Tornado Alley (PROG)

[newmedman]

My friend's father was a millwright. We always got along because we're all included under the same carpenter umbrella and from the same local.. Some of the stories he told me about having to go in and fix large equipment like that were scary as ever. The pressure they put those guys under is absolutely intense.. He did a lot of work for Reynolds Aluminum when they had a factory here and sometimes they'd force the mechanics to work 48 or more hours straight through if a machine went down.

Of course the paychecks were great but the toll that it takes on the body and mind forced him to get out early. He retired at 55 but that was back when we were able to with full benefits. Now it's 62 and if I retire early, I'll only receive 70% of my pension.