a prophetic voice-

He would have been fifty today, my eldest, but instead... It was August 31, 1964 and I was in labor at the base hospital at Aberdeen Proving Grounds where my husband was stationed. Those were the days when husbands were relegated to the waiting room- or in our case- sent home to wait for a call to announce the birth of their child. "This is a first baby and your wife has a long time to go until delivery," the nurse told him- and me. "Might as well go home. We'll call you," and I was left to labor alone, totally alone. Such was maternity in an Army hospital in 1964. About 8 hours later, I was holding our son in my arms, tears streaming down my face. I thought he was the most beautiful being I had ever seen and I hated to give him up to the nurse, while I waited for my episiotomy to be sutures and for the saddle block anesthesia to begin to wear off. When Carl showed up an hour later, I was both drowsy and anxious, as this hospital was not set u...