Tags: I see it this way!

Michael Viola, seen here at a newspaper guild retirees meeting, still looks and sounds good at 81. Michael worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer for over 40 years. He acquired his skills in the US Navy. His talent came naturally. He's talking about some of the near death experiences on ships during World War II. In fact, he helped set up cameras to record the atomic bomb tests. He was lucky to be alive today because he went to develope the negatives in Washington after one of the tests. The service people who retrieved the cameras and film were not as lucky. Many had problems because the radiation was so intense at ground zero after the explosion. While Michael worked at the Inquirer, I worked at the Philadlephia Daily News. He retired at least 10 years ago, and I in 2005. We would see each other on assignments, the parking lot, cafeteria, and other paths we crossed. We would always speak to each other and usually continue on our separate ways. Today, we held the longest conversation ever. We had never spoke of his time in the Navy, or his working for 15 years at the Inquirer before getting a full-time job. The next time someone asks me "what are you doing now"?. I'll respond "catching up on my life and other missed moments".