Magazine

January 2013: Train to Nowhere

Chugging along drunk for years, a switchman finally hits the end of the line

I have in many ways led a charmed life. Because I was born in 1933, I was too young for the Second World War, and the Korean War was over before I got out of the army cook school. I managed in three years to attain the rank of PFC and avoided being court-martialed by sheer luck. I acquired a wife and had a daughter in Austria. Even though I was drinking excessively, I registered my daughter as an American citizen and brought both my wife and daughter to America.

My wife divorced me because of my drinking. A marriage counselor suggested that I stop drinking and join AA, even though... Login to read more
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