Since we're talking about Billy Joel....here's anoter confession. 


I had never heard this song before.  A few years ago I received Billy Joel's complete box set for Christmas...and a great gift it was.  As I sat here in my office one Saturday morning working overtime, I listened to the entire set. 

This song called Leningrad came on.  I listened as Joel sings about WWII and living in Russia. 
Then he gets to the lyrics:

"And cold war kids were hard to kill,
Under their desk in an air raid drill."

And I suddenly and unexplainably found myself crying.  I had no idea why.  I just couldn't explain emotions like that that came on so suddenly and out of no where.

At the time I was really touching base (no pun intended) with my military roots.  I had discovered the Military Brats On Line web site...  I was writing down in a journal all of my memories of growing up in that environment....and in addition to that,  I had purchased Mary Wertsch's Life Inside the Fortress and had been reading that intermittently. 

I guess I was just overwhelmed suddenly with a way of life in which I was originally raised.  It's been so long since I've had to show my ID, or watched a Bomber flying drills.  So long since car checks, and armed guards every where I looked.  Fences.  The Hill.  C-Rations in the cupboard. White Glove inspections.  Hospital Corners.  Square Meals. 

When I heard those words from Billy Joel's lips I felt over whelmed with the idea that I was taught from my very first breath to survive.  I lived every day inside the citadel.  We were at War.  I was at War.  And Cold War kids...well we were hard to kill.  And I knew what the underneath of my desk looked like. 

It was incredibly moving to hear those lyrics and a really overwhelming experience. 
I'm glad I had it though....as crazy as that sounds.