BOO BOO SHOES

By Mark Reed

In 1945, when dad was still in the Army Air Corp, after being rotated back to the States, he was married to my mom and they were living in Miami where he flew B-17’s. Dad told mom he was taking her to Miami for their honeymoon…little did she expect that it turned out to be an extended honeymoon (a good thing) until dad got his discharge.

Mom said it was a glorious time. Dad was able to do something he loved…flying. She and he were able to spend a great deal of time together and with other pilots and their wives. The only downside was the pay for a 1LT pilot stateside was not large and the dollar did not go as far as it had in wartime England. But they had fun.

Dad had always liked to gamble, craps being his game of chance favorite. He also loved the track. Miami has that covered. Both dogs and horses. Dad said the secret to picking a dog to bet on was to watch them before the race and bet on the one who took a dump. He was a little bit lighter and therefore faster. Hey, that’s just as good a strategy as any, eh?

Dad absolutely loved the horse races. He was a pretty good handicapper and usually came away from the track as a winner. Dad made friends wherever he went, his large personality just as large as him. At the track, he became friends with some of the trainers and people around the stables. People in the know about horses. Dad received the iron clad, can’t lose, take it to the bank tip for a particular horse racing the next day. The horse’s name was Boo Boo Shoes. Dad was told to put as much money you could scrape up on the nose of Boo Boo Shoes to win. Boo Boo Shoes was a long shot.

Dad and four other pilots scraped up $1,000.00 each, an astronomical amount at that time for them, and headed to the track. On the way there, as they all discussed what they were going to do with their winnings, dad shared that he planned to be driving home in a “slightly used Cadillac.”

They got to the track and placed their bet (I don’t think they checked to see if Boo Boo Shoes took a dump before the race). They were a happy bunch of pilots, all knowing how lucky they were. In fact they were so lucky they had beaten the odds and survived their missions in B-17’s over Europe.

The horses took the track and milled around before being escorted into the starting gate. Boo Boo Shoes was a beautiful brown horse, even though he was a 15 to 1 long shot. So much the better. They left the gate as the bell clanged and Boo Boo Shoes promptly took up a rail position…dead last. A position he held for the entire race. It was painful to watch, dad said. On his way home from the track in a severely used Ford, the dreams of a slightly used Cadillac blew away in the humid air as they drove back to the base.

Dad said the worst part of it all was having to tell mom that they would be eating sardines and crackers for the next month. He said he heard Boo Boo Shoes became glue shortly thereafter.