Before coming back to the States, we went to Expo '70 in Osaka. Diane was anxious to have a vacation because she had missed the last trip with the family. She had entered the hospital in May for the fusion of twelve vertebrae and had been in the hospital until October, and then continued to be in a hospital bed at home until January. She was still in the Milwaukee brace.
At Expo, several people turned to look at our family, with a Japanese child in a stroller. One couple even told us they knew where his parents were. I guess they thought we had found a lost boy and they were going to help out. We learned the Japanese word for adopted (YO-no) in order to explain that Ricky was really ours.
In August [1970], we took the ship President Cleveland to San Francisco. Dale drove to Richards-Gebaur AFB in Missouri, our new assignment. The children and I visited relatives on the coast in order for everyone to meet our newest family member. Then we flew to Kansas City where Dale met us at the airport.
Ricky was always shy around people other than family. It was difficult to leave him at the base nursery. He would cry and cry. As long as one of the family did the babysitting, it was alright, but he was a very insecure child.
It was time for Ricky to go to kindergarten. He didn’t want to go. He was perfectly happy at home. I took him the first day. The boy who lived next door was in his class, so that helped. Every morning for a month I had to wait with him at the bus stop. He finally said, “You don’t have to come anymore.” He had gained some self confidence and a sense of security.
Then in May of 1973, the orders came. Dale was being assigned to Sonderstrom, Greenland, for a year and the family could not go. Ricky’s Daddy would be gone. Ricky showed signs of insecurity again as we talked about this move, a different house, and a new school for his first grade.
Rhonda would be going back to Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, but Dan would be home. Thank goodness! Ricky loved Dan, and maybe Dan could get him over the rough places. We found a house to rent in Belton, not far from Richards-Gebaur. Dan and Diane could stay in the same schools, which was nice.
We took a vacation to see all the relatives on the West Coast, then came back and put Dale on a plane for Greenland. That was hard to do, but I had the family to care for. I also had a teaching position to fill the hours and add challenge.
Diane, Dan, Ricky, Rhonda, Joyce, Dale
In front of base housing at Richards-Gebaur AFB, MO
Chapter 4 to follow
