7th Corps - The not-so "perfect" Corps

[igotout]

The number 7 supposedly represents spiritual perfection in the bible. Perfect indeed, I am proof that this was a fallacy. It was fun, even though our Corps produced the likes of XX and XX.

I scanned our 7th Corps picture in Gunnison. If anyone wants a copy...just email me.

You will note that me and David Petit are missing from the picture. We had the privilege of being on the clean up crew for that supper meal. You guys left lots of pitchers of cheap beer on your tables.

David & I were enjoying ourselves cleaning up those pitchers of beer. We were in no condition to have our photo taken on some mountain.

So we just said to hell with it and sat there with our pitchers. I don't remember too much after that.

John Richeson

Tampa, FL

Been here since we graduated in 1979.

(I don't miss the snow...had enough of it in Emporia and HQ.)

PS - I became a window washer when I grew up.

[This message was edited by igotout on March 16, 2003 at 22:35.]

Edited March 17, 2003 by Guest

[tomtuttle]

After all these years I see that you, yougotout, have made at least one request of the commanding general your own: "Nothing profitable happens after midnight..."

You post at 21:00 hrs gets in under the wire.

And thanks to your examples, I am today what I am.

Thanks be to hegotout for his unspeakable gift ...

[igotout]

Tom, young man, let me tell you....

I have been been working this stuff for 12, 14, 16 hours a day...day in & day out, year in & year out...sometimes til 3.. 4 o'clock in the morning.

Then I get up the next day (at noon or so) and start in all over again working this stuff.

I've forgotton more than most men will ever forget..even that dude across the English Channell who I wouldn't waste my time with.

Now let me get back to this stuff.

[Lifted Up]

Though I was never in residence with more than a few 7th corps, I remember a few vividly. Actually, most notable to me was the couple who ran my PFAL class...J. & N. A. ...while they were apprentice corps. Also notable at Emporia at the head table all the time was R. K. , on his interim year at the time.

[igotout]

[igotout]

[igotout]

[This message was edited by igotout on November 26, 2002 at 21:50.]

Edited November 27, 2002 by Guest

[Lifted Up]

So that is what the place looked like...I was supposed to be headed there after Christmas 1979...but got a little sidetracked.

[Steve!]

Isn't that Blair Allen towards the middle of the picture?

Dang, I forgot he was 7th corpse.

[igotout]

Yeah Steve, Blair Allen was there with us. (Didn't he later make the movie "Blair Witch Project".)

Lifted up - what happened? Gunnysack was beautiful but it was damn cold out there. I was on the first LEAD group and we went to the mountains around Gunnision for our adventure. Also I worked there for a few months doing some kind of manual labor involving walls and cement and other hard work to earn my $30. a month.

John R.

[Sunesis]

Boy, I remember that. I have no idea where I am in that picture and tried to find myself but can't, oh well.

Thanks for posting that.

[igotout]

I'll get out my magnifying glass and try to find you.

Dean Boonstra upper right leaning on a tree by himself.

Ian McMillan dead center sitting with ???.

Mark Gregus in front right behind Rosanne Holdren's hat. (He still lives here in Tampa)

Jeeeem Ferraro to the far left in the middle, white hat on sitting next to Cheryl ? (maiden name). Still lives in New Knoxville but not in TWI.

Notice Craig & Donna together (when they were still sane) in the front left just behind Daniel Hernandez.

Sam Marsh is on that big rock in front on the right sitting with two girls (figures.)

[This message was edited by igotout on November 28, 2002 at 15:58.]

Edited November 28, 2002 by Guest

[excathedra]

cheryl dahl?

randy pugh was the only one i noticed right off

i need coffee then i'll study the pic in depth

[igotout]

Yeah it's a little fuzzy. The original picture is not great quality to begin with.

I want to now who that is on the very top left standing all alone there by themselves. I can't make it out.

I also see Billy Britt on the far right on the very end, middle. We went out to dinner with him this year in New York City where he lives.

He started with another Corps and ended up graduating with 7th.

Edited November 29, 2002 by Guest

[igotout]

Is that you Sunesis? This is the section of the picture, upper left quadrant below the large boulder.

[igotout]

Joseph & Paula right above CG's big asx white cowboy hat.

They are still in TWI to this very day.

(Yeah, I am puzzled by that too.)

I think they are LC's of NC.....if you can even call anything a Limb...... more like a branch.

Edited November 29, 2002 by Guest

[igotout]

Tommy & Dianne Whelen (sp) just above and to the right of Mrs Wierwille's hat.

They were cool.

Edited November 29, 2002 by Guest

[Lifted Up]

I was assigned to go to Gunnison after Christmas "break", during my final 8th corps residence year. However, a little later, while I was still at HQ, I was told I was being put on LOA. Then...that deprogramming.

[igotout]

Are you saying you were deprogrammed? If so, tell me about it. Back then I know Ted Patrick was the deprogrammer of choice.

Who of us 7th Corps can ever forget Barrie Hill's dramatic entrance in the chapel after she was succesfully deprogrammed and then later reprogrammed herself and escaped, only to drive all the way back out to Emporia and pop in on us unexpectedly.

(It now appears she has deprogrammed herself back to the "dark side" again, even declaring VPW a charlatan.)

"May the force be with her."

John Richeson

[Lifted Up]

Yea, in December 1979, right after I had been put on LOA from the 8th corps...see above.

Interesting thing at ROA 1979, my last. I had never met or talked with Barrie Hill, though I knew well of her deprogramming and return, having listened to the tape. Seemingly out of nowhere she walked up to me and struck up a conversation...right now I cannot even remember what we talked about.

How much do you want to know? I have my oroginal Waydale deprogramming threads, courtesy of Paw and PamSanDiego. I could start a new thread and rehash, or find me at smile092850@hotmail.com; I would be glad to fill you in. No, it wasn't Ted Patrcik in my case, but I was forcefully held.

As mentioned above, being 8th, I never knew a lot of 7th corps. One couple, J&N A. ran my PFAL class at Indy before they went in, and it was JA who got me thinking about going itno the corps, without suggesting it directly.

Of course, I was in res at Emporia with Hope for the few months of her last residence year that she spent there.

You must be a Star Wars fan. Hey, be sure to watch "Constricted" if and when it is released next year. I hear Mark Hamill does a good job as Rod Steiger's replacement.

[igotout]

WOW! I think back and find it amazing that deprogramming was so prevalent back then. I think I would have tried to seriously hurt one of my captors. I'm sure we all used to imagine what we would try to do if we were ever grabbed.

But my parents were probably glad to get rid of me and let The Way have me. I think they would have paid the Way to keep me if I went back home.

In todays litigious society I would think lawyers would jump all over a deprogrammer, with lawsuits on every hand.

So, were you a successfully deprogrammed detainee? Did they hurt you? How much did it set your family back? I heard $10k was the going figure. Hell, they should have just offered you the money to leave TWI, bypass the middleman.(I know I would have been tempted).

I think a book could be written about some of this. Maybe one has already been written.

[Lifted Up]

Successfully deprogrammed???? That question has a complicated answer and I will get to it soon when I have more time. No, I never knew how much they handed out to have it done, but I may have a few comments on that too. They did not physicall hurt me, beyond physically restraining me near the start of things. But, beyond then, I did not physically resist...again something else to go into in more detail.

Because of some of my answers to the above questions, I do not think my experience would warrent a book. I think, for some reason, that some see my testimony of my deprogramming as being a bad experience as detracting from what an "ex-cult" member should be doing in their view...detailing the evils of the TWI experience. Just an opinion of mind...perhaps started about two and a half years ago when someone who has done just that in print...and had declared a desire to hear from those who went through a deprogramming...seemed to avoid me like the plague after I had given my account.

More to come...though I am not sure it's right to fill this wonderful 7th corps thread with my account. Maybe I will e-mail you on it.

[igotout]

Aww c'mon. Would love to hear about it. No one seems to post much on these Corps threads anyway except the 9th (who are all insane.) But a lot of folks read these. It's probably something you should commit to paper anyway and save it. It's pretty interesting to say the least.

In a way it is relevant here because it was in our years in the Corps that I believe deprogramming was at its peak. We had several in our group who were affected. In addition to Barrie Hill I remember Monty Pelto's dramatic experience in which he escaped. I think TWI brought a lawsuit against Ted Patrick after that.

[Sunesis]

I have no idea if that's me or not. The top looks like a halter top, which I would not have been wearing. I probably would have been in the vicinity of Tony Zinzer, Hope Hilby, Barbie Buckingham, Jackie Clark or some other quasi-rebel. I don't think that's me. The woman with the dark hair next to me (if it is me), I remember and would never have hung out with her, even for a picture.

[Lifted Up]

Well, I'm sure nobody was buzzing about me, for several reasons. I had just been put on LOA....with the change in scenery for everyone after the break during our last residence year, I doubt anyone would have missed me anyway...also after coming through the experience I neither made a triumphant return, nor made noise on the other side. Also, I was a fairly quiet corps member anyway, making my big splashes as Super Conqueror (First residence year but leftover from Indy), The Pope (final residence year HALLOWEEN party), or the retemory expert (I was once reprooved by JT and HQ for being able to memorize so much but not being able to remember my shadow appointment with him.)

As far as the "event" itself, I was basically lured into the fateful basement (too much trust) then shown the circumstances...i.e. those who would dissuade me from attemptin to leave.