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I am. Good afternoon. Today is July 4th of 2015. My name is Shannon. So say we're here with Robert talking about his experiences in the Panama Canal Zone. So thank you very much for agreeing to this interview with us today. We really appreciate it. Um, so we could start with you telling us your full name.

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And when and where were you born? My name is Robert Donald. Last name is Bates. I was born in Donnie Gaul, Pennsylvania, November 24th 1942. Don't tell anybody. It's young. Was right. Yeah. What are you talking about? Okay, so you said you were bringing Pennsylvania, did you?

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Grew up in Pennsylvania. I grew up in Pennsylvania, Lived there till was 17. When, uh, I got my mother to sign. Former went into the U. S. Army. Okay, so tell me a little bit about your parents. What? What did your dad do for a living in your mom?

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My father was an electrician's by trade. My mother was a house maker where she raised 11 Children. Wow. So what number are you out of 11? I was actually number four. Number four, sister, brother and then it was actually the third one. And then her brother to follow me and and a sister.

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And then there was a break on the sister and follow me. She passed away the baby with pneumonia and then the rest of them. Come on. Don't ask me what the dates world. It's just too many to remember. Okay, So what was your what were your parents names?

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My father's name was Walter Web Bates. My mother's name was Ruth. Bruce. Bruce. Okay. And they were both country people. So tell me a little bit about your childhood. What did you like to do? What? You were growing up with games. Did you play? Well, there's many things that we've done when I grew up, we didn't have all the facilities that you have today.

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People were kind of poor. So you may do with things like, uh, you'd have kids that go play ice hockey. We didn't have states ice skates. You went with your old shoes. You didn't have ah, hockey stick or you didn't have a puck. You take a little candy crush and use after a puck and you get a stick off a tree and you beat it around and you go somewhere where the water was frozen over on the edge of the woods.

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You're playing around the trees. It was it was unique in its own way. It was a good life. It was a clean life. There was a lot of fun. And you make good friends. A lot of laughter and things like that, uh, lived in the country all my life.

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I used to go to the farmer swimming pools until they chased you out on that Swimming pools with their ponds. You work with the farmers in the summertime, you would help them thio get their products in, like harvest their hay or straw ballot. Put it up to Barnes.

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And the time of the week came in and corn continue to help him get all that stuff up. And 100 times pretty much playtime. Snow. You had sleds. Everybody had sleds, go sled and things like that. Like I said, in the summertime, you played baseball and stuff.

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Not everybody had a baseball bat. So what? The kids would have in the neighborhood somewhere more fortunate. Others they would bring your gloves. And when you were up to batter they were up to about You use their gloves and somebody bring a ball. And sometimes you have about you had an old piece of wood cut out of one of the tree.

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That was your back. You'd use a tin can or stone or something to mark your basis. Yeah, it was a good life was a clean life. You grew up. It was a time when you get out of bed or you go away for the weekend. The whole time you go away.

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You left your cars on lock. The house was on lock. You said your press one just once. You like to have something get. And they always felt if somebody was hungry, he might have something to eat. You don't see that anymore. Everybody had their frightened. They lock up their homes and under lock and key.

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It's sad that life change like that. But anyway, E lived at home till I was 17. And then I went into the army. What year was that? That was in 1961 April 21st. I volunteered. There was no work. I didn't do well in school, so I quit school, which I'm kind of ashamed of.

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But God is taking care of me. Over the years and my family's and my mother signed for me to go in the arm, I couldn't find work. So I went in the army, give you three meals a day, a roof overhead and hollering at you all the time.

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But you learn what responsibility Waas You learned that there was people you had to answer to. You learned that there's things in life. You don't say no to its Yes, sir, No, sir. So it's a very shocking thing, has a young person. But I found it very helpful later in life because you learn to look at things from a proper perspective.

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You know, you've got a job you had a job to dio, and you didn't ask questions unless you didn't know. Then you would get questions to learn how to do the job. You needed todo But I spent six years in the army. I went in three years and then e I wound up going to Panama, uh, where I met my wife that I'm married to today after 2.5 years dating her and then 51 years of marriage.

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And we had three boys Robert, Roger and and also Roy. And they raw named like my wife and I will have a middle initial. And it was all Dean, Robert Dean, Roy, Dean. Roger Dean way never realized that we've done that, but it worked out pretty unique.

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But anyway, then I wound up marrying her in the left. Panama. We went back to the States on their not 10 years later, I put in for an application for a job working on the canal electrical where construction work on. I got a very nice letter back from They didn't do electrical construction.

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So give me one second, Mr Bates. So, Mr Bates, you were telling me about you had applied to do electrical work at the Panama Canal Zone and they wrote you a letter back Thanks. Sending a very nice letter back, informing they did not have electrical construction.

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So I says, OK, I forgot about. Meanwhile, I put in for several jobs from civil service in the United States, perfect for preferably, brown, where I was living at the time, and I never got any answers, and a year or two it was actually about eight years later.

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My wife's mother had a severe heart in time, and they lost her on the table and they revived her. And my brother in law had called me and didn't for me. What had taken place? Mall. We had two small Children, a time. Her mother never seen the grandchildren.

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I could never afford to send her home, which was a shame. But that's the way it was. An M days. Uh, I was never born with a silver spoon in my mouth, so to speak. But I went to my supervisors where I was working, and asked him if I could take a week's leave of absence.

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And I told him, If you can't go down there with these little fellows, if your mother dies, was good being fit enough to take care of look after him, it's gonna be hard enough. So I made arrangements and we borrowed some money. Way went to Panama.

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We was down there. Her family told me they were looking for Electrician's E fell on application. I didn't wanna have a pretty good job at the time. We had her home. When we were situated. My Children were just started in lower classes in school, and to make everybody happy, I decided to go ahead and fill out an application.

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E carried it in the person in the next morning, he called me and told me to report to mail. Flores walks to the electrical supervisor's office, which I did. My brother in law carried me over there and I had an interview there. The gentleman said to me and he said, I have to go do something out.

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They had a long table there with all these electrical drawings and the whole layout of the last. He said, I want you to look over this. He said, I'll be back in about 15 minutes or so Okay, He left and I got up and I started one and not kind of breathe through it all.

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I went over and I sat down. He came in and he said, Your radiance. I guess the ratings ever I got up and walked over there with him. He started asking me various questions and some other controls and things on drawings, and he asked me a few questions about how they work this stuff.

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I did all right, because I've been around and I learned most of my trade from my father way went through the whole thing and he had a sheet of paper said Take this back to personnel and get Mrs Ho solemn. Which was the management, their personnel, their income.

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My brother was sitting over there and we got up. I carried it back with me. He never said anything other than take it back to her and give it to her. And I said, Okay, so I left. But he never wrote anything down on E was told to do.

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I carried it back. Burner took me down. I walked in and handed to her, and she looked at She's well, there's nothing written on. It says No, man, it's not E thought it was a pencil, which you he'll, uh Anyway, uh, I handed to her and she said, Well, they haven't written anything.

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Did they sell you anything? Said No, man, You anything that gentleman told me was here, take us back to personnel and hand it to you. This is a song she says. Okay, so I walked out. But when I walked out, the office up there was interviewed my brother in law said you got a job.

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You know, I don't think I didn't write anything. Donny didn't say anything. Hey said I'm telling you, Got a job? I took it to personnel. We got in the car and we were home. And all the way home, he badgered You got a job? You got a job?

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I said, I don't think so. 80 clock the next morning phone, right. They wanted me to go to work. E can't goto work. I got job applications in the United States from working at you. Just don't quit a job. You expected people and give them a two week warning or something.

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I said I have a home up there I gotta worry about. I got Children school gotta make arranges. I got other things going on. There's a lot of things has to take place. It's a lady said. Well, how long do you think takes, ma'am? I don't really know.

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Just okay. Don't worry about it. But it didn't take care of what you have to. About two weeks later, truck come picked up our furniture. We're sleeping on the floors and sleeping bags for about four weeks. I didn't hear anything? I got no tickets. I got nothing.

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My wife. Oh, my gosh. What if they decided not to hurry? I already sold my house. Everything was shipped. And then about way worried about it. About four days later, I watched the mail truck stop, not walked out, and I had three different jobs at one time.

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The top of was a panic marking out. The next one was in Philadelphia. I was Indian Town Gap in Pennsylvania, which was really close to where I lived. And I've been trying to get into the imposition for so many years. And I'll tell you what. I decided my wife spent her whole life with me so far, we wiped the Pennsylvania.

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I could never afford to send her home. It was time I did something right. So I took the job in animal so she could be with her mother and her family was the greatest thing ever done. It was a whole new lifestyle. It was like walking into a tropical dream.

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Uh huh. The canal itself was unique. They had great schools, that beautiful people. I loved the native people. I had more friends in Panama than most people had in the canal area on I developed a relationship, the local people that you would not believe. And I saw that when I came down, what cancer and had to go to States and was running out of lean time.

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They put a memorandum out at eight o'clock in the morning by 10 o'clock. Take shut it down. They had over 2000 hours donated to me. Yeah, all right. I got through my surgery stuff went back. I had one of the chief, the locks called me up to his office and he said to me, Robert, what did you do to these people here?

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Thanks. I didn't do anything to him like he says, and he told me what it happened. He said, I've never in all the years we're seeing an out important like that people donating for somebody. And I just recently made Long monster and he said to me, The system, I don't understand it.

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I said, Maybe it is because I treat people the way I like to be treated. I had an open door policy. I didn't want people to get in trouble. I wanted him to talk to him. I got bosses over me. You got a problem I can't handle.

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We will get it soft for you. You don't have to worry about any problems or anything. And I took that attitude. I worked hard when I went to work for Canal most guys to make electric leader. It took 14 years. Within 15 years, I was a senior like master.

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I went through Dr Coordinator, Junior Controlled House, Junior Lock, master, Senior Control House, senior Long Master. When I got my cancer and I had a two years back to back at the end of two years, they allow me to retire under medical and they gave me six months and one guaranteed three.

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And I said to my wife, But they're right. I need to set things right. If somebody asked me, I need to take care of you and the kids. That's the only reason I left the Panama Canal. I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the country.

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I loved her. That music when it was like music, I was on the floor. E Just the whole thing about the fishing to love with people. I never had a problem and I went to some of the worst areas at all hours and nights. I've never had anybody give me a hard time, and I think one of the reasons was when I went there, I didn't speak any experience.

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But I learned enough that I'd get around. If I needed a part, I'd go somewhere and I try to speak Spanish. I knew enough. If I need to report a car that what it meant about, Give me the book. It turned the book around that go through that.

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I think a lot of people respected me when I retired. It was unbelievable. I lost a seven year old son. They took up a collection, was over $1000. We donate to the school for a book memorial for my son. I saw people that love people. They were happy people.

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I love their fish in there. I loved their dancing and loved their music, and I fell in love with the people in the country, and it was one of the best things I ever did. When I went to work for the Panama Canal, little did I ever dreamed that I would goes for in life with an eighth grade education is what I went.

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I contribute all to the Lord Jesus Christ. You got me through cancer twice with stage four. Most people don't survive. I've retired and I lived for 21 years and I wound up with prostate cancer. Stage four. I survived that. Now I'm looking at cancer in life.

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That's your bladder, your own. I can't even think of the name of it. It's not that your writer. It's the most important. Most people die from it. My faith is so strong because of the faith that I had people that prayed for me when I was in Panama.

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But I break. I want to be tested. Yeah, I couldn't ask for a better way. She went through so much. I saw her age so much. I've heard a lot for me. You don't find that. But as far as Panama, it changed my life. I changed my whole way of thinking about foreign people are good people in this world.

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We just gotta open your heart, your mind, Nick Salmon, what you're dealing with and you'll find people no matter where you go, there are good people and bad people. But the people I dealt with were loving people And I guess I ran into a fellow here today.

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I've missed him several times here I come here every year because there's so many people have been there in the canal. And this person that I ran into was a gentleman that interviewed me. How often want to ask him why he chose me to put a job?

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Was it God's will? It was a god lead me until a place of peace where I could find out what true love was in friendship was I never know why he kept it because I didn't know him until after I got my first cancer gonna launch my son one of my life story.

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My life story right now today revolves around the Lord. People that have the heart. When you tell them you have a problem, you asked him to pray for you don't want anything else. I just wanted to pray for me because power and prayer is what God wants.

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Every time a person pray you're glorifying. Yeah, I said, sometimes I take it back. I get overwhelmed how God could love a person that used to be like I watch and I know this. I went to a Chrissy Oh, you know what they are Rainbow Chris CEOs They had in Panama, all men's retreat.

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Very intensive in Santa Clara. I never saw love in my life. That was like in there. You didn't ask for anything. They waited on you hand and foot the whole time you were there, I saw God's hand in that. And that's when I began to accept a large my personal savior.

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E saw what true love with people and that I don't care if they're panting. Maybe where they are a person that loves God, you're gonna always have a smile Always and you're gonna be thankful. And power of prayer is stronger than anything in this world. I didn't mean to go here when this with my life, but I really believe there's a lot of people if they opened their heart, took two minutes and gotten their knee.

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Until God, you know, I'm not the best personal Brilliant. But I need you forgive me and took it from there. Their whole life would turn around. We share. He lost us If you didn't love us. He didn't know what that across. It's hard to sit here and say that because I went through 41 years.

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I wanted nothing to do with the Lord or anything about it. I wasn't ready for it. I used to sit more rooms and much guys that we're married. It went to church, and that's what they were doing. Sit in the corner with a woman in the land.

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But that's what Christian Ages. I wasn't ready for them. That's something you could strike out because that might hit some people that you know what we're talking about. But outside of the is that Yes, I am grateful for the Panama came out and the people have a lot of friends my wife used to get.

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She couldn't understand. We went to town. We were going somewhere with somebody. Basie, who said. I saw people work for me. They knew me every burger because I like to treat people on the on the street. You know what they knew that they knew what my heart was like.

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It's a marketing for some people. They're both me and I always wanted on, because you gotta put your employees first. If you don't treat them with respect. How can you get them to respect you and your job? I guess that all comes from not having an education but being born with a common sense that they could give us your heart couch question right now.

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And that's where most of my life had been. I wish that what I thought was right. I had a good life. I tell my friends today when I see him with my profit, everything I asked for you to do is pray for me. That's all I ask.

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And whatever happens, happens. We don't know what they were going to die. Only God knows that you rejoice and enjoy everyone. When you're ready to go home, he's gonna take you. I don't care what doctor you got faced great position. And I looked at it that way, and I carried out my grave.

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I remember when my son died, I went to a royal, had to do a royal for the the I'll bet that I went with the year before that weren't accepted. The Lord is a test of money in my life. What God has done for me. Most of it's surrounded my life the way I had lived I was me e tear a person's heart out with just a couple of words.

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God, I found God touch my heart. That'll change that disappeared. Drink, smoke. We're talking about people that no longer existed When I wrote that when I was done with my life history, I added one more thing. And then I believed it. When my son passed away, he had Lord to save his father.

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Yeah. People tell me you can't prove it. E never read the Bible. You know what Jesus told me? All things were possible to the Lord Jesus Christ. They didn't know what to say. And I told her that Don't stay in there. I don't Dirty Frank. Somebody else.

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And I tell you something else that I've never told anybody about my way. That's what they think. It was nuts. We went to church for Christmas. He died December the 17th, all my wife's birthday. The church was so full of people who were sitting back in 40 years, I felt the Lord lift piano my sheet like a feather and set me down some salt.

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Two weeks later, I had a friend combine. He begged me to go to church for the only church. They were sitting there saying that saw my God reigns. It's like somebody took Reynolds wrap crushed. Did you ever hear that printing sounds? Those chill my head might took.

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My heart was so hard, nothing made me cry. You could have beat on that one. I couldn't stop crying. I knew I was being called by the Lord. It's time to go to you. And I told my wife about this and I said, I wanna tell you something, which I think of nuts And I told her what happened.

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The last thing happened, man was on my knees. What? My train and I was going into some kind of foreign language I've never heard. It didn't break me so bad. And I said, No, I don't do this from them. Not Worthy. I'm not ready. It disappeared.

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I thought. Don't preach about it. He's a rough. We should have never done that, he says. That's a rare thing that happens to people, he says. That's what your heart is connected with. The Lord he's speaking to you. You have no control over that. These are things that really changed my life.

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I feel that when I went to Panama, that was a destiny for me through Christ. Martin and I never knew about it. People I got around there were wonderful people. It's nothing he wouldn't do for you. I saw firsthand love of God's people through my very eyes amount.

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Or when I went to Panama, I had people tell me, Tell my wife You need to get Bobby up to the States. He's going to die It's not so Bobby made it. Good Lord got me through all this. And when I get the opportunity to tell people what got done for me, you could do for you.

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It was anything. You could stop that if you want, but you don't lose anything. You spend a few seconds of your time to get down on your knees and you ask the Lord to forgive you that you have sent and you try and pick up your pieces and go from there.

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He'll do the rest, and your lifestyle will change things that you normally would do. You won't do anymore. Get that little nights here like the second you know better than that you think about and he stayed. You get up here to ask the Lord, Be with me.

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It's your day. Just tell me what to do. Can you get so much? You don't worry about your bills. You don't worry about nothing. God provides everything, including the job. That. And that's what provides everything for you. If you If you utilize it right, you'll never have to be with that.

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Mr. Bates, do you remember that the name of the church that you worshiped in Panama? I wind up going to a crossroad. Bible Church. I also went to that little church down there. Right across from, uh, Border were personnel Waas. Are you familiar with that? There was a little Catholic church here.

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I went there. My wife was Catholic. I didn't know the Lord of the time. I only went toe. Please her. But little did I knew as time goes, sooner or later, there is one that's going to get a hold of your heart. Yeah, I don't know if he playing for my son to die, to draw me close to him.

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I can't sit here honestly tell you that, but I know it's because my son died and there was no place to go. You can go and have your friends sit down and talk to you the minute they're going to your heart reminding your stove goes right back toe.

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The greatest thing you ever had. You just lost him. Figure out how to deal with. Okay, Okay. Yeah. The Lord says don't suffer that paint. Put the problems all my young. It means give them to him. I know that God could take any grief away from He's not gonna take it all.

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He's gonna make your life miserable. You will get through it. Yeah, that's a fact. I could sit here and tell you that you are doing the face. Unless a person has faith. Police and the Almighty God, all things are possible through him. And he could do it all until you get that.

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You will always have that. And where some of that, uh, that himself he doesn't want to learn to with you, Mr Bates. The churches that you attended were they on the zone where their services in English or in Spanish, the ones I went to We're all in English.

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ST Mary Sarah Balbo. And then they had that little one down there writing crushing personnel. Yeah, I'm trying to think of the name. You're gonna have to forgive me. I cannot remember. That's fine. But we used my wife. Used to go that certain times of the year and one that we went with.

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Lord. Really Ladies, Hands on. We left me on my body was 40. A majority of the Catholic Church. I kind of get upset when I hear people talk about athletes with the Baptists and this and that when you start, you can stop this. Now, don't be looking there.

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But I get upset when I hear people talk about this by peoples. Different religions. Uh huh. In my heart of mine, we were all created equal. We all have one guard. We have a god. It was a merciful god. He took the punishment. We should have all date upon us.

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I went to the cross humiliation. He died and left, was resurrected to life. Said that we might add like and I don't care what religion you are. We only serve one God. And I believe that anybody that talks about another person, that oh, they're Catholic, They're not right, dear.

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Wrong for the simple razor for the simple reason I don't care what origin what color, what race, what creed you're from or anything about that. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or Mohammad, they're all the same. God, Yeah. How can you go wrong and have been a person?

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Sit there and condemn another individual? Because he's of a different faith. But yet the same God he worst business. Same one that we were. I tell people sometimes that I had a friend used to tell me about the cactus should be careful. He who judges We'll have the equal amount put back on.

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We're all God's trouble. You can't do that. Bite your tongue, Mr Based. Do you remember when you were first the year that you were stationed in Panama? Yes, I do. E went there on October. It was October the but the army was in the army. Battenberg.

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Sometime in November 1991 I went to Panama in the Army, on my left, There in April, 21st, 1994. Okay. And then I went back in 19 nine years. 19, 1964. Now one back in 1974 on. Then I retired from the Panama Canal in 2000 1994. Because I had cancer in 91 92 by the way, was 50 years old when I retired two years old.

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She's, um So what were your thoughts on the transferring of the canals onto the Panamanian government? I was all for it. Okay. Simply because I know a lot of the local people that were craftsman their e worked with him. It don't take a person that's an idiot to figure out if a person she's job going on, you know what's sad?

00:33:56.080 - 00:34:12.840

Yeah, And I always felt I worked in overhauls with these people. I work right beside him. I was sometimes the door I was. I was the leader in Georgia. E knew these young people very well. They were very educated. They were committed to their job. Someone were young.

00:34:12.840 - 00:34:29.970

They had a lot to learn. But there was never any doubt in my mind that when the time comes, the Panama took over canal. They had people there. They were educated enough and knew enough Had enough experience have cannot go on. Always believed that in my heart on Do you know people you work with?

00:34:29.980 - 00:34:46.040

You know what their abilities are. You have to say it like it is. There was hard work. People wanna hear that because they didn't want to give the Kamala. My personal opinion is years ago, they'd have thrown two flags up there and had a musical partners.

00:34:46.040 - 00:35:07.750

He had never had a treat it that whatever remains sovereign between Panama and the United States from now until Haiti's roams over, it was just e guess. It's the thing that had to happen, you know? It's just like God spreading the water, separate the Jews from their enemies.

00:35:09.440 - 00:35:29.410

Um, I was gonna ask, Have you been back to Panama since you're retired? I've been there one time once. One buzz back. That was probably but 12 years ago, and I did see changes. Not much. But my wife was back recently. Sees that there's so much change, he says it's terrible with traffic.

00:35:29.420 - 00:35:56.950

Uh, I told her I want to go back, but I wanna wait until the third locks is done. That's one thing I would like to see. E want to see the third locks in operation. I won't be able to walk through it I'm just hoping when I get back, I could find somebody there that I knew that I had some pool that I could get a first hand toward because there was anything I loved was when they had overhauls and stuff.

00:35:56.960 - 00:36:15.030

Sometimes they would use me. And I take people down through the called words and stuff taken through the tunnels and give a firsthand tour out of canal itself. Lots of stuff work to me. That was a great thing. And I took pride in almost as if I was a PanAm eating myself.

00:36:15.040 - 00:36:38.740

It was my country. I really did. That's so incredible. Where do you live now? What happened after you're retired? Well, I would have liked the went back to Pennsylvania because that's where all my brothers and sisters are on. My wife lived there for 10 years before we went overseas, and she just never cared for the winners in the winter time.

00:36:39.630 - 00:36:59.460

It was a jury time. Yeah, it was dark early. It was cold. You had a lot of rain. Uh, no leaves on the tree. Everything looked like a passed on. Okay? She couldn't handle that myself. I grew up in it. So I got used to it.

00:37:00.420 - 00:37:23.740

And when we came back from the Panama Canal, I moved in with my son in Tampa and we ran around and we found a lot. We built a house in Wesley Chapel, at which time was Zephyrhills. But things were expanded so much where we lived that came in under the new name of Wesley Chapel.

00:37:24.130 - 00:37:43.560

We're still there today. I built a home there, and mainly because my wife did not want to go back to Pennsylvania. And I figured, What the heck almost see my brothers and stuff. I do see him I go upon with when you're 100 Pennsylvania. Next year we go to Nebraska O E.

00:37:44.520 - 00:38:01.670

And your wife's family. Does she still have family in Panama? She has a few sisters and a couple brothers. Her family has mostly all passed away. Her mother passed away about maybe five or six years after. After we're going, I went to work on the canal.

00:38:02.020 - 00:38:27.360

Her family, the Arizonians know her family are Cherry Kano's. You know what, Jerry? Kind of with those people are up close to the border border up Florida. Panama. Uh, you have ah lot of places up there. It's really beautiful area. It's mountains. Reasons E really loved that Cherokee Providence.

00:38:27.370 - 00:38:49.450

It's up by David. That's 56 hours outside of Panama City. Uh, her family was from up there. Uh huh. And when? When I first met her and after we got to know her before we come back, I had to ask her father for marriage. I practice so I didn't miss that all up.

00:38:50.410 - 00:39:16.710

It was the most awkward thing. E could still remember the old fellow. Tell me, asked me. He said, Do you love her as a C Senior Mutual? Hey, just smelled at me, he says. That's in my being being very good on. I got his blessing. Him and his wife are both at our weddings, and he just passed away here.

00:39:17.320 - 00:39:35.910

E lost seven or eight years. He was 97 or 98 years old. You know. He died. His body just wore out. He never had a notice and he had more charities That my and was jet black, just like my wife. I told my son is You don't have to worry.

00:39:35.910 - 00:39:59.710

You got your moms and her father's gene. You never got to go bald headed like your brother said He's got a airstrip. One time he Oh, your Your Children speak Spanish? Uh, they speak some. Okay. One of my boys is married. Took crusading girl. Yeah, he's been married nowadays.

00:39:59.710 - 00:40:20.960

Sometimes it doesn't work out. Oh, but I got good, good boys. I'm proud of him. Well educated. One of them has his own business. In fact, I worked for him for about 12 or 13 years. E felt all their control panels and power panels for for automated control for machine and stuff in factories.

00:40:20.970 - 00:40:40.600

It was all prototype, which is very nice. Coast was nice and clean. E I had a very good life. I've been blessed. If you wanna call it that. That's what I call it. Yeah. Mr. Bates, is there anything like that you would like your sons to know?

00:40:40.610 - 00:40:56.950

Like some message that you would like them to know for all their life from their father from their father there was what times? Because of my work shift, work and stuff. E wanted to be there, but it could. But I will say this. I love him no matter what.

00:40:57.500 - 00:41:12.130

And I wish him the best. And I wish that someday they would take that few minutes getting new knee and turn your life over to the Lord and have their family following, which I failed to do. And I looked back, and that was the biggest mistake I made in my life.

00:41:13.190 - 00:41:30.250

Not being there for the Children and not providing the insurance of alert for them to have a good life. But I have to worry about things that place heavy on a man's part. When you go through half of your life, that's something happens. There's one of your Children.

00:41:32.210 - 00:41:50.440

You wonder why you failed. I don't think that you failed. I don't think I do need it. But the devil likes to remind me that I dio you have. I just have a couple more questions. So my first one this Why do you still keep coming back to the reunions?

00:41:50.440 - 00:42:14.890

What's so special about them? Because this is where all my friends are, for one thing, people out of work for and I 100 100 to visit him and see him for now. Have a call Mama back. Okay, I'll just post this. Only the only thing I requested from her when we got married with family, with work for the canal before it goes.

00:42:14.890 - 00:42:34.570

Any company ever worked with Never called me at work. Unless it's emergency with Children or so I am getting paid to do a job, we'll be talking to my family and friends and stuff. That was one of the things I kept doing in my heart. Because you hold that to your employer's.

00:42:34.640 - 00:42:52.660

Yeah. Anyway, where were we had you come back here to see your friends? Yes. I come here because, uh, I come every year I'm close by. Some people don't make it every year, and each year I find that some people are getting older and over some can't drive in the evenings and stuff.

00:42:53.200 - 00:43:16.760

Uh, illnesses and things e Just thank the Lord that I'm still able to do this, but I come because I have the hope that those that I don't see this year I will see next year. If you miss your you might miss them. And to me, when I see some of these people like that when I saw the sky was responsible hiring me, e still never asked me a question.

00:43:16.770 - 00:43:34.700

Why? What he saw in me. But I know he had a lot to do with my promotions over the years. I know that her back because I got one day he approached me. There was a couple of guys who put in for it. That was way junior to them.

00:43:35.800 - 00:43:57.350

And he gave me the tickets because I didn't put it for Why did you do that? Because these guys have more seniority and I didn't think it was right. I haven't been here long enough to really learn everything. You don't determine that we determine that. And he said, from now on, orders of promotion code you put way don't like to promote People are ready for okay.

00:43:57.560 - 00:44:14.980

To me, that was a vote of confidence to me. So I was. I knew my heart was doing something my important. But these guys, as far as coming here and visit him. Plus, I you have your nights for you to go in. It could be romantic.

00:44:14.990 - 00:44:35.800

It can be a lot of joy, but you go in there and I love their dance. And I love that they used to have a fellow down there called Virtuous Card again. Hey, played Orden, and he gets him music going there. I'll tell you what, your little will just be a pattern going on the floor.

00:44:36.010 - 00:44:59.960

It was a wonderful thing. Okay. Uhh. I have I have no regrets of the years I spent in Pamela. My relationship with the people in Panama, whether they be Americans or people from outside of Panama, just out of reach. People I met in the streets, people I work with, I have no regrets.

00:44:59.970 - 00:45:25.000

Everybody that I've met have been wonderful people. To me, it was like a family unity. Yeah, and that's something you don't see anymore. Yeah, you take it very dear to your heart. Okay. There are good people, the local people, the Panamanian people, other people that come from other foreign countries that work here, Americans that were born and raised there.

00:45:25.000 - 00:45:44.980

And then once it came there and other people came from other companies work. It was like one huge family, okay? And I'm really grateful for a lot of people that they called civilians. E. I really enjoyed most of them. People have done a lot of things together with them bowling and fishing and stuff like that, and laughing and joking and parties.

00:45:45.670 - 00:46:02.200

It's a wonderful It was a wonderful life. It was a good way to raise my Children. They were raised in very good schools, good communities. Well, then, my last question is, if you could describe your experience in Panama in one word, what word would it be?

00:46:02.680 - 00:46:25.890

Awesome. E like that. Okay. Well, then, Mr Bates, I don't have any other questions. I don't know if there's anything else that you would like to add about your plan of experience that we haven't covered thus far. The only thing I haven't really covered his my brother while alright, our fishing that we had You could talk about that.

00:46:25.900 - 00:46:49.770

To me. That's the greatest thing ever. Unfortunately, uh, I always meant to get up. Hunt with me. Begged me to go to Nebraska, to retire to hunt on, always elected to stay with my family. On that one day I retired. I'd be able to go up there By the time I retired, unfortunately had lost his eyesight so I could hunt with, but I make it a new when I go up there, always stop it.

00:46:49.770 - 00:47:01.830

His home and I spend the night with the next day I get up at breakfast when we talk a little bit. And I drove my car and I go join up with his son in law. And I hope that guys and my brothers used to meet me.

00:47:01.840 - 00:47:23.310

They come out and pass away and I come from for him now. It was a great man. Are their family was great. They've done so much for me to canal itself to come. My son was born, He had heart problems. They spend a lot of money and a lot of time.

00:47:23.780 - 00:47:38.270

They sent my son up to United States. It was a baby. He had attacked a car. Do you know what that is? Your heart gets out of really high seating land and machine was 300 beats per minute. How long can he go? Because he was a baby.

00:47:38.270 - 00:48:01.990

He goes much as 36 hours. I see him at 35. Call the creature. Yes, you're right. Only to die later. You want to go in today? That would help me or anybody else. But the Lord took him home. Which was repression. Yeah. Okay. But outside of that, that's a great life.

00:48:02.870 - 00:48:23.010

I would recommend anybody if they could ever find a place like that is truly a paradise. You had everything right under your fingers. You had love. You have friends and family. Have a good job. Excellent. Whether no winners the dry season were beautiful. Rainy season was a little tight, though.

00:48:23.710 - 00:48:42.020

If if he went outside in the summer and you had a months, you come up with rain for five minutes, and then you could see the steam roll off of the roads and everything. Ghettos upto, wet, sweaty. But as far as I'm concerned, you couldn't ask for a better place would ever raise a family on.

00:48:42.020 - 00:49:01.360

Like I said, that Zach went with all the people of Panama, the local people, the people that went there from other countries, people you work with. It was just awesome experience. That's one of the best experience I ever e one of the greatest things I think I ever got out of it.

00:49:01.450 - 00:49:16.790

I met my lord, Hear my wife? And she's still my lord. She's my boss, too. Okay. All right, then. Well, Mr Bates, thank you very much for sharing your story with us today. Thank you so much. You really means that. Okay. And this concludes this interview