Red Hot Mama Murray proud of Veteran dad
Editor's note: The Red Hot Mamas is a Coeur d'Alene-based performance group that appears at parades and other events in North Idaho and beyond. They will be in New York City to perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
As Veterans Day approaches on Tuesday, a few of the Red Hot Mamas have agreed to share their veteran connections in hopes of relating to and encouraging service members and civilians.
They all agree: Find a Veteran to thank!
Angie Murray had a rich childhood in spite of the poverty that prevailed through most of it. Her experiences with poverty cultivated her survival skills, and provided skills for her "re-purposing" artistry projects.
She didn't recognize the existence of familial cultural differences growing up. Her beautiful mother, who became a U.S. citizen, was from Trinidad and ran a happy home. When Angie entered school, her perceptions expanded. She found out other people pronounced words differently and had indoor toilets. To her amazement, she learned most people went on scavenger hunts through the neighborhood for various food items for fun and charity purposes instead of personal survival; and, they were not given a swig of rum to fight the chill of cold weather.
Her dad did his best to provide, even earning "The Man of the Month" award at Boeing for creating an invention that helped the company, but money remained very tight. He taught Angie and her sisters gender-breaking skills such as wood crafting, gardening, auto care, fly tying, knot tying, fishing, hunting, and archery. Rich times.
Some people may think this upbringing underprivileged, but not Angie. She is a woman who sees possibility all around her and reaches out to embrace life with gusto. Her latest adventure finds her wholeheartedly welcoming newfound RHM experiences with energy and panache.
Veteran Dad, Oliver W. Olson
Private. Airplane gunman. U.S. Navy four years,
Deployed: West Indies
Awards: Qualified for the boxing team (Being the youngest of 5 boys provided great training!)
Rewards: Best times of his life. Met his bride and future mother of their three daughters at a USO dance in Trinidad. Travel to new places. Training fostered his love for machines, artillery, inventions and airplanes.
Challenges: Mortar explosion injury of left shoulder. Artillery hearing loss. Terminal lung damage, Mesothelioma, from exposure to asbestos on ships. Lack of adequate protective gear, harmful contaminant knowledge, and support organizations.
Angie says, "Sometimes I stare at his Internment flag safely sheathed in his favorite fishing creel, and think of the many lives affected by the men and women throughout history who put their hopes and dreams on hold to serve their country and forge a better life for all of us, and more over how that decision affected families and the culture of our country today."
Meet Angie Murray
Age 63, 2 sons
Master's Degree and additional 100 credits
Retired Educator
Red Hot Mama: 9 months
RHM Besties: Rigorous workouts and camaraderie. Fun. New friends.
RHM Tuffies: Marching on the correct foot.
Enjoyments: Education. Parenting. Traveling. Outdoor Sports.
Life Challenge: Parenting. Even adult children.