Old Sarge

[Gonzo]

This is from my book "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut"

 

I tried to cover every different aspect of customers and situations in my book... some, came out better than others. This one, is very special to me. This is a customer of mine that I will never forget or will never stop telling people about.

 

He's a soldier, he's a friend. Old Sarge.

 

Old Sarge

 

I met this great man through his son, who happened to be the driver of that Chevy van from the furniture store that was my very first customer. Sarge isn’t his real name, but that’s what I called him. He was a retired Marine Corps cook. I met him one day when he came in with a sick Cadillac.

 

The old Cadillac hardly had any power at all; just as slow and lazy as a snail. I was only in business for a few months, and didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have any work to speak of, so even though it wasn’t an electrical problem (as he originally thought), I jumped right in and found the problem. It was a clogged catalytic converter. Unbelievably, it wasn’t even welded in place. I could take off the clamps, and remove it without much hassle. Back then I didn’t have a lift to put the car in the air, so I had to do the whole job on the ground. Well, old Sarge just sat there and watched me do the whole thing. I think he was a little suspicious of this skinny little white kid who was hacking away at his car, but he patiently waited, being the good man he was. We got to talking about things, and it wasn’t long before he found out that I was also in Marine Corps. Now we had some common ground. We were buds for life, always cutting up with each other.

 

One hot August afternoon Sarge brought in one of his other cars to get some work done. I had the back door to the shop open, and Sarge steps outside for a little fresh air. I thought I could hear the guy crying or mumbling something, couldn’t tell which it was. I stuck my head around the corner, “Sarge, ah …. you ok, buddy?” I asked.

 

He proceeded to tell me how the house he grew up in was close by, before it became a shopping center. He talked about his dad and family, and how he hunted rabbits right where we were standing. It was during the Depression. Hard times, and things were scarce in those days. How his dad hid a pig in a pit, not too far from here. Where they kept the corn mash for making moon shine. I sat and listened to this hardened Marine tell me his life’s story that day, from his first car to how he ended up in the Corps. I didn’t answer the phone, or go up front to see if anyone came in. I just sat out there in that August heat, drenched in sweat, listening to this fella tell me his life story.

 

I’ll never forget that afternoon. I’ll also never forget how every time he came to my shop over the next 25 years he would sneak up on me, and yell in a drill instructor voice, “TEN HUT!” I would snap to attention just like a good Marine should. Sometimes, just to get a rise out of Sarge I would purposely hit my head on the hood of the car I was working on. He got a kick out of it every time.

 

Sarge passed away a couple years back. I still think about him now and then. I hope he’s up there hunting rabbits, or something. Maybe he’s guarding the gates like every Marine hopes to be doing when their time comes. Or, he could be just waiting there to try and surprise me with one more “TEN HUT” when I show up.

 

 

Sarge, I miss having you around the shop.

 

 

[xrac]

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[Gonzo]

What can I say Gonzo. I love stuff like that. Thanks!

 

 

If there ever was a customer that I would never forget... it's Sarge.

He never had a dime in his pocket, he never drove the nicest or best cars... but... he had a heart of gold.

I look at it this way... if I was in a combat situation and needed someone to watch my back... I'd get Sarge.

and I'd do the same for him too.

 

Right after my book was published I called his son and told him to come down to my shop and that I had something for him. I gave him a copy of my book... he read the entire book cover to cover. Then he told me what he had done.

 

He went to his fathers grave sight and read the story "Old Sarge" to his father.... I was proud and humble at the same time... semper fi

[Joe Marconi]

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[Gonzo]

What a moving story! This is what America is all about. "Old Sarge" and others like him is what make America the greatest nation in the world. Let us pray we never foget those people. My father was a Sergeant during WWII and I too was facinated with his stories. I started to compile his stories on paper so the memories I have will live on.

 

Gonzo, thanks again for bringing so much to ASO.

 

 

Anything I can do is a an honor. Joe, somehow we seem to think alike. Even though there are miles between us.

I'm glad to do what I can for ASO... and will continue to do so... thanx for your comments