1968 Life Magazine On Silver

Thanks for posting that great Life magazine from 1968 URL. Whoa... did that ever bring back memories! I remember George Wallace. He was a city councilman in Huntsville, AL where my father was stationed with the US Army in 1958. I was only 9 years old at the time but thought that he was an annoying man who should listen more and talk less.

The article on the Russians in Czechoslovakia was also memorable. My dad was stationed in the tiny German village of Hof in 1955. He was part of a manned observation post (OP) that kept an eye on the Russians as they did the same to us. The Russians had a very annoying habit of doing a 1000 tank charge at the border with Germany. You can't imagine the thunder, the dust, and the shaking ground that results from this. Then, at the last possible moment, they would all skid to a stop, pop their hatches, stand up, and grin at the shaking troops on the other side of the border. They did this dozens of time while my dad was stationed there and no one ever knew if they would stop or charge right into Germany.

I also enjoyed the letter to the editor and the ads, of all things.

Good job with the post.

Maybe Fort Rucker (it is horrible there) and not Redstone Arsenal? Or maybe Fort McClellan? the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission approved the closure of Fort McClellan and the relocation of the U.S. Army Military Police School and U.S. Army Chemical School to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

It is your story, so tell it however you want. I never let facts get in the way of the stories I tell J/K. Also, you were there I was not.

Yes, he was stationed at the Redstone Arsenal. As to Wallace... I don't know. Perhaps he was in town to give a speech for one of his many political campaigns? I believe that he was running for governor about then. As I said, I WAS 9 years old at the time.



Those were nerve-wracking times for the US Army people, I can tell you that. The Russians were VERY threatening in those days and said many times that they should "liberate western Europe". It was not the armies of western Europe that kept them from doing just that, however.

Remember those Toyota ads where the salesman was listing all of the Corolla's features and when asked what the price was kept repeating $1798? I don't remember when those ads came out but it was one of those that tend to stick in my memory.

Pedal faster, pedal faster!

Uh, it is a Corona, not a Corolla (and certainly not a Crayola).

My folks had a little yellow Corolla hatchback at one time. I don't remember the year but I think that it was an early 1970s model. It was a very reliable little car, it sipped gas like it just heard that they weren't making any more of it, and it was also surprisingly roomy with the rear seats flopped down. Dad could carry a respectable load back there. Eventually, they needed a bigger car, so traded it in but it was a good car while they had it.

My wife and I had a Corona Mark II back in 1971. It had the 1900cc engine and a 4-spd manual trans. It got 33 mpg on a number of trips to the beach and back but usually got around 24 in town and 30 on the road. It was a tan color with the darker brown interior, so looked nice. There have been a number of times when I wished that I had kept it. :-/