Neil and I

By Beau Sanders

Neil and I first met on a Thursday evening in November 1956 at the 436th CA/MG Men’s Club.  He was 25 and worked in advertising.  I was 22 and a graduate student at Emory University studying for an M.A. in Teaching.  Subsequently, we met almost every Thursday evening for a year with three-four kindred spirits to clean and repair army .45 automatics – and to discuss anything and everything.  The summer of 1957 he and I spent two weeks with our little group of serious thinkers at Fort McClellan, Alabama, then the WAC basic training base, to drink large quantities of iced-down beer and continue our discussions.  I moved into the Inactive Reserve in November 1957 and ceased attending his Thursday Evening Discussion Group - and left Atlanta in February 1958 (I returned for a few months in March 1960).  We completely lost communication sometime around 1963-4 (we were both busy) but re-connected circa 1988 (he and Barbara were still in Atlanta, my wife had died in 1987, I was then teaching at Central Texas College in Killeen, Texas) and continued in good communication until his death in January 2006.  He was one of my best friends (at the time of his death, the oldest living one by a few months).

This is a brief look at our years in communication.

Neil joined the 436th Civil Affairs Military Government [Active] Army Reserve to escape the Korean draft.  I joined the army and spent most of my time managing the BOARD 5 CONARC coffee shop at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  After completing my enlistment, I enrolled as a graduate student under the G.I. Bill at Emory University shortly before the British, the French and the Israelis invaded Suez.  When the Suez “War” started, I was convinced it was the start of WW III and rushed down to the big red building on Ponce de Leon (I think an ex-Sears building – anyway, it was opposite the old Atlanta Crackers ballpark) and told the recruiting sergeant that I had a security clearance and wanted to join an active reserve outfit that would be the last to be activated, and if activated the last to fight.  He said “I have just the thing for you.”  And so, I became a member of Neil’s Thursday Evening Discussion Group.

The 436th, as was to be expected, was lily-white and composed mainly of employees from Southern Bell, Georgia Power, the Atlanta and Decatur city governments (sewer, water, police), Emory University (history, library, museum), and various federal and state government agencies (FBI, Atlanta Federal Penitentiary):  few, if any, had seen active duty since WW II.  So, I was used as a Drill Instructor as well as an Artificer.  I generally showed up to meetings with a beer buzz on and after the meetings continued on to Manuel’s.  But the major focus was Neil’s little group of serious thinkers.  One of my key recollections of the 436th was our first meeting after the 101st went into Little Rock.  The head guy (I think a bird colonel and employee of Southern Bell) addressed us all:  said if we were activated we would be issued weapons and disbanded – we could then fight on either side we chose.  There were giants in the old days.

I think at the time I joined, Ed Orr was the number two serious thinker.  He was not at the first meeting I attended.  At the second meeting, Neil brought him up to me and said “I would like you to meet Ed Orr.”  I was honestly confused/buzzed and said “Ed or what?”  Ed must have heard that numerous times and gave me a fairly cold look and handshake.  I don’t think anybody realized I was not being facetious.

I was never big on rank thinking it but the penny stamp (at Bd. 5 I got into serious trouble telling a one star general “Hey, you, come back here” – that was how I found my niche as the manager of the Board coffee shop) and do not remember anybody’s rank but my own (I was an E-5 sergeant), but I think Neil was an E-6 and the ranking member of the discussion group.

The funniest story about Neil I remember was his attempt to transfer to a military intelligence unit and take summer training with them rather than with us at Ft. McClellan.  As at one point while on active duty I had been S2 at the Board and knew that it was not going to happen, I told him so.  He mocked me and boasted of an “in”.  My last words on the topic were “See you at McClellan.”

At McClellan for some reason I was detailed to truck driving (a 1¼ ton) and keeping the big galvanized garbage cans in our barracks filled with ice and bottled beer.  So, I was busy setting them up when Neil walked in looking extremely sheepish.  I, of course, laughed and pointed and mocked and said “I told you so” - and then offered him a friendly beer.

NB #1:  the only individual I found on the Net identifying himself as a member of the 436th CA/MG Men’s Club was Terry Dornbush at http://netherlands.usembassy.gov/terry_dornbush.html

NB #2:  Neil and I went flying together several times.  I introduced him to Faulkner’s novel Pylon and his short story Turnabout and loaned him The Fireside Book of Flying Stories – he appreciated (Neil never flew a Funk – I had considerable time in a Funk and lorded it over him (no joke - I was always talking about “flying off in a funk”))

NB #3:  I founded (I was founder, good shepherd, and regular buckaroo) The Church of the Simple Faith (later re-christened The Church of the Simpler Faith) circa 1985.  Neil (The Sahib, later the Squire) and Stephen (St. F) were never full members, but Neil was our official artist (St. F was our official publisher) and sketched most of the members (Second Cousins Once Removed):  me (Sanders, Cyril), Mike G.  (Wally-Bob, K-Bob), Don R.  (El LoCo, Good Ol Boy), Duane S. (The Hammer), Joe L. (Der Fiche), Bert S.  (Sacred Broth).  For some reason, he never got around to sketching Bruce K.  (The Smoocs), Kathy K.  (THAKY!), or Sarah G. (Sallyoops).  (He did not sketch my boys nor Mark H. The Man from Thereless, who was only an associate, nor Don E. (SleeplessinTexas), a Johnny-come-lately (as was Gary S. (The T&M-Man from the Rural Buffer)))

NB #4:  “rank is but the penny stamp” above is a joke taken from P. G. Wodehouse.  The following is the usual reference:

SCOTS GAELIC LYRICS

Is there for honest poverty
That hangs his head, an' a' that
The coward slave, we pass him by
We dare be poor for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
Our toil's obscure and a' that
The rank is but the guinea's stamp
The man's the gowd for a' that

What though on hamely fare we dine
Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine
A man's a man, for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
Their tinsel show an' a' that
The honest man, though e'er sae poor
Is king o' men for a' that

Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord
Wha struts an' stares an' a' that
Tho' hundreds worship at his word
He's but a coof for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
His ribband, star and a' that
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that

A prince can mak' a belted knight
A marquise, duke, an' a' that
But an honest man's aboon his might
Gude faith, he maunna fa' that
For a' that an' a' that
Their dignities an' a' that
The pith o' sense an' pride o' worth
Are higher rank that a' that

Then let us pray that come it may
(as come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree an' a' that
For a' that an' a' that
It's coming yet for a' that
That man to man, the world o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that

---

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Is there for honest poverty
That hangs his head, and all that?
The coward slave, we pass him by -
We dare be poor for all that!
For all that, and all that,
Our toils obscure, and all that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The man's the gold for all that.

What though on homely fare we dine,
Wear course grey woolen, and all that?
Give fools their silks, and knaves their wine -
A man is a man for all that.
For all that, and all that,
Their tinsel show, and all that,
The honest man, though ever so poor,
Is king of men for all that.

You see yonder fellow called 'a lord,'
Who struts, and stares, and all that?
Though hundreds worship at his word,
He is but a dolt for all that.
For all that, and all that,
His ribboned, star, and all that,
The man of independent mind,
He looks and laughs at all that.

A prince can make a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, and all that!
But an honest man is above his might -
Good faith, he must not fault that
For all that, and all that,
Their dignities, and all that,
The pith of sense and pride of worth
Are higher rank than all that.

Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth over all the earth
Shall have the first place and all that!
For all that, and all that,
It is coming yet for all that,
That man to man the world over
Shall brothers be for all that.