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5
25 years ago… I lived in Japan
Just became a married man
An officer in the Navy in Yokosuka, but I was still quite poor
There was no WiFi at sea back then then, so I had to wait until we got back on shore
An error on a travel claim, cause me to sleep…
In a rack on the ship for a whole year, so all that I could ever keep
Was about $200 each month from my Ensign pay after taxes
So I basically served in the Navy, for free, back half a lifetime ago!
I protested, filled out paper work and exceptions, waited in lines for weeks, demanded explanations, and each time was still told no!
I had no proof of how (or why) I lost a year of my pay
I believe that I was a victim of fraud to this day
But I survived, and eventually started making and saving my money
Those dark clouds retreated and my outlook and perspective became more sunny
I even managed to get a free car from a guy with orders back state side
It was a 13 year old Nissan March, but I swallowed my pride
I even rented a 300 square foot apartment, just a few miles off base
I was just thinking today, 25 years in the future, about that little old place!
