Oddest Friendship?

[Canon Shooter]

What's the oddest, most unexpected friendship you have?

I retired from the Navy 21 years ago, and served on my last ship from 1995 until the end of 1997. The Executive Officer was a Canoe U. (Annapolis) grad, and was very, very by the book. He was friendly enough, certainly approachable, but he was also second in command of one of America's most powerful warships. He truly cared about the crew, which is something we all really admired about him. Far too often, XO's are so focused on becoming CO's they forget about the welfare of the crew. But he could also the very definition of "stoic".

He was promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Commander a month before I transferred to shore duty and, not long after I retired as an E-6 he was promoted to full-bird; Captain (O-6).

About ten years ago I got a "friend request" from him on Facebook, which I accepted.

Since then we've built a very genuine friendship. Whenever I travel through Virginia Beach I'll stay with him and his wife. We exchange Christmas cards and birthday cards, and we talk on the phone once or twice a month. Like me, he enjoys the occasional glass of bourbon with a nice cigar. My smokin' hot Puerto Rican girlfriend and I were invited to his daughter's wedding a few years ago.

We came from two drastically different backgrounds, and our post-military lives followed very different paths, but still we're great friends now.

So, what's your most unexpected friendship?

 

[Gracie]

With non humans. Stick bugs to butterflies, ravens to dogs or cats, etc.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I only have 1 friend and I barely see him

 

[Quasar44]

What's the oddest, most unexpected friendship you have?

I retired from the Navy 21 years ago, and served on my last ship from 1995 until the end of 1997. The Executive Officer was a Canoe U. (Annapolis) grad, and was very, very by the book. He was friendly enough, certainly approachable, but he was also second in command of one of America's most powerful warships. He truly cared about the crew, which is something we all really admired about him. Far too often, XO's are so focused on becoming CO's they forget about the welfare of the crew. But he could also the very definition of "stoic".

He was promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Commander a month before I transferred to shore duty and, not long after I retired as an E-6 he was promoted to full-bird; Captain (O-6).

About ten years ago I got a "friend request" from him on Facebook, which I accepted.

Since then we've built a very genuine friendship. Whenever I travel through Virginia Beach I'll stay with him and his wife. We exchange Christmas cards and birthday cards, and we talk on the phone once or twice a month. Like me, he enjoys the occasional glass of bourbon with a nice cigar. My smokin' hot Puerto Rican girlfriend and I were invited to his daughter's wedding a few years ago.

We came from two drastically different backgrounds, and our post-military lives followed very different paths, but still we're great friends now.

So, what's your most unexpected friendship?

Are you the guy that was almost killed by 3 Spics and you used self defense to eliminate the threat ??

 

[Canon Shooter]

Are you the guy that was almost killed by 3 Spics and you used self defense to eliminate the threat ??

That would be me, although my smokin' hot Puerto Rican girlfriend was the only sp-ic involved that evening...

 

[Quasar44]

That would be me, although my smokin' hot Puerto Rican girlfriend was the only **** involved that evening...

Thank god you had a gun !!
what a bad nation the USA has become

 

[protectionist]

Thank god you had a gun !!
what a bad nation the USA has become

Or a wide imagination.

 

[Man of Ethics]

I only have 1 friend and I barely see him

Likewise -- I have no offline friends except my parents. I had no offline nonfamily friends since 2005.

 

[Blues Man]

When I was 16 and living rough on the streets I met a man who offered me a job at his restaurant.

His parents immigrated from Italy after WWII and they started a small restaurant which he took over. He became a mentor, friend and surrogate father to me and I always told him he saved my life but he never wanted to hear that and always waved it off.

He passed away when I was in my early 30's. His death was worse for me than my own mother's.