"Combining the Local Scene with the 1960's" - Time Out #165

Many times in the past 3-plus years, I have pleasantly recalled the definitely simpler/gentler 1950's, living in Our Town. Since my father, Col. C.H. Breedlove, moved our family here from half way across our mighty country (leaving suburban Washington, D.C.) during June, 1953, I spent the rest of that decade attending Westwood and Eugene Field Elementary Schools, followed by Stillwater Junior High Schools (2 locations-West 12th Avenue and West 9th Avenue). During the entire 1960's, I resided in Our Town, being graduated from C.E. Donart (now Stillwater) High School in 1965, and Oklahoma State University (OSU) undergraduate degree in 1969, I finished the decade working locally for the News-Press, before entering the U.S. Army in early 1970.

Well, several recent things have caused me to reflect on that crazy decade of the 1960's, a much more up-tempo time in our vast country than the previous decade. Time-wise, the first major happening in the early part of this period was the Vietnam Conflict. U.S.involvement began shortly after young, Democratic President John F. Kennedy (JFK) took over as our chief executive, defeating Republican challenger, Richard M. Nixon in 1960. Nixon had been President Dwight D. Eisenhower's (1952-60) vice president, and probably lost to the vibrant JFK because of the first nationally televised series of presidential debates. I remember watching these on our black and white television set in our new home on West 9th Avenue.

I have had such a plethora of feelings about the U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia, and more specifically in tiny (size of Florida) Vietnam. Being the son of an Air Force colonel, an older brother a former captain in the Army, and me taking 2 years of Air Force R.O.T.C. training at OSU, I certainly had strong military feelings most of my life. Therefore, I thought our country's total involvement in the Vietnam Conflict was absolutely justified. The anti-draft movement of the late 1960's never really gained too much momentum in Our Town, as we had a campus full of 2-S student deferment, draft-age, male college students.

As I have previously stated in this weekly forum, Ken Burns' "The Vietnam War", a 10-part, 17 1/2-hour documentary masterpiece has certainly given me much so-called 'food for thought'. In my opinion, Burns is a genius in his documentary-making ability, whether it be "The Civil War". "Baseball", The Dust Bowl" or "The Vietnam War. I believe the latter one, his latest contribution, is absolutely his finest work, and I would highly encourage all people to take the time to watch the entire 10-part series. Presently, I am on my second total viewing, and over the years, might try to watch the entire group once every year, never to forget this vital part of our nation's history. Burns' work certainly altered many of my past feelings about our country's unnecessary involvement, causing over 58,000 of our soldier's deaths, and over 400,000 wounded. Vietnam was constantly talked about in Our Town from the mid-1960's for the next ten years. It was the main topic of many local conversations.

The next historical events to mention during this turbulent decade were the assassinations of JFK, his U.S. Attorney General brother, Robert Kennedy, and civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even living in relatively quiet Our Town, these killings rocked our small worlds here, and we all had to wonder just what was happening to our civilized American society? We all vividly remember just where we were when JFK was shot in Dallas, Texas, in late November, 1963. Yours truly was in Mr. Forrest Coltharp's sophomore algebra class when our high school principal, Mr. Jim Sanders, spoke on the intercom system, carried through every classroom in our school. He gave two announcements'; the first one telling us of the President had been shot, followed shortly by the second one of JFK's death at Parkland Hospital. I remember that instant sick feeling in my stomach following Mr. Sanders' brief statements.

The other significant 1960's events that recently tapped my memory, came about when my bride, Debbie, and I saw the excellent motion picture, "First Man", starring Ryan Gossling. It certainly helped me remember watching our then new color television, as our government, more specifically NASA, was racing the USSR (Russians) to be the first country to land an astronaut on the moon. Gossling plays American Neil Armstrong, the first human to accomplish this feat, when he took "one step for man; one giant leap for mankind" on the moon in the summer, 1969. All throughout the 1960's, people from all over Planet Earth, and that certainly included Our Town, were frequently fixed to our television sets to witness a rocket launch, and the feverish activity inside Houston's NASA Mission Control Center. Please, don't miss seeing "First Man", as it certainly is a keeper for a movie.

I truly believe living in Our Town throughout the incredible 1960's, kept me grounded. It certainly was a wild and crazy time to take it all in, dear readers!!