It was 1991, and at the time, I was a Staff Sergeant and a Counterintelligence Agent in the United States Army. My unit was located in Germany. Job-wise, I had a full plate. I conducted security clearance background investigations, scheduled interviews for security clearances, and wrote intelligence reports. I also investigated security violations and conducted…
Category: PERSONAL STORIES
Sharing my experiences, situations, and predicaments about parts of my life that almost broke my spirit but kept me encouraged.
Our Neighborhood Curmudgeon: MR. OSA LEE
Pretty much every community has a grumpy person. When I was a kid living in New Orleans, I remember ours. He wasn’t some mean, fat kid with an unchecked attitude and grudge against everybody. Our malcontent was an old man who was well into his 70s. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him, and all the…
Memories of my dad, Eddie J. Metz, Sr.
I have great memories of my father. He will always be my hero. As a child, I remember often sitting next to him on the side of the bed and listening to him sing the Daisy Bell song to me. “Daisy Bell” is a popular song written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre. I am…
My audacity of being angry with God
When my mother died in my arms, I was beside myself with grief and pain. Rage and anger consumed me. I needed to lash out at someone responsible. I found a target. From this experience, I found out that it’s ok to be angry with God. Before I joined the Army, I was in an…
THE MARDI GRAS INDIANS OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
“Throw me something, mister,” is the familiar phrase shouted at Mardi Gras. During Mardi Gras parades, revelers include both locals and tourists from all over the world. They gather along the parade routes, packed shoulder to shoulder, anxiously awaiting the floats to start rolling by. Like kids vying for free candy, the crowds scramble for…
Losing Ann Lavigne, my Childhood Best Friend from Catholic School
Her name was Ann Lavigne, my best friend in fifth grade. We attended St. Monica’s Catholic Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both of us were shy, introverted nerds and skinny as reeds. I don’t remember exactly when or how we became friends. I think our friendship started in class because we both excelled in…
A Mardi Gras With my Sister Rose to Remember
Several years ago, I took a flight from Germany to visit my sister Rose in New Orleans for the annual Mardi Gras, a cultural and traditional celebration in Louisiana and other parts of the South. I was relieved when the plane touched down at Louis Armstrong Airport. Although the 9-hour flight had made me tired,…
Captain Meeks Didn’t Have a Chance with the Gumbo Shrimp!
Throughout my Army career, men have always outnumbered me in my chosen professional field of military intelligence and security. I loved my jobs, despite the ups and downs and many challenges. But I gained the respect of the men after showing them in no uncertain terms that I could always hold my own. I remember…
*FRONT PORCH DRAMA FROM MY CHILDHOOD
As a kid, I had all the time in the world during the summer when school was out. However, I never wasted my time doing foolish things. My parents knew I had an over-active mind, so they plied me with toys and educational distractions to keep me busy. My dad bought me games like Operation…
DAS BOOT (The Boat) at the Fest in Heidelberg, Germany
DAS BOOT (THE BOAT) It was one summer in the 1980s. At the time, I was a U.S. Army stenographer stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, at HQ, US ARMY EUROPE. My two sons and I lived in military family housing in Patrick Henry Village, which Americans referred to as PHV. I found PHV to be a…
Sharing my Love of Living in Germany 