“Capt. Ed” Altman receiving his Coast Guard Guide License from Capt. Robert of Sea Academy, April 2008.
In the fast paced society we deal with each day, we, as a people, have lost our meaning in life. When I was a young boy I always enjoyed listening to the older generation and how things were in the “good ole days”. But in reality, those were not so good. There were hard times all around, with not much money or food. This new generation, or as I call it, “the entitled generation”, want things that we had to work hard to achieve. They have lost the concept of working hard and maintaining the family. The new generation has forgotten how we became a nation. I have asked several high school graduates where the Vietnam War was fought, and their response is always Korea or China. They have no concept of how our nation was formed and the sacrifices that were made to make the nation great.
I still enjoy listening to the older generation and now that I have gotten older, I am part of that generation. But no one has ever asked me about my “good ole days”. I have had a trailer in Port O’Connor for over ten years now, and I am very fortunate to be able to make many trips to the area. The town has grown extensively during the short time I have been there, but one thing has been consistent. I have not ever met an unfriendly person in the community. I enjoy going out fishing and chasing those spotted tails. I am not as enthusiastic as I was when I was younger, but a good day on the water is seeing the beauty God has given us. A good day constitutes a good day on the water and pulling the boat out of the water. And the best part of the day is meeting people. I have a Will Rogers attitude, “a stranger is someone that you have never met”. It’s like a time warp; people take the time to tell their tales, or talk about the one that got away. I am really fortunate my trailer is at The Two RV Park. I was one of the first ones in the park and the manager put my small, squatty trailer next to the cleaning station so I am able to see and talk to the people who come in with fish, or the lack of fish. I have my summer friends; and when they leave for the season, I have my winter friends. This makes every trip to Port O’Connor a special visit.
It was during one of my visits in the summer of 2010, I met an old man at the boat ramp at Clark’s. We had a brief conversation and he informed me that although he lived in Port O’Connor, he spent a lot of time in Chile. The following year I saw the old man walking on the pier at Clark’s. I recognized him from the previous year. He was flipping over boards with his cane and had come to watch the sun set. He told me that he was in World War II and that he had served in the Army. I informed him that I was the Veterans County Officer in Giddings, Texas, and as a war veteran he might be eligible for some type of benefits. He asked if I could meet him the next evening at Clark’s.
The following day, I could not wait to meet with Ed. In fact, I was extremely early, and I waited for him to show up in his old truck. We took our positions at the end of the pier. He told me that he had been in the Army, volunteering to serve even though he was not quite old enough. Less than a month after reporting for duty, World War II was over; but when the Korean Conflict broke out, he was one of the first to be drafted. Almost as soon as he arrived in-country, he was captured by the enemy.
I became really excited because in my job I had never before met a P.O.W. I started talking to him about making a claim as a P.O.W. and that he could receive benefits. He said he had tried that before and was not successful. Ed went on to tell me that as a prisoner of war, he was marched across Korea for 44 days. In charge of the prisoners was a Chinese officer, Lieutenant Lle, and, surprisingly, Ed and Lt. Lle became fast friends. It all began with a joke about “you stupid Americans” when Lt. Lle discovered that Ed’s Army-issued weapon was still filled with cosmoline.
Over the years, Ed and Lt. Lle kept in touch, even visiting with one another a few times. Ed said that when he visited China, he was treated like royalty. When Lle visited Ed on the Texas coast, he very much enjoyed going fishing and shrimping. After recounting the tale of his Chinese friend, the old man dropped his head and told me his friend had died several years ago. The sun was setting and it was time for him to go home. I asked him what he was going to do tomorrow, and he said he would be right there.
The next day we met again. Ed continued his story, surprising me with the fact that he had served in the military a third time. Five years after being discharged from the Army, Ed enlisted in the Air Force. After serving state-side for four years, he took a job with Lockheed Aircraft during the Vietnam War. He worked in that war zone helping to keep Air Force planes in good working condition. I felt like I was 15 years old again, as I listened to his stories. I asked him what he does now and again encouraged him to make a claim. He looked up at me and said he didn’t need the money that badly. I asked him what he did for money; the old man grinned and said he had flounder boats. During the season, he goes out at night and gigs flounder. “I don’t know for sure, but I think I am the oldest fin-fish license holder in Texas,” he said.
I asked him again about the time he spends in Chile. He told me he’d been in 29 different countries, but he likes Chile the best because the people are so friendly. He said in Chile they call him the “Bee Man.” He teaches beekeepers how to care for their hives* and how to eliminate the bee disease that is so prevalent in other countries. I asked him how he knew so much about bees, and he replied, “reading books and learning from experience.” Seems he had his own bee hives, producing a delicious light-yellow colored honey, years ago in Seadrift. He also owned a shrimp boat, shrimping out of Seadrift for about 20 years.
After leaving Seadrift, Ed moved to Sweet Home for a couple years, then on to Cuero where he had a good business raising and selling vegetables. He even sold his produce in Seadrift and Port O’Connor for a time.
About 10 years ago, he relocated to Port O’Connor and he informed me he has “enjoyed every minute of it”, making a lot of friends there. He loves to talk, to relate some of his life experience and to “try to make folks lives a little happier,” as he put it.
The sun set and again, it was time for Ed to go home. I thanked him for his service to our country and told him I enjoyed our talk. That was the last time I saw Ed and I still go by Clark’s to see if he ever came back. I was raised the old way: what a man says is his bond and I believe what you tell me unless I know otherwise. I attempted to find Ed in my veteran’s records, but without a social security number it is impossible.
On a later trip to Port O’Connor, I visited with some old World War II vets and they were telling me about how the community has changed and how people come in droves and drive their boats too fast and how some have lost the concept of being respectful to our fellow man. I asked the old timers if they knew this Ed Altman; they started laughing and said, “You mean Captain Ed?” Of course they knew him, and anything he told me, I could take to the bank.
They asked me if Captain Ed had told me about last flounder season, and I asked what happened. They started telling me that although flounder boats usually work as a two-man team, Ed likes to go out by himself. One night a freak storm came up and Captain Ed’s boat capsized in Saluria Bayou. Ed managed to grab hold of one of those houseboats in the pass and hung on for several hours until a passer-by found him. When talking to them about his ordeal, Ed told them that it was the third time in his life that he had almost drowned. Each time, he recalled, he experienced the same overwhelming thought: “Take a break, you can rest for a while.” He said it took all the strength he could muster to keep hanging on, keep swimming until he reached safety. They said, without question, Ed is the real deal.
It’s not very often that I am blessed with an opportunity to meet such a man. Every time I am in the area, I always go by Clark’s to see if Captain Ed is around. Individuals like him are the reason we are who we are today. If you ever get a chance to meet someone like Captain Ed, consider yourself lucky.
* Capt. Ed has helped bee keepers in several countries. If anyone locally has a question about bees or bee keeping, they are welcomed to contact him through the Dolphin Talk.
– Leslie Sherfy, December, 2012
– Updated by Joyce Rhyne, March 2013
