Employed 7 part 12

About a month into the underline overline "job", l got together with my supervisor, explained my anguish at having spent a year-and-a-quarter in training to do the VIO job, only to be removed after about three months
because l mentioned (to a visitor from NSA) my concern about a few of the
links assigned to me. Understand that we Ops had been told of the visit of these people and had encouraged us to share experiences with them and ask any questions that we might have. The super was sympathetic. He averred
that  he would surely be "pissed" if he found himself in the same situation.
l shared some of my work history with him and told him that l was confident
that l could find, somewhere on Ft. Mead, a job that l'd be happy to show up for on all work days. That was the first time Harry (my supervisor) and l had
spoken. He was new at his then-assigned position but had been a supervisor
for a few years. We got along very well thru-out our talk.

Ultimately, Harry and l made a deal: He would excuse me from reporting to
the overline-underline job for one week so l could canvass the post in search
of a job with a little more fun in it. (my characterization, not his) l was so 
stoked when l left NSA; l'd been thinking about my years in the school band
and had convinced myself that l could play trombone for the 6th Cav. l first
went to Post Special Services and talked to a young  Sargent First Class,
who listened to my recount of the years, first playing clarinet in the sixth
grade and then moving to trombone, "the Prince of Brass" (Jack Elmorton),
in seventh grade and finally,in the last year playing French Horn in the
Orchestra. The young SFC got the idea that l might well be a musician that
the 6th Army could use in rheir band. He scheduled me for an audition for a
day in the next week

l showed up at my supervisor's office as agreed, one week after our initial
meet. l told him of the meeting with the SFC and how he had scheduled me 
for an audition and was very optimistic about me being chosen. That,
coupled with my bubbling optimism boweled Harry over. Because the 
audition was scheduled late in the next week, my next visit with Harry was scheduled for the week after that. When we parted that time we shook
hands and wished each-other well,much like people who don't expect to 
meet again.l knew better. Yes, l played 2nd chair trombone  in the school
marching  band and orchestra, but l could only do it with the help of my friend
Garn. He was the 1st chair trombonist, a real musician who played many
instruments (piano,drums, country guitar and base. These days jn  addition
to making country-Western CDs for his fans and freinds he composes classical
pieces and orchestrates them, using a Midde music computer. ln the sixties
and seventies he and his cw band appeared in all of the cw venues in the
western and southern US. For some years, he flew himself and the three
other members of the band, from gig-to-gig in his own private plane.

Probably,if l had paid closer attention to what Garn exposed me in high school
l might have been able to pass the audition (or, at least TAKE IT, without
being seen as a total idiot.)

Just so you know, l will let you know how l was able to play 2nd chair trombone: When we got our printed music,Garn would play the 2nd chair
part as l listened and noted the position of the slide. even though l'm
musically ignorant, l have an excellent ear, so l just needed to listen to Garn
play the piece and get my slide start positions, then  run thru the thing 8 or 10 times  and l'd be ready for an audience.





























times and l'd