Swagger stick to cane
October 11, 2006
In the summer of 1955, Marilyn and I found ourselves living in a small house in Lampasas, (Deep in the heart of) Texas, a short commute from Fort Hood. I was a shavetail 2nd Lieutenant with a Maintenance Officer MOS, and the Department of Army, in its wisdom, cut orders assigning me to Headquarters Company, Maintenance Battalion, First Armored Division (Sir! The Big Red One! Sir!).
Since armored divisions in those days still thought of themselves as cavalry, the duty uniform consisted of heavily creased and starched green fatigues bloused into spit-polished combat boots, topped with a lacquered and polished olive-drab helmet liner with, in my case, a shiny gold bar front and center. As I strode down the company street, I held a swagger stick in my left hand, leaving the right free to return salutes from smirking enlisted personnel or to salute officers of greater rank, which meant in my case all the other officers. What a figure I did cut!
My swagger stick was fabricated from a replacement jeep antenna stolen from battalion stores. For some reason I can’t remember exactly what it looked like, but it was about eighteen inches long and polished bright. A fashion piece, as it were, which brings me to walking canes.
On my morning walk I was pondering the background pain in my right hip, when I remembered an elderly gentleman I used to jog by on Harrison Street who walked using a cane. He was truckin’ right along. Maybe at some point I could use a cane to prolong my walking days. Some research was called for.
When I got home I politely asked Mr. Google what he knew about walking canes. The answer was “a lot.” Canes apparently evolved from ceremonial staffs, carried as a symbol of office and status of chief. Western European males in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries “wore” decorative canes as fashion accessories, the distant cousin of my swagger stick. They are also used in many cultures as orthopedic aids, and I learned all about how to use them to favor an aching hip, rules for going up and down stairs, and all sorts of useful stuff.
One of these days I may find myself strolling down the boulevard, twirling my cane. Then I will pick myself up and use it as an orthopedic aid. Sigh!
Dave, hoping to keep on truckin’ for a long time yet.
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6 Responses to “Swagger stick to cane”
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LOL!!!
Thanks, Hank. (I think.)
Hey Grandad, i love this retrospective air. I request more old memories. I didn’t know you spent some time in Texas. A cane would be a really good addition to your style.
Hi Kyle,
Well, now, I’ll have to crank up the memory bank and see what I can flush out. (I wonder how many megabytes I have between my ears?).
I’ve only just recently discovered these priceless articles in your memory category, Dad. These are terrific. IMHO, a cane would give you quite a debonair look. I’m with Kyle, I’d love to read more articles from your memory bank.
I’m guessing you have tarobytes of memories between your ears.
I’m another related reader who would enjoy more retrospective pieces. I had no idea you ever carried a swagger stick!
I wonder where the phrase “keep on truckin’” originated. It was popularized by its usage in R. Crumb’s underground comics of the early seventies, but who knows where Crumb picked it up. Now the phrase seems to have seeped into general usage.