won't. Just thought I'd give my opinion. Who knows we might have been friends at one time.

Eagle

Ohh no. Not again!

Dude, if all this 'bitterness' bothers you, ... why read it? Nobody's making you, are they?

<_<

I've read this site, and made a few posts in the last couple of months, and in my meager opinion, y'all just don't want to get over it.

Do you have lives?

It's been 23 years since I left the ministry. Please don't tell me I didn't know what was going on. I lived with J.P. at Emporia and packed a gun doing "bless patrol". Time to move on kids.

Eagle

Back to the topic "Does anyone grow old"?

It is very sad to watch our peers die, but in 1974, when I took the class, the average age of the ministry was 19. We were invincible, young, dumb, and full of whatever. Pretty easy to lead around.

After watching a few friends die, it was in 1986 when our new limb leader explained that one of our wow vets died, because he was out of fellowship and deserved to.

No more waferland for me. I got in his face big time and it was GOOD BYE. My friend was fishing in ID and someone was target shooting in the area. The bullet was deflected by a tree and hit my friend between the eyes. He deserved to die?

The list of those who have passed, (on this website), shocked me when I first saw it a couple of months ago, but, now that I'm 54 and have lost good friends, school mates, my Dad, Uncles, Aunts, and three people that I lived with, I believe the last enemy to be destoyed is death. I also hope for the return of Jesus Christ.

Those are two things that are pretty clear in the Bible, you don't even need an interpreter. I certainly don't claim to understand life and death, but, it was defintely easier for me to pull the plug on on my Dad, hoping for the return. I'm sure you all have had similar experiences.

Eagle

I want those tapes and I mean business, Mister!

It was worth sorting through all this just to sse the picture. Personally I've got a set of 1974 PFAL books I'll sell for 4500.00

Eagle

Forget the past and enjoy the now. I still couldn't handle a church though.

Eagle

I think it is fairly logical that one can not critique honestly something that they have not been a part of.

I believe you failed to read what I said..... I lumped nothing together and referenced nothing "as all."

Perhaps you missed these important parts of my post.

for the most part , For the most part at least in cases I have seen " ,IMHO"

As to offshoots I have stayed fairly in tune with what many are and have been doing through teachings weekly ,monthly, newsletters, personal communication ,books, and personal involvement. I can pretty much tell you with a fair degree of accuracy what the top 25 or so are up to over the last 19 years or so, despite the fact that I only live in Kansas. Some have online live hookups that you can login to as well.

I also make it a point to visit many churches note I did not say every church but a representation of most denominations, in fact last week I just attended a new one the Journey church here. It is a blue jeans and latte kind of church. People can sit out in the coffee shop and watch the service on flat screen televisions if they desire. The large hall adjacent to the auditorium has round tables and bar stools along with a coffee bar. I can personally attest to the fact that many of the churches around here as many I have read about in other places for the past few years have been deeply involved with the new best sellers like the Purpose Drivel Life, The Prayer of Jabez and other such books Not exactly Bibles or scripture. That's fine if free coffee and social commentary are what you want, I don't qualify that as scripture.

Had you read my post the answer to your question was in the following line to the one you quoted

Not that those are necessarily bad things just not at the sacrifice of scripture IMHO. I see many of these havens have progressed toward programs as the years and finances have allowed them. Again it is a matter of what you focus your ministry on some are more interested in soup kitchens than biblical teaching, I think there is a place for both .

I can agree with your logic, but when the same people that were trashing us, were now running the splinter groups, I didn't think I needed to find out if they had changed.

"I have no friends when it comes to the word!"

This bromide made a virtue out of being a brittle, reactionary geek with no relationhip skills, compassion or cultural maneuverability. It was a battle cry meant to snuff out dialogue, tension, paradox and mystery - all scary things to a hyper-Teutonic mindset.

We changed that to: I have no friends because of the word. (the way)

And at the end of the year we were "welcomed Home" to the Rock.

Yeah, right "Home" was a tent city. "Home" yeah, right. Try staying there after ROA was over.

"But you said it was "home". yeah, right

That's why it was in "quotation marks"

We have indoor plumbing at our house. But, no wow burgers.

Hi eagle709, and welcome. I was a W.O.W. in 75-76 too! Went to Birmingham, AL. After the ROA in 76 I hung up my name tag.

I was in Shreveport LA. Quite a culture shock for someone from a small town in IA

Weren't you drafted into the WOW vet program? I wound up being a small branch cooridnator for 3 active WOW families. (Definitely not my idea) That was in the early 80's.

The program had went down bad. Those people didn't (or were not allowed) to think for themselves. When they had issues they imediately called their leadership to fix things. I remember telling an interim corps WOW he could have got the limb leaders phone # and stayed in Emporia. We were allowed to mess up everything and then deal with it. Trust me, we were good at messing things up!

I didn't take the class until 74, and I thought the fun was over by 79.

Welcome, eagle 709

errrrr, I mean Trapper.

Pull up a folding chair and we'll pour you some stretched coffee.

Thanks, I had to show this to my wife. (she evidently didn't have anything else to do, so she went twice).

I can't say much though, I left the 10th corpse, and was dumb enough to go back in the 16th after I married her.

We left it about the same month I left the 10th.

We walked from "TWI" in 86 and haven't had much contact since, so this is a treat.

I'm new here as of yesterday. WOW success or not?

This forum has made me laugh, cry, and I even saw myself returning "home" on the ROA 76 video.

I'd say I pretty much agree with all of you. (covered my butt well.)

I probably heard only what I wanted to, but when I went WOW in 75 I thought all we had to do was return in 76 to be a success.

I left the field for a week but returned for the ROA. Success!!!

We learned how to live on little or nothing,

share our cigs with wow's that didn't work,

drink lot's of coffee,

eat free samples at the grocery store,

share your vehicle with your coordinator,

give all your money to your cooridnator,

hate your cooridnator,

forgive your cooridnator,

My wow brother, who is now deceased likened us to the M.A.S.H. TV show. He was Hawkeye, I was Trapper and our cooridnator was Major Burns. We even had a wow sister with over active hormones we referred to as Hotlips.

Some parts sucked, but I'd call it a success.