Posts from The Ringo Kid in thread „Hannibal Rising (2007)“

Quote from DakotaSurfer

The only place in town I ever went to was that bar... we lived really close to the overpass road that took us straight to the base. I remember the night Allen was going to hit, it was suppose to move inland around Brownsville but when we woke up at 5 am it was 15 mile south of Kingsville. We got in the car and speeded to the base... no one was at the gate so we went straight to my office which was a hurricane building. Dropped the wife off and parked the car across the street and literally crawled back to the office door the winds were so fierce. Kingsville was okay but I wouldn't go back. My ex is still there somewhere, may she rot in peace.


Back on topic... saw Hannibal Rising Friday. Wasn't quite what I expected for storyline but was still good compared to the others. It explained a lot, if your a Hannibal fan, it's a must see. I'd give it 3 stars out 4.

I've been away from Kingsville for about 10 & 1/2 years now. I don't want to move back there either. just too small and not enough to keep one really entertained.

There used to be a place for the Navy and Marines personnel to go to to hang out at. It was called: The Flight Deck, and was at Southgate Mall. It has now since closed.

Quote from DakotaSurfer

Ringo - I used to bartend part-time at the EM Club and got asked to bartend at a function at the King Ranch once. Boy was that a night to remember. The PX never was anything special.

There used to be a hangout on the north side of town, a C&W bar ran by a retired Navy Chief and his wife. We used to hangout there and the band was the Chief and some of his C&W friends.

The town wasn't much when I was there in 1980 - 1982. Plus a hurricane went through Kingsville in 1981 when I lived there. Old lady Kleberg was still alive back then and I think the county north of Kingsville was still dry. Nothing happened unless she gave the word.

Hi Dakota, chances are, you might have met my mother and or Archie Klassen (long-time nextdoor neighbor)

I know of that bar you are talking about but, I cannot remember it's name. I also know the owners as well but, cannot recall their names.

Kingsville was always slow to change until the early-nid 1990's. The Hurricane you speak of was Hurricane Allen. I remember that one all too well. Kingsville only had cable TV for about 2 or so years and that was back when the "Weather Channel" was nothing but a "Radar station" which showed a minute hand going clockwise around the screen and did not show much. Anyway, the night before Hurricane Allen came in, we watched that radar like hawks--watching it come closer and closer--as we packed to leave. It started raining at about 4 am (I lived across the street from a city park and remember several people were there "celebrating the coming of the hurricane" and I remember the bottles they broke as well as the laughter. We were finally loaded to leave and left I think around 7 AM. By that time it was a downpour and the winds were really kicking it up. At that time, we lived in a 2-storey house on 10th and Doddridge. Normally it would take about 5 minutes to get to A&I stadium from there but, the streets were all flooding rapidly and cars were stalled everywhere. It took us over an hour to get to where Armstrong St.and Corral streets crossed paths. Everyone was taking the more wellknown routes towards San Antonio--we went the back ways which is the road (King Street) that leads out of town and past the King Ranch's main entrance. It took us about 3 hours to get to San Antonio - while all the other people were stuck in slow-to-non-moving lines.

We knew the Kleberg's as well and I knew her Sons and Nephews. One of which was a Judge for many years as well as Sheriff of Kleberg County: Sheriff Scarborough. Tio Kleberg is "big" into banking and owns some banks here in Corpus Christi. I used to bank with them at their bank in Kingsville (Kleberg First National Bank) which was located across the street from the Post Office (which sits on the land that my Grandfather once owned and ran a lumber yard as well as Kingsvilles first US P.O. (which was only a tent with a wooden bottle crate sat onto its side and on a small table that the letters went into)

Do you remember Gafford's Grocery Store? They were on the corner of 14th Street and Caesar Streets. The Gaffords retired in the early 80's - closing our neighborhood grocery store, and they retired in the small town of Falfurrias (pronounced Fal furrias and not Fal fuddias) as some people seem to think it was.

Dang, you sure know how to bring back some of my memories out from the dustbins and cobwebs; that make up my brain.

Quote from SXViper

So ahh Ringo. You haven't said why you are no longer a CO???!!!!!

Just kidding, sounds pretty bad. I would think you are happy to no longer be working there.

Hi Todd, I left service there for several reasons. One reason was because we were always short-handed and it was impossible to take time off from work and after we accrued our max vacation etc, times, if you did not take your time off--you lost it. Another reason that I left was because of imcompetant supervisors (like the one mentioned above -- who I hold rsponsible for those two inmates deaths. Another reason I left is because I had to drive about 55 miles each way every day. What made my decision to leave was when they started hiring people with a "Jethro Bodine" 6th grade education. Those are the folks who you would not want to work with. They also hired too many people who had a "God" complex and those were the ones who stirred up the inmates and caused so much trouble. Inmates are people too, not just a number. I found that out early on and never had any trouble with them and they did as I said. Only once did I have a problem with an inmate and that was because of lazy Correctional Officers on another "farm" that I had transferred to.

Mostly the job was not so bad but, all too often, the bad stuff happened. I remember being involved in many lockdowns and dorm riots and gassings. I was on hospital detail many times as well.

What I do miss about the job is the money and benefits. Shortly after I resigned, they went from 8 Hr shifts to 12 hr shifts. On the 8 hr shift we had 3 sets of 5 and 4 sets of 4 meaning= we worked 5 days on, one day off, five days on, one day off, five days on, two days off, and four days on, two off (for each set of four) We all dreaded the 5 day schedule and the four day schedules went all too fast. Those who went to 12 hours, work 4 days on and 4 days off. Add up the hrs and a person working a 12 hr shift worked almost 50% more hrs per year than the persons working an 8 hr shift--for the same pay.

I have not had equal pay since that job but, I do get by.

Quote from ethanedwards

Carl,

Thanks for posting your harrowing account,
my god, it sounds gruesome!!!

Hi Keith, Dakota.

Keith, quite welcome. It definately was pretty bad working there at times. More often than not something negative happened. Once in a great while something great happened as well. I'll tell that story another time. In fact, what happened on that day made it the best day I ever had at work. ;-D

Dakota, Kingsville is where I was born and raised. My Mother worked at Supply there under Commander Keck. I remember they had a very nice O Club as well. The base PX was (and still is) nothing special. Also, I think you can still get gasoline on base for about 5 cents cheaper than in town.

Many changes have happened there since I movew out of K-ville about 10 years ago.

Kingsville now has a Chili's Restaurant (which seems to be the new college student hangout.)

Two more large subdivisions (housing there is in a boom).

Military Highway was re-named: General Cavazos Bulevard.

Access to the King Ranch is severely restricted, thanks to a few morons who drove on property and illegally shot several Deer as well as shot and killed several Longhorns and Horses.

The Police Station and Sheriffs Offices, Jail etc, are in a new building which is located on East King Street.

There is now an Overpass system running along Highway 77 all past Kingsville.

Texas A&I Universityis now renamed to Texas A&M University-- unfortunately, and thanks to Kika de la Garza; whom nobody likes.

It's been several years since I last was there so i don't know what other changes have been made.

Dick Kleberg Park is still Dick Kleberg Park, as far as I know.

Downtown was revitalized and is a moderate success.

Phil Esquivel is no longer the City Mayor as he was impeached for some reason. I personally know Phil, and I know the harges against him are B.S. We both were in Troop 147 led by Ross C. Genz --WWII Navy fighter pilot/veteran.

That's all I know of any changes that were probably made since you were last there. Oh, I forgot, the Navy base now has Goshawks there instead of the old TA4J trainers. Oh and, "Pappy" Boyington's son-in-law, is the person in charge of the US Navy's aviation training and is/was stationed here in Corpus Christi (N.A.S.C.C.)

Quote from SXViper

After "Silence of the Lambs" My wife and I just cannot watch that series. Its just to real as to what could happen, in fact my wife will not even talk about the movie. She changes the subject, immediatly.

I used to be a Correctional Officer for the State of Texas, and I saw many gruesome things happen while working there. I also saw Silence of the Lambs and sorry to say, found it disgusting. Im not trying to start any trouble to those who like those films but, being a C.O. for several years; one really gets sick of these things.

For example: I have witnessed several inmate deaths.

1) Was an inmate who was beat to death by another inmate who took a Master lock (which they are allowed to purchase) put the lock in a sock and literally tore the other mans head to pieces. I was the C.O. who had to witness this and there was nothing I could do about it due to safety regulations. The blame for this one solely lies on the shoulders of a Sergeant who I informed as to what was going to happen.

2) Another example of an inmate losing his head - by another inmate. This inmate had snitched on another inmate who was a ranking gang member in a Mexican prison gang known as the pistoleros. The person he killed was not aware of much because he was slightly retarded. To make a long story short, this inmate informed on at least five others -- in the dorm with all inmates presant. I did my best to keep this man away from the others by placing him in a Sallyport. We are not allowed to do that because it could be considered a form of punishment and we C.O.'s are not allowed to punish inmates.

Anyway, again a supervisor was told of what happened and said supervisor ordered me to place the inmate back into his dorm. I tried to see about having him placed in P.C. (Protective Custody) as I knew there were at least 3 PC cells open. Said supervisor tried to get me to write up this inmate for "being out-of-place" and I said I could not do that because "I" was the one who took him out of his dorm and placed him in safety in that dorms Barber Shop. This inmate had not done anything wrong and only did as I told him. It was not appreciated by said supervisor, that he did volunteer to mop the sallyport and hallways floors as well as clean the officers bathroom etc. This man did so on his own free will. Anyway, had I not done so, that man would have been killed earlier in my shift.

Still another instance: This time it was on Thanksgiving Day. As always, we were short-handed by about 40% of the needed staff per shift.

I was solely in charge of 1,000 inmates and had to not only, pat search them all coming and going but, to walk to each of their 4-pod dorms and have them get ready to eat chow as well as to man the South Corrider by myself and conduct the security in the South Chowhall. Being it was Thanksgiving, they were allowed to come and go as they pleased carrying as much food back to their dorms as they pleased.

I was in the midst of pat-searching some 100 inmates standing in line as well as supervising the lines of 50 coming and going to and from the chowhall and back to their dorms. I was so busy that I was not able to see who shoved about 25 inches of copper-wire, into the neck and chest of the inmate standing just behind me. This inmate did not scream out in pain and I only had just cought the barest of movements out of the corner of my eye. The wire was jammed into his neck and chest so tightly that very little blood leaked out of the two wounds.

I'll end the stories at this and just say that what I saw at work is partly why I can't stand horror flicks.