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Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day: A look back at M*A*S*H

On this Memorial Day weekend I don't want to diminish the efforts of the current soldiers fighting for America at home and abroad, by just prattling on about the treasure I found, or didn't find while on my mission. In fact, now is a good time to speak about the thousands of men and women who have been serving in the military and are coming home to recuperate and assimilate back in to society (including veterans from previous wars). It won't be easy. War is hell, and the psychological trauma of wondering what's around the corner, or what's along that roadside, for 1 or more tours of duty, isn't something you "get over." They have given up more than their time and one can only hope that in time those veterans suffering from the effects of PTSD, and other combat injuries can be helped with the right therapy.  I will be continuing the "DVDs For Troops" campaign we started at work in 2009 (so far: over 1900 DVDs shipped to troops overseas). If you want more information about helping U.S. war verterans go here.

Now I will prattle on about my latest find. You never know what your going to find when you start climbing that driveway or stairs, and following the signs to the entrance you think is the right one.  That may be the key to the fun of it all. A little mystery, high expectation, and a low probability of danger adds up to some pretty good odds for a positive experience. Add to that the social factor, or the opportunity to benefit your community - as in the relocation of junk, or the boost to a hyper-local economy, and it begins to sound like I am writing a sermon on the benefits of tag sale-ing! 

I really want to talk more about the Karma of hitting the sales. It is a typical occurrence to find the same item pop up numerous times at different sales. For example; at 3 separate sales on Saturday I kept seeing books by American humorist, Erma Bombeck. I don't know why, or if it was a sign, but is certainly struck me funny. Sometimes it's a board game, other times it's a glass doorknob. These I refer to as "theme" days, where suddenly the tag-sale holders of the world wake up and unconsciously all decide to sell the spare tires for the car they no longer own.        

On this Memorial Day weekend I didn't really expect to find much, I mean, who really wants to have a tag sale when they could be planning or going to some kind of cook-out, parade, or some other kick-off to the unofficial start of summer. The last thing I expected to find would be something to remind me of the troops:
To say I liked this show would be an understatement - I grew up on this show and idolized Alan Alda's "Hawkeye Pierce."  It was by no means a perfect show and had episodes that didn't ring with me, but it endured and then managed to find closure. Great writing, excellent comedy, memorable lines: "We're already at the Front! What are they going to do? Put us in front of the Front?" So, finding a commemorative piece of the Bar, or supply building,  frequented by the characters throughout the series is a unique find. This was sold during the addition of the "Swamp,"  the tent of the main characters during the series, to the Smithsonian around 1983.  I have no idea what "Binding up the wounds" means in relation to this piece of the set, but it doesn't really matter. I found the "find" I was looking for this weekend. If you want to get your "fix" of M*A*S*H facts and info, go here.

2 comments:

  1. Very cool. I would think that the further back MASH recedes in time, the rarer this sort of thing becomes. Of course, fewer are the people to whom it means something too I suppose.

    Remember Cpl Klinger mentioning Tony Packo's hotdogs in a few episodes? Jamie Farr is from Toledo, about an hour west of me, and managed to get several plugs in for his town and favorite restaurant during the series. Unfortunately, I guess the fame has worn off after 30+ years, and the restaurant has been in financial trouble for a while. They are still open, but the bank is getting serious now.
    http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=8135381

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  2. Thanks DJ! I always hoped that "Adam's Ribs" from the episode of the same name, existed, but never found out, though I feel as though if I wanted to find it I could. "Right across from the Dearborn Street Station..."

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