Medical care for the ages (and aged)

I want to share two medical procedures I have recently had with the hope it may help those with similar problems to take positive action, i.e. consult with doctors (especially cardiologists) and spinal specialists. 

In June, I had a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) because the aortic valve in my heart (the most important) was not functioning properly. In layman's terms,  my doctor (an aortic surgeon) replaced the aortic valve with a minute wire cage inside which was a pig-skin valve. He did this through my groin. Prior to the procedure I was short of breath, tired easily, and sweat profusely during the slightest extended activity. e.g. carrying groceries, walking around the large building (South Bay @ Mt. Pleasant) where I live. Since this successful procedure I have more pep and energy and, for example, am able to ride a stationary bicycle for 30 minutes.

In August, the second procedure was the injection of steroids into my lower back on the right side. Three doctors assured me that x-rays did not show any problems with my hips.  For several months I suffered with continuous pain due to arthritis, had to use a cane and then a walker to get around. I limped daily and normal activities took double the time to complete. It has been three days since this injection and already I have relief from the aching in my right leg from my waist to my foot. The expectation is that in about 14 days time I may be able to dispense with the walker and only use the cane to help maintain my balance. 

Consult with your doctor.  You may be glad you did.

Send comments to: arch@archibald99.com

Going to the moon

Letter to the Editor

ThePost & Courier

Charleston, SC

Published: June 29, 2019  

Going to the moon

 On June 23, I watched the CNN special “Apollo 11”  which will be re-broadcast at 9 p.m. June 29 and at midnight June 30.   

From the beginning to the end, I was captivated by the telling of the story, using film seen fifty years ago and new, previously unseen, film.     I knew that the three men, Neil Armstrong,  Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins would return to earth safely, but the presentation was so effective, the apprehension felt was real when Armstrong and Aldrin left the lunar module and climbed down the ladder to walk on the moon.    

After the capsule re-entry, it made me proud to see the aircraft carrier Hornet standing around the drop site in the Pacific, and helicopters circling overhead.    

Nothing was spared in the effort to pluck these three brave men out of the water and onto the Hornet to the clapping and thunderous cheers of the crew and other officials.     

It was a fitting end to the presentation to see President John F. Kennedy at the podium at the University of Texas in September 1962 proclaim to the world, " We choose to go to the Moon...We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.” 

   
We have not seen such gravitas in the White House since.

(Send comments to arch@archibald99.com)

Truth, Censorship and the Government

The New York Times

Letter to theEditor

April 8,2019

Mark Fallon, a retired SpecialAgent with the Naval Investigative Service, wrote an Op-Ed (published in the Times, April 3, 2019) explaining his disagreement with the NIS requirement he submit any proposed publications for pre-approval. This is not an uncommon requirement for men and women throughout the government who served in national security agencies.  Fallon has joined two other retirees who object to review of their writings before publication

This is my letter:

“If Mark Fallon could be trusted to do sensitive work for 31 years, then he ought to be trusted not to reveal classified information now.

“Censorship is anathema, even when called “prepublication review.” “

Francis X. Archibald

Mount Pleasant, S.C.

A Letter to Dr. Tara Westover

Letter to Dr. Tara Westover,

A dear and precious friend gave me your spell-binding book, Educated - A Memoir, and I finished it a few minutes ago. I will be in her debt for doing so and yours for having the guts to recount your astonishing life’s story. My story is the opposite of yours and I cannot put it down on paper (despite a reasonably decent education - Master's in International Relations).  My father deserted my mother and their five children when I was nine or ten years old. I was born in 1931 and he was long gone when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. As he went out the door he said to me, “You are the man of the house now, take care of your mother.” 

I have often wondered what my life would have been like had my father carried on as most other fathers do: cherish their wife and guide their children with love. Absent this in your life, I feel your anguish.

Congratulations on finding the strength “to see one’s life through new eyes, and the will to change it” and for your outstanding achievements. 

Thank you for Educated - A Memoir.

Sincerely,

Francis 

Barbara Ann (Archibald) McKone

Barbara Ann (Archibald) McKone completed her beautiful, creative and adventurous life on January 2, 2019 while living in Saint Elizabeth’s Manor in Bristol, RI.  She was enfolded by family love as she slowly released her courageous, independent nature over a week and her spirit rose. She is well remembered and loved by many on the east and west coasts, as both were certainly her home.   

A daughter of the late Francis and the late Anne C. (Wynn) Archibald, she was born June 1, 1930 in Lexington, MA.  As a young child she surmounted the challenges of polio with a fascination and optimism for life which fueled all of her ways and all of her days.  As a teen she was most proud of being able to dance, go to the ocean, be a cheerleader, as well as, her academic successes at Keith Hall  in Lowell MA.  As a young woman she consciously raised strong and independent daughters, she began her degrees and traveled the world.  She most delighted in maintaining a dual citizenship with Ireland and her shamrock green car.  In mid-life she pursued a dream to become a “CA girl” making her home in Orange County, getting her PHD, working as a therapist in innovative women’s health, a perfect expression of her kind and giving nature. Semi-retired she worked for Edwards Theaters due to her lifelong passion for movies, walked the seawalls of Balboa Island and later dedicated her working energies to helping others through Oasis Senior Citizen’s Center near her home in Newport Beach. 

She is survived by her brothers: Francis X. Archibald of Mt Pleasant, SC, and Walter Archibald of Sewell, NJ; her 4 daughters: Ann Marie McKone of Kittery, ME; Susan McKeon & Wayne Jipsen of Saint George, UT; Patricia & John Mack of Bristol, RI; Kathleen & Scott Pihl of Sunriver, OR; and her 4 grandchildren: Nathan (&Kristi) Rendo of Waco, TX; Caitlin (&Stephen) Caldwell of Warren, RI; Katharine (&Andrew) Boynton of West Greenwich, RI; Ian Pihl of Seattle, WA;  her 6 great-grandchildren: Liam, Reid, Ryan, Keava, Brennan, Finn; as well as, dear nieces, nephews and so many friends, all whom she treasured. 

She was predeceased by: her brother, Charles Archibald; her sister, Carol E. Archibald; her nephew, Mark Archibald.  

By her request there will be a Funeral Mass in Lowell, MA on Monday June 17^th2019 at 10 AM St. Patrick Church 282 Suffolk, Street. The service will be followed by interment of ashes in a family plot at St Patrick’s Cemetery 1251 Gorham St.  

Memorials: Polio Global Eradication Initiative (PGEI) or Boston Children’s Hospital.

An apology is owed

Full Statement from The Honorable Leon E. Panetta issued Tuesday

“President Trump owes an apology to Admiral Bill McRaven and all of the special operations forces and intelligence professionals who planned and executed one of the most important counter-terrorism missions in our nation’s history. The operation to hunt down Osama Bin Laden -- the terrorist responsible for the 9/11 attacks on our country – was a major blow to Al Qaeda and one of the finest examples of bravery and courage I have seen in 50 years of public service. The CIA located the compound in Abbottabad where Bin Laden was hiding. CIA officers briefed Admiral McRaven on the compound in late January 2011. President Obama and his national security team directed McRaven to plan the mission in rapid fashion. Within 100 days, Osama Bin Laden was dead.  The President’s statement criticizing McRaven for not getting Bin Laden sooner is patently ridiculous.  It demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of how our military and intelligence agencies operate and undermines the President’s own standing as Commander-in-Chief.”

Feel good about yourself

Dear friends, 

If you want to feel good about yourself do as I did today: 

I voted!

I took advantage of the early voting opportunity. There were four clerks checking voters in and multiple electronic voting booths. When I arrived I was in a line of about 30 voters; it moved quickly and everyone was courteous. I said “thank you” to the poll workers.

Whether you vote early or on Election Day, November 6, get out and vote. This is our golden opportunity to show the world the best of America. I guarantee it will make you feel good all over. 

Dichotomy of War

  The following Letter to the Editor was published Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in The Post & Courier, Charleston, S.C.    

    The Oct. 18 Post and Courier presented readers with the dichotomy between “the tragic futility of war” and the “unmatched bravery” of a man engaged in war.
     George Will reviewed Max Hastings “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975," and wrote, “Vietnam remains an American sorrow of squandered valor.” 
     Another story, by the Associated Press, described President Trump presenting the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Sgt. Maj. John Canley, who during that same war, "fought with unmatched bravery” to help wounded Marines and carry them to safety. Sgt. Maj. Canley saved the lives of 20 Marines over seven days of "unrelenting combat.”
     Many Americans, including myself, have come to peace with the futility of the Vietnam War and yet we stand in awe at the courage of warriors like Marine Sgt.  Maj. John Canley.

FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD

Mt.Pleasant, S.C.

My Outlook at 87

Today, Oct. 2, 2018, is the first time I experienced being 87.  I share my birthday (Oct. 2, 1931) with, among others,  Mahatma Gandhi, born October 2, 1869, Groucho Marx, born October 2, 1890, and Graham Greene, born October 2, 1904.

While on a visit to South Africa I visited Pietermaritzburg, where Gandhi was unceremoniously thrown out of a first-class railway compartment and left shivering and brooding at the rail station, and where they later erected a statue in the town square to honor him. I asked my guide to take my picture in front of the statue. When I later developed the film the guide had a great shot of me but only Gandhi’s feet and ankles. So much for amateur photographers.

Throughout my life, I enjoyed both Groucho Marx for his wit and humor and Graham Greene for his novels, many of which served as stories for successful films.

Looking back over 86 years there are some regrets but too few to mention. Going forward I am optimistic there are new adventures to play out and new acquaintances to enjoy. I am blessed in many ways and trust in the Lord to continue to bless and keep me.

Everyone else should be so lucky. 

Why do we remember?

Why do we remember?

Today our local paper (The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC) reprinted a column from The Washington Post headlined “Helping kids deal with being let down.” This revived memories from my early teen years.  It was around Thanksgiving when my older sister tipped me off that a couple who were friends with our mother was going to buy me a baseball glove for Christmas. All through December, I waited anxiously for the big day. When it arrived it brought no baseball glove. Instead, the couple gave me a damn tie. My sister told me later that the man had gotten drunk on the day he was to buy the glove and forgot all about it.

Why is it, after all these years, this, the Christmas gift I never got, is my only memory of all the Christmases of my youth? 

The author of the column, Meghan Leahy, wrote: “As long as humans have walked the Earth, there has been disappointment and unfairness, and we know that despite our big brains and strong will, life happens in ways we never saw coming….Disappointment is a certainty for every one, including children.” 

A couple of years later, an uncle on my mother’s side of the family bought me a baseball glove. I cared for it through the years, kept it oiled and flexible, and sometime in the 1960's gave it to my wife’s nephew. 

Why do  I remember this? 

A week with Florence

Sept. 15, 2018

It would be a better story if this was about spending a week with a beautiful woman named Florence, but, alas, it is about a hurricane which has done infinitely more damage in North Carolina than in the Charleston/Mt. Pleasant area of South Carolina where I live.

The week began on a serious note on Tuesday, Sept. 11, when notices were posted that the elevators in my apartment house and three other apartment houses at 1201 Midtown were shut down. I live on the 4th floor and walking up and down the stairs is a burden. 

Even under the worst estimates hurricane Florence was three to four days from the coastline. The manager cited “protocols” as the reason for shutting down the elevators. I urged her to reconsider but to no avail as she closed the office and the employees went home to hunker down or evacuate the area. I have e-mailed the corporate headquarters recommending a second look at the “protocols.”

The governor of South Carolina ordered an evacuation from the coastal regions and it is estimated that 300,000 out of approximately 720,000 heeded his order. I was not one of them, although on Wednesday I made a hotel reservation at Hilton Head, two hours away by car. I canceled it on Thursday night as the storm decreased in strength and my area was in the outer fringe of the anticipated wind and rain.

I spent much time over the next four days watching the Weather Channel and logging into the National Hurricane Center. I topped off the fuel tank in my car and bought some groceries. Major restaurants were closed and I had a couple of meals in a Peruvian chicken shop and a sports bar. The latter was surprisingly filled with parents and dozens of small children scurrying around like they did not know the purpose of chairs.  This made for an interesting lunch, however, service was good and the food was excellent. 

The rain started in my area on Friday night and the wind picked up. Small trees were bent slightly, only the tops of bigger trees were moving in the wind. Electricity has stayed on.  On Friday, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm, but the people and property in North Carolina and on the border between the two states have suffered. Five people in North Carolina are reported dead from the hurricane. 

This morning, Saturday, slight rain, almost a drizzle continues. The negligible wind cannot be heard indoors. Out-of-doors is similar to rainy summer days in the South. 

A worrisome week in Charleston/Mt. Pleasant has come to an end. The Charleston International Airport will open at noon today. 

AFOSISA Convention September 5-8, 2018

There will be a large number of criminal investigators and counterintelligence specialists in Charleston from Sept. 5-8, when the Association of Former OSI Special Agents (AFOSISA) holds its annual convention.

The Association brings together former USAF service members and civilian employees of the USAF Office of Special Investigations in friendship, and common effort between former and present AFOSI Special Agents in the common interest of promoting the security of the U.S. Air Force.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has been the Air Force’s major investigative service since Aug. 1, 1948. The agency reports to the Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. AFOSI provides professional criminal investigations and counterintelligence services to commanders of all Air Force activities. 

Seventy years ago the AFOSI was the creation of one man, Joseph F. Carroll, a special assistant to J. Edgar Hoover. He conducted a study of the newly established Air Force and presented a plan to Secretary Stuart Symington for an Air Force version of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Congress commissioned Carroll a Colonel in the Air Force and he came on active duty as a Brigadier General. 

He was initially disdained as “that cop” by other Air Force generals, but after his personal investigation proved to the House Armed Services Committee, that a lengthy anonymous letter attacking Secretary Symington and the first Chief of Staff, Hoyt S. Vandenburg’s “integrity, patriotism, and morality,” was the scurrilous and fabricated work of a public relations officer in the U. S. Navy hierarchy, he and OSI could do no wrong. 

I was a Special Agent with OSI from 1953 to 1959. This service played a major role in developing my post-1959 professional career and I am indebted to the service for the training and experience gained in this vital work helping to protect the Air Force.

The convention will offer golf excursions, tours of Charleston, a dinner cruise and closing banquet, program and dance, as well as a business meeting.

School starts and a new AG is coming

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: Last Monday (Aug. 20) was the first day of classes at a neighborhood elementary school. While driving slowly (due to construction) toward an intersection where the school is located I noticed a couple of mothers walking small children with knapsacks on their backs away from the school. Probably toward home. These mothers were smiling at the children talking fast and animatedly about probably their first day in school. In my first days of school, I walked one block straight up the street with other kids from the neighborhood. Parents did not walk us to school in the late thirties or early forties. Doing so today is both an expression of parental love and a safety measure for the little ones. I also smiled and drove on to Costco.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who golfs with President Trump, tells us that the President will likely replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the mid-terms in November. Trump wants an AG who will weaken or shut down Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller”s investigation. Sen. Graham should make it clear right up front that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member and potentially Chairman in the next session, will extract a promise from any AG nominee that he will not interfere, slow down, or put an end to the Mueller investigation, regardless of the cost or time it takes to complete it. The goal is the preservation of Democracy, not playing golf with the President. 

The value of newspapers

 The value of a free (no government control or censorship) press is to individuals as it is to society as a whole. In August I shared a healthy exchange of views with another writer and the readers of the Letters to the Editor of The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC).

This letter started the exchange:

(Published August 3, 2018)

Trade War
  Farmers helped elect Donald Trump to be president, As president, Mr. Trump initiated a trade war that hurt farmers. Now, he is spending $12 billion taken from taxpayers to help the farmers.
  Exactly which drawer in the lunacy bin should this be filed under?

  Francis x. Archibald
  Central Haven Drive
  Mt. Pleasant, SC

Another reader/writer chimed in:

(Published August 7, 2018)

Making Deals

 In response to the article in the Aug. 3 paper titled "Trade war," how about filing it under the luxury bin next to the move by President Barack Obama to send two planeloads of cash to Iran for the release of one Army deserter.
  President Donald Trump, however, was able to get three men released from North Korea without spending a dime. Who was the smart one in these deals?

Perry Jones
Pimmit Place
Ladson

I countered with this:

(Published August 10, 2018)  

  The claim in the Aug. 7 letter to the editor, "Making Deals," that President Obama sent planeloads of cash to Iran for one Army deserter is inaccurate.

  CNN reported at the time (January 2016) that five men were released, including an American journalist in a prisoner swap. The money coincidentally sent to Iran was theirs and had been held by the United States since the Reagan administration.

  It was publicly announced in the United States and only became part of anti-Obama conspiracy theories six months later when Iranians started the rumor. This was covered by fact checker Snopes.com.

Francis X. Archibald

Central Haven Drive

Mount Pleasant

Random Things

After dressing I came out of the bedroom and into the living room and thence to the kitchen where I heard a hard loud noise. I thought the refrigerator was coming apart and then I thought it was the air conditioning.  After checking each of these I was baffled for a few moments until I remembered I had started the dishwasher before I went into the bedroom to put on my clothes, and a couple of pots were being banged around

On the second day of the Paul Manafort trial in Virginia, The Washington Post reported: “President Trump’s former campaign chairman spent more than a million dollars on suits and luxury clothes over a five year period, using foreign bank accounts to pay for cars, renovations, and real estate in what prosecutors say was a tax-dodging scheme.” Manafort is said to have bought a $15,000 Ostrich jacket. I feel embarrassed for being a cheapskate. A couple of weeks ago I would not pay $175.00 for an end of the season seersucker jacket.

Via Amazon Prime, I am watching NYPD Blue the gritty cop show set in the fictional 15th precinct which kept viewers coming back week after week during its twelve-year run (1993 to 2005). Each season had 21 or 22 weekly shows. Surprisingly these shows, unlike many others of the same period, retain a contemporary appeal. Each week’s offering could be taken right out of today’s daily news. I am into year three. These shows were (are) much better than what is on TV today, and won Dennis Franz, four Emmys. 

Baseball and the Shift

This week one of my sons alerted me to a sports agent for Bryce Harper, who is having a dismal year at the plate for the Washington Nationals, saying: Bryce’s poor batting record reflects “discriminatory shifts.” In short, he is discriminated against by opposing defensive players employing an effective strategy. 

This brought back memories of my youth when I was about 14 or 15 and listened to the Red Sox games on the radio. There was no television in 1946, or at least we did not have one.  

Today, July 14, is the 72nd anniversary of the Lou Boudreau “Ted Williams Shift." Boudreau was the shortstop and manager for the Cleveland Indians. In the second game of a doubleheader, he was playing the percentages against Williams, an extreme pull hitter.

Boudreau rolled out an infield player shift that packed all four infielders between first and second base. The announcers and Red Sox fans were astonished at this deployment but it worked in that game. Williams went 1-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks. It is estimated that the shift, later also used by other teams, took 15 points off Ted’s lifetime batting average: .344 BA (8th).

Ted was the proudest hitter in baseball and would not modify his swing to hit to left field. (He did not play golf because a golf swing is different from baseball and he felt it might adversely affect his baseball swing.)

Incidentally, in the first game of the July 14, 1946, doubleheader, Ted hit three home runs and drove in eight runs for a Boston 11 to 10 victory.  Ted was in his first season back after military service in World War II.

Young Mr.Harper could not do much better than take a lesson from Ted Williams. 

A man and his hat

I recently had a “laughable moment.”  I withdrew $200 (ten new, unused $20 bills) from a drive-up ATM and because others were behind me in the line I tossed the cash into my big floppy summer hat laying on the seat beside me and drove away. As I got out of the car in my garage I put the hat on my head and walked to my apartment. 

The hat!

When I took the hat off, the money spilled onto the floor. I picked it up and counted it. It was only $180. I looked around and didn’t find the missing $20. I thought I must have dropped it in my garage and would find it there later. I did a couple of housekeeping chores and then laid out in my recliner to rest. I dozed for about an hour and when I awoke and rubbed my eyes I realized something was on my head. I reached up and found the missing 20 dollar bill stuck to my hairless head. 

The hairless head! 

'The place to be"

Two weeks ago I wrote a Letter to the Editor, The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC, to pay public homage for recent medical care.  On May 15th an abridged version of the letter (below) was published. 

April 26 and 27 I spent two of the worst days of my 86 years at Roper Hospital on Calhoun Street undergoing spinal surgery.

The service I received was caring, compassionate and thoroughly competent, starting with the nurse who prepped me for surgery and the anesthesiologist and the surgeon who came by before the procedure.

In the operating room these doctors led by Dr. James K. Aymond and their outstanding staff went to work on me for about 2 1/2 hours. Afterward I went into recovery, and about an hour later was wheeled by a volunteer to a room where I would spend the next two days. The service was for the most part outstanding, led by the wonderful, caring and patient day nurse Anne Wirth.

Two days after the surgery, I came home in the company of my oldest son, Frank. During the travail all of my five children were on hand. Every parent should be blessed with such caring children.

I learned again that when you need medical services Roper St. Francis is the place to go.

Salute to Matthew - Our Family Airman

I hosted a pizza party on Monday, April 16, 2018, in the common room at my apartment house in Mt.Pleasant for family and a couple of guests to honor my grandson, Airman First Class Matthew Godbold, USAF, son of my daughter Wynn and her husband Rett. Matthew is home in Myrtle Beach on leave from his service on Okinawa. This is his first home leave in about 18 months.

Matthew continues a family tradition of USAF service. I was in the Air Force (1951-1959); his grandmother (my late wife) served from 1951 to 1954 and his uncle James served four years in the 1970s. 

(Somewhere along the line my oldest son Frank, and two of my brothers went astray and were United States Marines.)

As usually happens, everyone was snapping pictures and I was no exception. Here are some snapshots from the happy event (some pictures have been removed from the original post at the request of the participants.)

 Matthew laughs at something his smiling Uncle Frank just said. 

Clean up! - The maid is coming

Clean Up! - The maid is coming

I have heard it in movies and on TV sitcoms and thought why? Yet, this very week I found myself thinking the same line; (not uttering it out loud lest I be guilty of talking to myself, a sign of  dementia,) “I have to clean up, the maid is coming.”

I emptied wastebaskets in the bathroom, bedroom, and den. I put dishes in the dishwasher and organized the napkins on top of the table. Some clean pots and pans on the stove went into a nearby cabinet. I put a three or four day trove of newspapers into a paper bag and later took the bag to the trash dumpster. I took bath and hand towels and a face cloth and put them in the clothes hamper to be washed later. I picked up slippers and shoes and organized them in a closet. I adjusted the window blinds in the open position and straightened up the bed covers. Then satisfied that all was satisfactory I left my apartment, locked the door, posted a note to the maid that the key was in the rental office and went out to face the day.

Why do people always clean up for the maid? Why did I do it? Isn’t this her job?

My first wife and I were married 56 years and we had five children. I had a government job and there was no money for a maid. After her death I re-married and my second wife didn't want a maid “because it is easier to do it myself.” When she died I hired a maid who came every two weeks.

Then I moved and rented an apartment and my cost of living went up. Initially, I cleaned the apartment myself, including vacuuming carpet and washing wood floors. Then I tired of it and hired a maid service. 

So now on the first Friday of each month, I find myself uttering, “I have to clean up the maid is coming.”