Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

I suppose it was in the late 1930’s, or possibly the early 1940’s and I would hear on the radio what was happening in Europe with the extermination of the Jews in internment camps.

Now, at the same time, there was a bachelor in our community whose nick name was ‘piddler.’ I finally asked my mother “why is piddler being so mean to all those people?” At my age then I did not know, or could differentiate between these two names. For me being 4 or 5 years old, I could not reconcile the difference in these two men.
Now Piddler was almost kin, since several of his brothers and sisters had married some of my uncles and aunts!
Many years later, I finally turned 18 and allowed to work as a ‘roughneck’ on a drilling rig. Another member of our crew was Piddler. He was well over 6 feet tall and probably weighed over 300 pounds.

Most of the time when something heavy had to be moved, we would use a ‘soft line’ or rope which was strung up in the derrick and one end would be wrapped around the ‘cathead’ so we had the power to lift a heavy load.

Other times, some object would be too far away for us to use the rope and cathead. In those cases, we would have to just grab it and with our combined muscles, pick the tool or object up and carry it. There were times I would have to say, “Piddler, I am going to have to cheat you, and allow you more of this because I can’t carry it!”

When he wasn’t working, he would live in an apartment above a bar in Wichita Falls, with a black prostitute. He was always good for a line of banter, and jokes.
However, I don’t think I ever told him that I had gotten him and Hitler mixed up.

It wasn’t unusual for oilfield workers to have the sobriquet of “oilfield trash” and were shunned by some. Not every place would rent an apartment or quarters to them! Just Sayin…RJS

EZ Fishing Loc: College Ward, Utah

Thank you for the story. Sometimes young uns do not hear things right or they repeat what they thought they heard.

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Interesting story RJ!
You’re related to Piddler?😳

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

No, not related. Some of my aunts and uncles married some of his sisters and brothers! But no direct connection with Piddler! Just Sayin...RJS

Jarheadfishnfool Loc: Woodlake/Tulare ,Ca.

This sounds like Piddler !!

Gmchief Loc: New Hampshire coast

My kids thought, when they were young, that Alzheimer’s disease was Old Timers disease. A logical conclusion for young ears, considering that they knew it was associated with the elderly.

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Makes sense. As a scoutmaster I realized that some scouts called the Heimlich Maneuver- the Heimlich Remover. Makes sense because it discharges the Heimlich stuck in your throat.