Local Life

Retro RFH Troops Rallying

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A little tribe of RFH troops in the 1970s
Photo/George Day

Sometimes it’s just time to call in the troops. For a break. For a laugh. For a reminder of some vigilant banding together laced with fun. Times are tough right now with COVID-19 and its implications, social distancing, virtual school, stress of the unknown and known and fear … growing and waning.

It’s the year there was no St. Patrick’s Day, but people partied at home with their own brand of entertainment, curbside take-out from area eateries, made the best of it and, more importantly, stayed safe. Distancing. Staying connected.

In 2012 it was the year there was no Halloween. Remember Superstorm Sandy? We had curfews. We had no electricity. We crawled into our mole holes at dusk every night. We survived. Some tricks. Some treats. Staying connected. That’s the trick.

We’ve been through some tough times. In tough times, the best thing to do is connect, at a distance, offer reassurance. Offer help. Offer a laugh. And when the pangs of fear strike, as they tend to do, at least intermittently, in any time of crisis, like little PTSD Tsunamis, we remember that most of the time, the troops rally.

Part of that rallying is taking minds off the menace of fear that gets riddled with stress. Laughing lifts. Laughs are free. They’re contagious. The troops we call our tribe know that.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day offers a moment with a little tribe of troops. A troop rallying moment, so to speak. It brings us back to the 1970s and some RFH clowns acting as the ever-vigilant, ever-grinning troops on an unknown mission outside of the Senior Commons building.

No, it’s not the National Guard of the 1970s. It’s just a few RFH guys on a mission. The mission today is to give you a little respite from the stress.

So, who are these uniformed soldiers of silliness? Recognize them? Never mind the Jeep. Check out the cars in the parking lot. Can you name them? Just where are they headed? Your mission of laughter for the week?

Many thanks to George Day for this RFH gem!