[May 20, 2024] I went to High School with Jonny Dirt, at least that is what he called himself. Jonny was a senior, and I knew him only because he sat beside me during my sophomore English class. He’d repeatedly failed English and was retaking the course for the third time, and Jonny was not someone you would want to hang out with. But, in his defense, the young man was an intensely interesting fellow, and I could tell his life was not good.
All Jonny Dirt wanted to do was work on the oil rigs out in Western Texas. He knew things about those rigs, which still amazes me today. Jonny certainly was hanging onto life by his fingertips. I knew because he told me that his dad had left home never to return, he had no girlfriend, his mom was an alcoholic, he had no car, his sister was a drug addict, and it seemed as if something could go wrong for him; it went wrong.
Jonny Dirt loved the oil fields. On weekends, he would travel around the area with one of the oil pump rig maintenance men, learning how to keep them running. The job required him to be diligent, meaning he had to inspect each oil jack semi-annually and pull essential maintenance on them. The work was hard, done in the heat with poisonous snakes about, often working alone in the middle of nowhere, working long days, and dangerous enough that you could quickly lose a finger or hand if careless.
I had to hand it to Jonny; he had the courage and the drive to do that work, which was the work that most of us would never want or tolerate. Indeed, he wouldn’t want to do that for long, but I was wrong. After I’d graduated and left home, Jonny went to work in the oil fields. One of my friends who stayed in Abilene said Jonny was still there.
What was his secret? Jonny was certainly not enslaved. And he could easily walk away and find another job. Perhaps it would have been a good decision for him to find another job that was easier and paid more, but not Jonny. He found that showing up for work every day, actually working, showing his boss a decent attitude, occasionally staying late until a nasty broken oil rig was brought back online, and never giving excuses for not understanding something showed that Jonny had a particular, successful advantage over most people.
Jonny had the character to have a good life. He had stumbled upon those parts of one’s character that determine a life that can make a person successful. He had found that by working well with the old man who showed him how to do the maintenance and being respectful to his boss, he could live well, with enough money to rent a decent apartment, buy a working used car, clothes, and maybe have enough to take a girl out on a date.
Jonny Dirt was a good citizen. And, to my delight, when I was still a sophomore, he took me out one weekend and showed me what he did. The first rig we worked on he called an “Oklahoma Oil Jack,” a specific type of small oil rig, mostly built after World War II and into the 1950s. I actually loved it.
And me working on oil pump jacks is another story for another time.
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I would like to read the followup story on this. “Jonny Dirt was a good citizen. And, to my delight, when I was still a sophomore, he took me out one weekend and showed me what he did. The first rig we worked on he called an “Oklahoma Oil Jack,” a specific type of small oil rig, mostly built after World War II and into the 1950s. I actually loved it. And me working on oil pump jacks is another story for another time.” – Gen. Doug Satterfield and I do believe we would all like to hear what happened next. Keep these old stories coming. I sure love reading them.
Love your story of Jonny Dirt. Made me think back to my older brother who work on the oil rigs down in Oklahoma.
Sir, I enjoyed this article and those when you write about your childhood.
Edward, good to see you back here.
Hi Mr. Kennedy. I’m a huge fan of yours so please write us another article like you’ve done in the past. Thank you for your service also.
I find this article a bit funny in many ways and also serious. Serious in that this Mr. Dirt that Gen. S. knew in school, and who did not like school, and did not do well there, actually was able to find something that got him motivated to work and work hard. That is the secret of life.
Gen. Satterfield, thanks for letting us know about this young man that too many young people today would dismiss as beneath them morally and socially. Jonny Dirt is fulfilling a necessary job that must be executed properly or the oil wells do not pump. And Jonny can be rightly proud of his accomplishments.
Nailed it, Forrest. ✌
“What was his secret?” Then Gen. Satterfield goes on to tell us. And there are important ideas here. Re-read the article and you will see.
Gen. Satterfield is doing is a big favor here by telling us of a kid who had a hard time in school, yet was able to make something of himself because he had stumbled upon (maybe figured it out) that by having the right character, one can have a good life. And what that means is that you cannot be a victim, so often practiced with delight by young Gen Z’ers today and who love saying that the world is all against them. Boo Hoo. This Jonny Dirt actually was able to make a difference in his life and do well. You or I might not want to do what he did, but he wanted to be out in the oil fields working on those “oil jacks” and he is the one who got up the courage to do it. Well done, Jonny Dirt.
I must say that you said it very well, Peigin. I know that Gen. Satterfield had a small set of “friends” growing up and they did a lot together. This article is the beginning of him in high school and the start of his real manhood. I look forward to more in this timeframe of his life because that is where we will find most of Gen. S’s influence to be a good man and to have the good life.
Right Kenny, but let’s be very clear that a “good life” does not mean an “easy life.”
I’m new to this website and the forum to write thoughts. Good to be here and do appreciate the article.
Jonny Dirt, a real name? Could be but I doubt it. Still very funny. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Nah, a real name.
Jonny Dirt, sounds like a fake name. But knowing Gen. Satterfield, it is got to be real.