Nineteen years old I had just finished Medical tech school
It was a little intimating to know I was working in
the emergency room. This was when I first met Lee.
He was also nineteen but an Airman first class. He
joined the military young. This is about classic fifties
music. In the background should be playing George Hamilton
1v singing a country number one hit, "A Rose and a Baby Ruth."
What I say next I well let you be the judge.
Lee and I shared a cubicle. We also shared friendship.
Every day Lee wrote letters to his girlfriend Ruth. They
met in Junior High. One day I walked in the room and he
was strumming a guitar. This was not unusual both of us
loved music. What was unusual the tears in his eyes.
I could only ask what was up? He showed me a letter. It
was from Ruth. A box and in it was his returned engagement
ring. Love and hate nexus things oh the pain in parting brings.
But I had seen his love. The moment he was in the room
he would strum his guitar write songs for Ruth. Ongoing
letter timed when he would drop off a moment. She was
constantly on his mind. It seemed to be a lifelong love
affair one I could only hope to duplicate some day and he
needed someone to talk to.
"You see Dandy. Ruth was against me joining the Air Force.
I made a promise. One tour and I would come home to her.
My dad, My Grandpa, his dad, my brother's have always served
our country. Ruth marches in protests. I don't know any other
love but my darling Ruth. So I have been writing her some poetry putting
it to music on my guitar and he began strumming. His voice
soft the guitar playing amateur but effective. The words
were telling a story of young love, "Do do do- do,dodo dodo,
We had a quarrel, a teenage quarrel, now I am as blue as I know
how to be." And he paused in tears. You see I promised Rose as
soon as my tour ended I would come home. I guess she couldn't
wait four years, I know she loves orchids, but I can't afford
to send orchids. I took a loan to buy her this ring. This sound
to anyone familiar? George Hamilton the 1v strumming and singing,
Lee continued his song, "I can't call you on the phone. I can't
even see you at your home. So I am sending this ring just to tell
you I am telling you the truth." Last letter I told her someday
when the tour is over I well show up and bring her her favorite orchids
and she well know the truth of my promise.
So it was he finished strumming his song. "What do you think Dandy?"
I didn't know what to say. "She should be impressed, add a few Baby babies
and you are writing her a top selling do wop song, So he began
strumming, "Dear I hope you won't laugh when no orchids you receive
my Baby Ruth. Someday I well show up and hand you my Rose this a orchid
for my Baby Ruth." Ruth sent every letter and anything he sent back
to Lee including the song poem. He was about to destroy it all when we
saw this add. Send us your song and we well make you famous. Lee put
his strumming guitar song on a wire to the address.
A few months later we heard George Hamilton 1v singing the song
and the song writer stated the style just came to him out of the blue.
That soft unprofessional style of strumming soft words of pain.
We protested but they wrote back do you have a Patton for this song.
We think it is just a coincidence you wrote the same words the same time
as our outstanding song writer. I would really like to know the reasoning
how he came up with the words to the same song?You see the Baby Ruth candy
bar in his jeans was added as forgetting the song was only for her.A the
end a few changes were made of the original song so it would be less personal.
A rose,orchids and a Baby Ruth candy bar.
I lost track of Lee. He volunteered to serve in Viet Nam. He is one of America's
heroes. A man who found it important to serve his country. I visited the wall
of heroes lost in the war. But my heart would not let me look for his name.
Unknown facts about medics. They do not carry weopons. Lee was a man who if
someone was calling for help would go despite the danger. You can hear it in
his soft guitar./dandy
the original song so he could forget his darling Ruth./dandy