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Nov 18, 2019 15:58:07   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
Hey everyone,

I dont think I've introduced myself formally on here.. I know a couple people here a little deeper than others, but I'd like to get to know yall. I will start..

My name is Dennis Longley Jr, but I go by Denny...or "Detroit" (I dont know why, because I'm from Flint Michigan, not Detroit.. people called me detroit while I lived in Florida and it stuck I guess), so it's usually "Denny, D, or Detroit" sometimes Detroit Denny, which is my fb handle. If someone is hollering Dennis, then Dennis is probably in trouble.

Like I said, I'm Denny and I'm 39yrs old, be 40 in april. I am originally from Flint Michigan, but ended up moving all over the eastern coastline from the top of the map (Alpena Michigan, tip of the lower peninsula) all the way to the bottom of the map (Florida) and every state in between east of Illinois. Michigan always feels like "home" though and I always end up coming back.

I am a disabled US Navy veteran (2003-2006), who served in OEF/OIF campaigns. I joined up after 9/11 at 23yrs old for our injured country, and I served with pride. I am proud of all of our veterans, and believe veterans deserve better than what is currently offered to us. I am proud to see the VA changing for the better though, needs are being met and lives are being saved. I am one of those lives.

When I got out of the service, I was in alot of pain, both physically and emotionally. Back then, the VA was basically throwing pills at issues, and i was no exception. I was prescribed opiate painkillers for my pain (WAYYYYY too many smh) which was the vicodin/hydrocodone, morphine, and eventually methadone as well, and with refills every month. I was prescribed benzos (xanax and clonazepam both smh) and psych meds for depression/anxiety and my overall mood. Valium for muscle spasms. Pills, pills, pills. I woke up to pills and went to bed with pills, all while thinking I was doing the correct thing. Well, after a few years of all those narcotics I became HEAVILY dependent to the substances, voiced my concerns to my psych doc one day, and the doc took my meds away, stating that I breached our pain contract somehow. This put me into a pretty serious tailspin that took YEARS to correct. I became an addict. I moved to more serious pills, and eventually moved to heroin. I injected myself with heroin several times a day, and this took me places I didnt know a human could go, every place completely coated with evil. This went on for years and years. Jails. Rehabs. Jail again. Hospital for overdoses. Homelessness. I was homeless or transient for over 10yrs. All my family members either disowned me (legitimately) or was addicts themselves so we fed off of each other. I truly dispised my life, and the lifestyle that I was maintaining. I felt hopeless.

A little over 3 1/2 years ago things changed for the better. Not before I had lowered myself as low as one could go.. I was destitute and desperate, moved back to michigan again and went back to the VA and pleaded for help. I got serious about finding the change I desperately needed. I dove into every group, meeting, and therapy session that I could find and attend. I entered into a homeless shelter, which was a Christian establishment, and ended up giving my life to the Lord and was saved. This was the ONLY way I was able to attain any lasting sobriety. I am an addict, but I am in recovery.

Now, my life has gotten exponentially better ever since I made the decision to allow God to change ME. Who woulda thought it, I WAS THE PROBLEM ALL ALONG! God is good though, faithful and just, and delivered me...delivered me from drugs, is actively delivering me from ptsd, and also delivered me FROM myself. I was my own worse enemy and critic... I dont judge anyone now, especially not myself. I judged myself for far too long, always blaming "something" for the way my life was going.. always the "victim". I am not, and will never be again, a victim of my circumstances.

I am married to a beautiful, charming, awesomely annoying woman who was my best friend in the past, and still remains my best friend. She is also in recovery, for our stories are similar (except for military service). We lived a terrible life, but are making amends the best way we can...by serving others. We volunteer, we lead groups, we lead bible studies...we try to make sure nobody remains in their suffering and struggles with addiction. It is possible to recover, and we want the world to know the peace and joy that was gifted to us by God. We got married January 6th, 2018 and had our baby girl (another miracle in itself) in March of 2018. The life we lead is what we want for our daughter too...we want her to know the God we know, not the God that the world portrays. We love her and each other and mean the world to each other. It's amazing that we are even able to love after all we've been through, but I'll say it again...God is GOOD.

Well, that's enough for one post lol and I hope this helps to introduce "me and my family" a tad better and deeper than surface level. Thank you for reading this lonnnnng post, and get to know who I am and what I'm about.

Love and grace abound, and God bless you all.
Tight lines, bent rods, heavy stringers, and full freezers...I wish all this and more for each of you, and I consider you all friends of my family. I appreciate the wisdom that you all bring to this table, and I'm glad I found this site. Thanks for reading, and please have a blessed day!

Denny, Trish, and Aurora Longley

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Nov 18, 2019 16:08:24   #
raddish Loc: Norteast Ohio
 
Awesome. I'm through Flint every Thursday in my truck. God bless you, friend. Didnt see too many fish stories in your blog. Tell us a good one?

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Nov 18, 2019 17:01:16   #
Dennisjj Loc: Kinston N.C.
 
Dennis you have been thru hell and back i know keep moving forward. Keep moving forward keep the lord in your life and he will get you thru this wish you the best and dont look back cause it will always be behind you.

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Nov 18, 2019 17:10:25   #
Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA
 
Dennis you and I have talked before on here and we have similar stories, but I have not been thru the tough times that you have. I am also a Navy vet - 1968 -1989. I will be 72 in February. My name is Paul Humphries and I go by Spiritof27 in remembrance of my mother-in-law who gave me a baseball which she personally had autographed by the 1927 New York Yankees. She was a dear person and I miss her. So that's part of my story.

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Nov 18, 2019 17:46:24   #
almoy
 
God bless you and your family Denny. Thank you for an awesome testimony. Good is indeed good and faithful. He loves us no matter what, and is always there for us, sometimes more obvious than other times.
Blessings to you my brother, and hope you get solid strikes when you're out with your rod and reel.
Aloha,
Al

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Nov 18, 2019 17:47:55   #
Ibclyde Loc: Cloverleaf Lakes Wisconsin
 
Welcome Denny
I’m Clyde from Wisconsin
Army veteran,1st Cav Div. Vietnam era
I fish the shit out of Lake Winnebago here for Walleyes and fish for Crappies and Gills on a small chain an hour north

Thanks for your service!

Clyde

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Nov 18, 2019 18:05:44   #
Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA
 
Ibclyde wrote:
Welcome Denny
I’m Clyde from Wisconsin
Army veteran,1st Cav Div. Vietnam era
I fish the shit out of Lake Winnebago here for Walleyes and fish for Crappies and Gills on a small chain an hour north

Thanks for your service!

Clyde


Clyde I got a reprimand from admin for using that word. You know the one. At least I think it was. Admin just said "watch you language we're trying to keep it clean". Now I don't give a one of those about the language on here, but someone does. So I'm just wondering if you're gonna get one too, or is it just me? Will you please let me know if someone says something to you? PM me if you want. Tightlines and thanks for your service.

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Nov 18, 2019 20:15:26   #
John D Loc: Duncanville Alabama
 
Detroit,
You rock!!! I’m a USMC Vietnam Vet & I too have had my demons. You & your family are an inspiration. Hang in there. Fishing is therapy from the Lord.

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Nov 19, 2019 07:29:42   #
Raw Dawg Ron Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
 
Welcome back from the deep side. The wife and I are both disabled and drug tested to death just to get a few RX`s that do help. Just make the best of what`s going on! Scrambled egg day ok too. Don`t let anything get you down!

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Nov 19, 2019 09:37:06   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
It's awesome to see all of these comments.. sorry it took a sec to get back to the boards, things got really busy yesterday, and by the time our daughter "decided" to close her eyes and sleep we were spent lol.. but I'm back this morning and about to answer yall.. I will quote texts to answer.. God bless you all, I'm so impressed with the quality of the people here. Fb doesn't hold a candle to this site.

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Nov 19, 2019 09:52:44   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
raddish wrote:
Awesome. I'm through Flint every Thursday in my truck. God bless you, friend. Didnt see too many fish stories in your blog. Tell us a good one?


First things first..

Thank you bud. You drive through Flint.. dont stop!!! Lol Flint has gone WAY down hill after the water crisis and is a very, very, violent place.. as I'm sure you know. I'd get gas in grand blanc or clio and leave flint to the dealers and criminals. Shoot, that's what the police did. It's sad, because I love my home city...it just dont love me back.

As far as a fishing story, well I got a ton! One that comes to mind is as follows: True Story.

One summer day, probably 1987 or 88 when I was a boy, we were living on Long Lake, up north Michigan and my parents owned a lakefront restaurant and resort called "Camp Grand Resort and Restaurant". This day, I was down at the lake on the dock fishing. I saw a baby duckling swimming around by itself, meep-meep-meeping for momma. I looked around everywhere i could see on the lake and shore for its mom or brothers and sister ducklings...there were none. As a boy, and still remain so, i was very interested in conservation, and i got it in my head that i was going to help this baby duck. I would catch it and raise it well.. i jumped on a swimming blow up raft and paddled after the lil guy.. i tried to corner him under many docks, following this little duck dang near the entire waterfront area, all the way around the lake. I FINNALLY cornered it under a dock and scooped him up. Proudly, I ran to the restaurant to show my mom and dad my good deed, but my dad was unreceptive, and kinda yelled at me. He told me firmly, that I needed to return the baby duck to the water and let it find its mother, or vice versa. He said the duck would be fine, that they just got separated, and wouldn't I want my momma?

I cried at this, I mean I had just worked SO HARD to catch this little guy, and I alone wanted to save it. He walked me down to our dock, and said "do the right thing Denny, its ok." So, obeying my father, I put the little duck on the water, and it started meeping again, and started to swim off. SPLASH!!!! A huge pike popped out from under the dock and ATE MY DUCKLING!!! I was appalled!! I cried as my dad looked on with disbelief...

He apologized to me, said the world works wierd sometimes, and I eventually got over it (prob 10mins later) and grabbed my pole, determined to catch the pike that just murdered my little friend. No fish though, just a memory...

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Nov 19, 2019 09:59:05   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
Ibclyde wrote:
Welcome Denny
I’m Clyde from Wisconsin
Army veteran,1st Cav Div. Vietnam era
I fish the shit out of Lake Winnebago here for Walleyes and fish for Crappies and Gills on a small chain an hour north

Thanks for your service!

Clyde


Thank you, and thank you for YOUR service.

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Nov 19, 2019 10:00:01   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
Dennisjj, yes we have my friend, but God is so Good!

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Nov 19, 2019 10:03:04   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
Sprirtof27, thanks for sharing, Shipmate!! Sailor to sailor, thank you for your service.

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Nov 19, 2019 10:04:47   #
DennyLongley Loc: Bay City Michigan
 
To everyone else, thank you for your kind comments...yall have blessed me today.

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