My dad, Bob Utley, was a Marine during WWII. He fought in the South Pacific against the Japanese on Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Tinian. These were bloody battles fought under miserable conditions. As a Radioman in the 4th Marine Division he would relay coordinates directing the artillery crews where to fire their big guns. He was there when that band of brave souls from the 3rd Division fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi to plant Old Glory.
“Once A Marine – Always A Marine!” is a phrase you’ve probably heard at least once in your life. In Dad’s case it was true. Along with that truism came a lot of military phrases such as, “Get the lead out!”, “Front and center!”, “Take all you can eat, but eat all you take!”. Since most of my friend’s dads were also veterans of the Big War, this kind of talk was common around the neighborhood when I was a kid.
When Dad was a kid he lived on a farm so he also had a few farm phrases that he used on occasion. My favorite was, “A Bit Long In The Tooth”. I understood it to be a way of describing an old horse. Since his generation wasn’t constrained by political correctness, he would usually direct this description to an aging member of the other gender. He would say something like, “Yes, she’s still good lookin, but she’s gettin to be a bit long in the tooth”.
This month marks the 100th birthday of General Motors. That may seem old, but as carmakers go, GM is still a youngster. There are other car companies still around that are as old as dirt. Oldsmobile had been around since 1890’s. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1890. Henry Ford built his first car back in 1896 and was selling to the public by 1903. The first combustion engine vehicles were being pioneered back in the 1860’s. There were even steam-powered cars dating back to the 1700’s.
So, even though she’s gettin to be a bit long in the tooth, turning 100 is no big deal in the auto world. But, we wish GM a Happy Birthday anyway and hope she makes it to 200.
1 comment:
You're right. I kind of assumed they were the oldest but you're right; you're old and you know stuff. I hope they and all our domestic auto manufacturers can make it to 200. Based on the moves they've made and are contemplating I'd give them more a fighting chance now than I would have a year or so ago.
Thanks for the post.
-Andy
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