I'm done

I'm done!! Well it's a bit off target today due to it being my last day!! I couldn't help but start with that. So on to some more stuff at GH. I only spent two years at GH but I got to know a couple guys that got to be some of the best friends I ever had. "F" & "S" are their Initials. They can figure them out. I still try and get together with "F" as much as possible. He could have retired but is hanging in there. He's got a lot of things going on and has more struggles than most but not as many as some I guess. He knows we are there for him. "F" was one of the first good friends I made at GH he was married and had one daughter. Our wives got to be good friends fairly quickly and that always helps. I guess it was his sense of humor and way of working that I liked right from the start. We worked together in the same are of the jail and had a lot of laughs. He was one tough dude and would never ever take any lip form some Inmate that wanted to give him any lip. The package room at GH was a very busy place to work. Esp. on weekends. Inmates would be denied many things they thought they should have but it was our job to make sure no contraband or not allowed items were let in. That's why it seemed we got a lot of attitude from Inmates that thought we made up the rules. Everything was written down in what they call a Directive and we would have to follow it to the letter. But Inmates are constantly trying to get something, anything, if they can. They have nothing better to do than try and make you let them have it. Sometimes (quite often) they would get ornery. "F" was the best I seen at making Inmates back down from a heated argument. And he would always make us laugh while doing so He is a great guy and a good Officer. I hope to see him more now that I am no longer employed by the State. The other guy I got to be good friends with was "S". Or "H" after I found out his real name. So here's the main story I wanted to tell in today's post. "S" and I are working the roof post that covers the yards during recreation. It's a small shack located on the roof of one of the blocks that overlooks two very large yards. We take a gas gun and a AR-15 up to the post and observe the Inmates lifting weights running etc... Well there's a two hour break while they run chow and do the Master count during the middle portion of the shift. They don't pull us off the roof due to the weapons being up. So we sit and talk and eat our lunches. So "S" and I are talking and I think all the times I've seen him around that he is of Spanish decent. But what do I know, I from a High school that had nothing but Caucasians. It never mattered to me but this is what I would have guessed for "S". In reality he was from a Mid eastern country as I found out on that day. He's telling me all about when he was a kid and his Dad was going to send him to Italy and at the last minute he had a chance to go to NYC and took it. He was in the Military over there and fought in a war etc..etc... It was quite a life story to say the least. Went on to NYC and worked his butt off to make a go of it. And was running the Officer's mee at GH and decided to take the test and yada yada yada he's a CO. So after hearing this "S" says so where are you from? I said you wouldn't know it but I'm from a small town in Upstate NY. His reply was is it any where near Sandy Creek?? I looked at him in disbelief. He had guessed the town I went to High School!! A guy from Egypt guesses my High School!! So I asked him how he knew of that town. He says my wife is from there.. I knew every kid practically in school. And I mean every grade!! So I say who's your wife?? He says "SB" I said no kidding?? It might have been No Sh** I'm not sure but you get the idea. Her brother was in my graduating class and she dated one of my best friends brother back in High School. So we set up a time and I met her at is apt. One thing leads to another and we start Bass fishing together and we became good friends. Both of these guys had other Officers backs and would be there when the red alerts were calling. They would do what was needed and to stop it and knew when enough was enough. Exactly the way I thought a good Officer should be. That's another reason we all got along. Similar people from totally different backgrounds. But still friends for life!!