Boy's Night Out

As was referenced in a response to my most recent post, yesterday evening was a "Boy's Night Out" for me and my good friend Rick DeVries. Rick teaches middle school at a local Christian school, and he is married to the talented and attractive MB Van Till. A few weeks ago, Rick and I discussed paying a visit to my private club, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States Creston Post 3023. I am a proud Life Member of the VFW, and I have been a member of this Post since I moved to Grand Rapids in 2001. Also known as "The V," the Post is a social and service club where I can go and meet up with other veterans who have fought in past and current wars. It is an amazing place. When Rick and I arrived at the Clubroom, there were a few people at the bar, all of them heroes and all of them getting a little older each day. Last night sitting at the bar was World War II veteran, a Korean War veteran, a Vietnam Veteran, a Desert Storm Veteran, and an Operation Enduring Freedom veteran. These brave men and women know that freedom isn't free.

Dee was our designated driver, so after work we picked up Rick and she drove us to The V. The Clubroom is always an interesting place, as it smells like old cigarettes, stale popcorn and beer. Rick and I arrived at The V a little before 1800 (6PM for you civilians). I showed my Life Membership card, and the bartender said to me, "What will you have?" Rick and I had a 20oz mug of beer (Bud Light) for the princely sum of $2. After the drafts were served to us, we shifted to the pool table, where for 25 cents a game, we were able to joust on the green felt. Rick and I battled hard and at the start of the second game, two fellow VFW members arrived, and both of them had their pool cues, in custom fit cases, for a rack or two. One of these elderly veterans places a quarter on the pool table, which was his way of saying, "I challenge the winner of this game to a rack." Neither Rick or I wanted to play a challenger, so at the end of our game we yielded the pool table to the man who placed the two bits on table. I was even asked, "Do you want to play? The table is yours (I won the second game Rick and I played), you know." I politely declined the honor of defending my position, and retired to the bar. Rick and I bellied up to the bar, had a few more beers, played a couple of pull tabs, and solved the world's problems. There are few conflicts which cannot be solved between rational humans when they realize that a consensus solution is best for everyone involved.