Who is Mike Halley?

This is a tough question even for me, and I have known him all my life! Mike was born in August 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, actually in the Ravenswood Hospital. We lived at 5253 N. Lakewood when I was about 6 years old, as I remember our telephone number was drilled into my head back then and was “Sunnyside 46490”, now how I remember that,, well anyone’s guess. My mom and dad, Jack Halley (or John Bricker Halley) were very active sports fans, and dog breeders! being that I had a brother,, older than I at a 3 year gap in age, HE, always got to go to the ball games, I was never “old enough,, next year”. Well I was right there when puppy’s came into the house and that is where and when I got my start in the “KNOW” and “HOW” to handle dogs, to bad I did not know that I knew a lot about dogs, Boxers specially. I believe God had other plans for me.

This is my start with dogs, my parents bred Boxers, and good Boxers they were, back in the 1950’s, they got a healthy price for the dogs! I know and I rescued an albino pup at birth when two pups came out of mama at the same time, I grabbed the albino and it was not breathing so, I started mouth to mouth breathing to the white pup, and at an early age, I saved it’s life, and the dog was given away to an eldery guy as I remember, the brindle pup,, died @ birth, I was sad, then as I grew I learned that if that would happen again,, save the “brown” dog first.

 

This is Star, with one of the litters, notice the kitchen table and chairs, and also the old phone on the “PHONE TABLE” an old party line to start with, this is mid 1950

 My dad, John B. Halley

 

   Here is a shot in front of our home in Chicago,          I was 15. the good old days! But my start in “knowing, and understanding” dogs, which I am sure that this IS the reason I the connection I have with what appears to be all dogs, I am still to this date, learning  my boundaries!

 

As I grew up,  my brother went into the Marine Corps, about 2.5 years ahead of me, I can still remember when I joined, August 1960,, and afterI went through boot camp, won the coveted Platoon Honor man award, was issued my Marine Dress Blue uniform, and promoted to PFC, or Private First Class, pay grade E2, I was thrilled, my mom and dad were thrilled, I had found something I really liked, and I was good at it. My mom got a personal letter in the mail from the Commandant of the Marine Corps!!

  

Well off to Advanced Infantry Training, my brother visited me one time and brought some “hearing bone” utilities, chrome plated mess kit, and a pair of spit shined boots, I was the only one with this type of gear, the “Salt” factor. For those that do not understand this,, the OLD Marine utilities could not be purchased anywhere,, so it set me apart as the “OLD TIMER” knew a lot, etc… Well I was shipped to Camp Telega which is the farthest north camp located on Camp Pendleton, the only one out of San Diego County, I was now in my duty station as a 1371 or a “Combat Engineer” , we built bridges, buildings and the like for combat use, then we learned how to “plant” a mine field, and also how to cross one, how to remove a land mine field, I learned explosives like C3/C4, det cord, I was very good with making “bobby Traps” I was having a great time. Then,, I met a gal in Long Beach, California,, oops, got married, good and bad here but that is another story! We are on the dog side of my brain. But,, but, we had 3 wonderful children, I call them the 3C’s or, Chris, Charlie and Cathy, just a note here, Chris and Charlie are in Florida, Bradenton and Sarasota, and Cathy is in Michigan City, Indiana, how I wish she would come to Tampa.. Well one day in the morning muster, our “TOP” was reading off the news and said he had a duty station open in Puerto Rico, at Rosy Roads Navel Air Station, I jumped on it and we spent around a year and a half living in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, a great time. I got a bit tired of being an MP, or Military Police so I decided to re-enlist for a transfer to NATTC or Navel Air Technical Training Center in  Memphis, Tn. I was going to be a mechanic on an airplane!! Well, I went through the school and fell in love with the Choppers, I learned about the 1820 recip engines, the transmissions, tail and main rotors, the basic electronics, the whole 9 yards, when I got done with the schools,, I was shipped off to MCAF  New River in North Carolina, where I was assigned to HMM-261 and placed on EM-19 which was a UH-34D chopper.          MORE TO COME if you want to see and read about my Vietnam tours, go to the Vietnam pages!!