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Happy Not Afraid

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      JT Westbrook stationed at Fort Hood.      A fence separated the fort from Killeen.     The preacher stood on the corner hollering, "Do not vote for liquor to be sold in Killeen." If the soldiers wanted to buy beer, they had to drive to Temple, Texas.  Since many of them didn't have transportation, they spent a lot of their time in town.  One of their favorite spots to gather was in front of the two theaters on main street. Never once did I walk in front of them when I got off work between eight and nine at night and walked home.  Instead, I went down the alley behind the theaters.  I didn't want them to know I was alone.  If no one was home when I got there, I would open the door and holler "All right! Come on out! I know you're in there!" I didn't fear the soldiers scattered all over town.  However, going into a dark apartment by myself, is another matter.  Happy Not Afraid I saw a man as happy as he could be. He didn't have a reason that

The Song

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Natalie Westbrook       At the Post, Texas rodeo, my girlfriend and I sat on the fence close to where the horses came out of the chute.  After a while, I excused myself and headed toward the bathroom. On the way back, four boys walking several feet behind me started singing the lyrics of a nineteen fifties popular song. Embarrassed, I hurried as fast as I could to where my friend was.  When I climbed back on the fence, she asked, "What's wrong?  Your face is beet red."  I turned and pointed toward the boys that had been following me.  "See those boys over there?  They were singing that new song 'Short Fat Fanny.' I knew I shouldn't have worn these Levi jeans tonight."  She laughed and said, "Don't be silly.  They were just teasing you."  I nodded, "Maybe so but I didn't like it." From that point on I became more concerned about how I looked in the clothes I wore.   The Song Some boys sung a song just to tease. Then they he