Riverside Mission('72-'73),but new here
My husband was in the Air Force back then,and was stationed at March AFB about 3 miles south of Sunnymead.At least I think it was March,he was at several,can't keep 'em all straight.About a year after we got there,a Base doctor took me off of an asthma medication I'd been on for years.He didn't tell me that a main ingredient was phenobarbital,and when I started going through withdrawal I literally thought I was going insane. That's when I ran into a Scientologist on the U of C campus. My system worked it's way through,but of course I thought it was Scientology that was getting my head straight.In the beginning I loved it.We didn't have a car,so somebody from the Mission would often come out to Sunnymead and pick me up- occasionally Rick Ansert would come out to get me on a little motorcycle.A lot of times I just hitch-hiked.Took (and paid for) the Com Course,and then did whatever might have needed to be done around the Mission.At that time we were in an OLD three story white frame house near the expressway.I don't know if that was the main building at the time,but we didn't see much of Bent so maybe it was just an extension.I brought my husband into it,though he didn't care much one way or the other.He and Paul Ney were stationed together and were friends,and I had become friends with Sue,so we talked them into taking the Com Course.To this day I feel guilty about hooking her up with that place,though I suppose she may feel differently.Some people at the Mission showed us how to get loans (based on my non-existent job and using my non-existent car as collateral!),and I went to L.A. with a group to take some courses.When we got back there was some kind of problem with a married couple.She was leaving their children alone and unfed every day while she was involved with the Mission,and when one of them got sick she made a lot of noise about them being nothing but a bunch of S.P.'s. Her husband tried to get her to take care of them but the mission closed ranks around her.I felt like I was in the twilight zone.I offered to go make lunch for them during the days I was in Riverside,but I was told to mind my own business and vague 'ethics' threats were made.I walked out and never went back.After repeated attempts and threats to try to get me to come back,they told my husband he would have to either divorce me or leave.He told them he needed a few days to decide,then got his hands on every contract he could find that had our names on it(filing was one of his jobs).People came by nearly every day for several weeks trying to intimidate us into coming back,but we never saw Sue or Paul again after that.Years later I did get several letters from her.The letters were friendly and upbeat,but those were crazy,crazy days where Scientology was concerned (yeah,I know- they still are!)We had moved back to Illinois,and between apartments and houses we'd had changed addresses several times.It wasn't all that easy to track some one down in those days,so I definitely became paranoid when I realised she was still in Scientology. I never responded to her letters.Still,I hope they're both well and happy wherever they are. I'd heard that Paul got out a long time ago,but I don't know about Sue.Well,I guess this book is about long enough!
Welcome aboard! Ah, it sounds like Scientology life as normal...
