I graduated from High School back in the late 1970s in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Despite the fact that I was a proven Honor Roll student, I had not applied for admission to any colleges before graduation. I knew that I wanted to attend college, but just wasn't ready to do it at that time.
Our family home was around 1-1/2 miles from the Tobyhanna Army Depot, so my brother Mark and I applied for their Summer Hire Program. We both got hired and I started working there in the Radio Shop not long after graduation.
Needless to say, going to work at an Army Depot as an 18 year girl was quite the experience! I got asked out often and ended up dating a guy by the name of Bill Chupko for a few months. As my Summer job came to a close, so did my relationship with Bill. That's when Jayme Longhenry entered the scene. Jayme also worked at the Depot.
I remember Jayme as being tall, muscular and good looking. I went out with him a few times but didn't like the way that he treated me. On one of our last dates, it became obvious that he was becoming very religious as he was being very judgemental of me, saying something to the effect that I didn't fit in with "the beliefs". The final straw happened the day of Lynyrd Skynyrd's tragic plane crash.
He picked me up and we went to his apartment near the Depot. After spending some time there, Jayme fell asleep. It came time for me to go home as I was still living with my parents and had a curfew. I tried numerous times to wake him up, but couldn't do it. Quite honestly, I know that he was faking that he was asleep. Long story short, I had to sprint over a mile down a long, dark road to get back to my parents house before curfew time arrived. There were dark woods on both sides of the road and I was scared to death! A car full of Army guys kept stopping, trying to pick me up but I would not get into the car with them.
This very scary and dangerous experience resulted in the biggest Epiphany of my life. I knew right there and then that I had to get out of the Poconos. There was nothing and nobody there for me. A week later, I went to the Air Force Recruiting office in East Stroudsburg and signed up for a delayed enlistment date in January the following year. Then I went to stay with my Cousin Molly in Kingston, PA up until the time that I left for the Air Force.
Even though Jayme's actions really hurt me, I realize that this forced me into making one of the best decisions that I've ever made in my life. The Air Force opened a lot of doors for me and led to many successes in my life.
Back to the present time, I was surfing around the internet yesterday and was very surprised to come upon Jayme's obituary. It turned out that he retired from the Army Depot and died in 2018. He married back in the early 80's, had two children and then divorced eight years later. Seeing his obituary, face and name brought me to a new Epiphany.
I have come again to a crossroads in my life. I've been unhappy with my current situation and there are some crazy things happening where I live. I cannot keep going this way and need to make a decision about how to move forward. I've taken a few steps to try to change this situation. I pray that my actions will result in more peace and happiness for my loved ones and myself.
Here is a picture of Jayme from his Obituary:
