The history of A Slice of Home is almost 40 years old, conceived while Marc Trail was
serving in the United States Navy onboard a guided missile destroyer.
As with all our military then and today, we would deploy overseas for extended periods
of time. In those days handwritten letters were as close as we got to our loved ones
back home. We truly left behind all of our cultural emblems…the touchstones of our
family, friends and communities.
One day, while our ship was on patrol in the Persian Gulf for one hundred twenty seven
days straight, I walked into my work center and from what was at least 12 feet away, my
eyes were drawn to a yellow and green soda can. I immediately knew it was Vernors!
There was a junior officer that was also in the workspace, but because I was not
personally familiar with him, I approached and asked where he had gotten the pop
from. Without a moment’s consideration as to the geographically specific term “Pop,”
the young man responded that his mother had mailed him a 6 pack in a care package.
Upon learning of the hometown connection, we immediately began speaking at each
other more than to each other – an almost prayer-like liturgy of the symbols from where
we came. We spoke of our hometown, our high school, Tigers Baseball, Bob-Lo Island,
where our families went “Up North” (knowing that we did not have to explain what that
meant), Gordie Howe, Bob Seger and “The Motown Sound.” – The list went on. After we
completed this mutual affirmation, we moved on with our daily tasks. I don’t remember
that I ever spoke to this young man again, but what stays with me all these years later is
that for those brief moments, we were uplifting each other with the memories of this
place we call home.