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Post by htmb on Nov 20, 2012 4:22:06 GMT
My father served in the United States Navy during World War II. He died almost twenty years ago at the young age of sixty-eight and I often chastise myself for not finding out more about his military service. See, my father did not like to talk about the war. It was just too painful. There were a few key stories he would repeat, when asked, but that was all I could ever seem to get out of him. During the years I was growing up, my father refused to travel much because “he got all his traveling done in the U.S. Navy.” I didn’t understand that at the time. He was a very brave man who suffered through a lifetime of hardship, but was one of those self-made men of his generation who had “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.” Having been born just before the great depression of the late 1920’s, my father’s already very poor family suffered greatly. My grandparents had seven children, and the older three were expected to work at a very early age. My grandmother took in boarders during the 1930’s and 40’s, while my grandfather worked as a plumber in the shipyards. When my dad was a very young boy, he got a job setting up pins in a bowling alley. Parts of Tampa were pretty rough back then and Dad used to tell the story of how he was sitting on the back steps of the bowling alley when a fellow, who was coming out of the door behind him, was shot and killed. The man fell forward on top of Dad. When Dad told that story he was always fairly blasé, but now that I ponder the event as an adult, all I can think about is how damaging that must have been to a young boy. Dad was raised Catholic by his half-Spanish mother, whose ancestors had come from Minorca, Spain as indentured servants in the 18th century. The other side of my grandmother’s family was Scottish, which made for an interesting combination. Dad was a tough, scrappy kid who attended Catholic school, where he played football and boxed. Dad (second from the right) and his family At some point after graduating from high school in 1942, my dad joined the U.S. Navy. All the “boys” were signing up to fight, for to participate was their “patriotic duty.” Dad in uniform with his three much younger brothers. It wasn’t easy for dad to enlist. He was colorblind and failed the Army physical when he didn’t pass the eye test. According to dad, his buddies helped him cheat his way through the Navy test; how, I do not know. Not only that, but his main job in the Navy was as a radarman. I suppose seeing color wasn’t important back then, as everything on the radar screen was in black, white, and shades of gray. Stories of Dad’s military service are mixed in my mind as to when or where. I wasn’t even sure where he went for his initial training until I starting looking carefully at a scrapbook I remember seeing as a kid. I’ve never known my father to keep a photo album, but this one is clearly his with entries made in his hand under many of the photos inside. On the front cover there is a picture with the Statue of Liberty on the left, the Brazilian and American flags in the middle, and scenes of Brazil in the background. This fits in with my father’s stories of going AWOL accidently in South America due to his involvement with a lady friend. The back of the photo album is even more telling, as it contains a list of ports in Dad’s handwriting. Unfortunately, there are no dates attached to the names. Below Dad’s name is listed the following information (the spelling and punctuation are his): U.S.S. Jouett #396 1. Bainbridge – Md 2. Norfolk – Va 3. Trinidad – B.W.I. 4. Recife – Brazil 5. Bahia – Brazil 6. Rio de Janeiro – Brazil 7. San Juan – Porto Rico 8. Virgin Is. 9. St. Thomas, V.I. 10. Belim – Brazil 11. Cape Town South Africa 12. Portland Maine 13. Plymouth England 14. South Hampton England 15. Milford Haven Wales 16. Belfast Ireland 17. Murmansk Russia 18. Le Harve France 19. Oran N. Africa 20. Palermo, Sicily 21. Naples, Italy 22. Toulon, France 23. Marseilles, France 24. New York 25. Guantanamo, Cuba 26. Charlestown, S. C. I'm not sure why there's an arrow pointing to the Statue of Liberty, who clearly has an enhanced face. Perhaps it had to do with the lady in South America. I hope you will continue on this journey with me as I attempt to discover more information about my father's military service during World War II. |
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Post by mossie on Nov 20, 2012 8:10:57 GMT
That was a real "round the world" trip your father took. I bet there was a real fund of stories there, if only you could have tapped into them.
Thanks for sharing.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2012 8:20:19 GMT
That looks quite similar to my father's list, except that he was also in Australia, Korea, China and the Philippines and I don't think he went to England and Ireland.
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Post by htmb on Nov 24, 2012 13:22:33 GMT
Having the timeline of ports of call written on the back of my father's scrapbook has now allowed me to learn more about his military service. In researching the history of the destroyer, USS Jouett, I see that it parallels my father's list and I am able to learn more details of his service. In December 1942, the ship returned to Charleston for repairs, but by 21 January 1943 she was back in Natal harbor, Brazil. Jouett received President Vargas of Brazil 27 January 1943, providing quarters for him and his party during important conferences on board Humbolt (AG 121) with President Roosevelt. Following the talks, which cemented relations between the countries and provided for closer naval cooperation, President Vargas departed Jouett 29 January.
The veteran destroyer resumed her escort duties in February, and 14 May joined in the search for U-128 off Bahia, Brazil. Aircraft dropped depth charges on the sub and brought her to the surface where gunfire from Jouett and Moffett (DD 362) sent her to the bottom. The destroyer continued to serve with Admiral Ingram’s crack antisubmarine force, now Fourth Fleet, through the rest of 1943. On New Year’s Day 1944 she joined Omaha (CL 4) for ocean patrol; and the ships intercepted German blockade runner SS Rio Grande, with a vital cargo of crude rubber. After the crew abandoned ship, Omaha and Jouett sank the German ship. This effective closing of the South Atlantic to German blockade runners was demonstrated even more forcefully 5 January when patrol planes reported a strange ship identifying herself as Flordian. Intelligence identified her, however, as blockade runner Burgenland. Before aerial attacks could begin Omaha and Jouett picked her up on radar and closed in. Scuttling charges and the cruiser's gunfire sank her just after 1730.
Jouett returned to Charleston once more in March 1944 and engaged in training operations in Casco Bay, Maine, before sailing for England in convoy 16 May 1944. There she joined a Reserve Fire Support Group for the long awaited invasion of France. Jouett arrived off Omaha beach 8 June, escorting coastal steamers with support troops embarked. She repelled an air attack that day, and until 21 June screened British heavies during shore bombardment and provided antisubmarine screen for the Omaha Beach transport area. The second front established, Jouett escorted convoys to and from the Firth of Clyde until 12 July 1944 when she sailed with a convoy for Algeria.
The destroyer arrived at Oran 21 July to prepare for the next major European operation, the invasion of southern France. Departing Naples 14 August, Jouett arrived off the Delta assault area next day and. as troops landed, acted as command ship of the Convoy Control Group charged with the smooth routing and unloading of support troops. This duty continued until 3 September, after which the ship operated on patrol out of Toulon. In early October Jouett steamed off Cape Ferrat, giving gunfire support to American troops in the bitter fighting ashore. She also destroyed mines off San Remo 9 October, destroyed bridges, and covered Allied minesweeping operations in the area.
Jouett sailed from Oran 31 December 1944 for repairs at Charleston. After refresher training in Casco Bay in April, the battle tested ship made convoy voyages to England and Cuba before the end of the war 15 August 1945. She decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1 November 1945 and was scrapped there in 1946.
Jouett received three battle stars for World War II service.Source: Naval Historical Center including Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/ussjouett/ |
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Post by mossie on Nov 24, 2012 13:58:52 GMT
Quite a story. You should be very proud of your father.
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Post by htmb on Nov 24, 2012 21:54:42 GMT
Quite a story. You should be very proud of your father. Thank you, Mossie. I've always been very proud of my father. More to come and, hopefully, larger sized photos. |
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Post by htmb on Nov 25, 2012 21:00:20 GMT
In first several pages of Dad's scrapbook he has posted photos of himself posing with family members and I suspect the pictures were taken when he was on leave after basic training. By scrutinizing the next few pictures, I can also see that Dad joined the Navy earlier than I had first thought. The first two photos of his buddies are dated September and October 1942. My father was only seventeen, as his birthday was not until December. Many of his photos have names written underneath, or on the back. The text is very hard to read, but I have attempted to list the names as written. By flipping the posed photos over, I can see that the backs have a place to write a name and address just like a postcard.  Kirby, 10/42, Bahia............Butch Mitchum, 9/42, Trinidad Butch looks like he has a snake draped around his neck.  John Paul Omasta; Johnstown, Pennsylvania  Name unreadable, Recife, Brazil..........Tom, Rio de Janeiro  Dad is in his whites, second from the left. The three men on horses are all his navy buddies, but the writing at the top of the picture is hard to read. Is says something about "being afraid of the horse."  Phillips and Cheesey |
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Post by htmb on Nov 25, 2012 21:31:00 GMT
The next several pages of the scrapbook feature photos of Dad and his Jouett shipmates looking like they are having fun frolicking on the beach, visiting bars and restaurants, and enjoying life. I get a sense that this part of the war was more of an exciting adventure for these young men. A time to enjoy the challenges of being aboard ship in the South Atlantic, while also having a good time on shore leave in Brazil. The name over the entrance in the first photo on the left is "COPACABANA**PALACE. It's really unfortunate these photos are only 8 x 6 cm wide each, as so much detail of the surroundings is lost to the eye.   |
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Post by htmb on Nov 25, 2012 21:53:20 GMT
While my father didn't talk about the war much at all, he did occasionally mention his ship, the U.S.S. Jouett (396). Dad was very proud of his ship and his shipmates, as well as his captain. I got the sense that he knew he had done a good job in pulling together with men from all around the United States. He served on other ships, and perhaps a submarine briefly, but the Jouett was the one he seemed to have loved. It was scrapped soon after the war.  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 19:57:56 GMT
My father had yearbooks just like high school yearbooks for the various navy missions with all of the ports of call around the world. I absolutely cannot imagine that I threw them away, so unless my father tossed them in the final years, they must be in the stuff that I packed for my brother to take. I would love to see them again.
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Post by htmb on Nov 26, 2012 21:17:28 GMT
How many years was your father in the Navy? He was a career man, correct?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 21:21:48 GMT
He was in the Navy from age 17 to age 37 when he retired (but then he worked for the Seabees for the next 20 years).
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Post by htmb on Nov 26, 2012 21:30:28 GMT
Forty years. Wow! Do you know what year he enlisted?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 21:40:49 GMT
It must have been something like 1935.
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Post by htmb on Nov 27, 2012 20:49:33 GMT
Kerouac, not knowing your father it is hard for me to make a supposition, but I am wondering if being a career man made it easier for your father to talk about his years of service. My father, on the other hand, enlisted in the Navy to fight in the war. He went in with a sense of adventure, but left service after the war was over. I will write more about this soon, as I do have a bit more information. I recall Mossie posting a photo of his mascot in a couple of his military service photos and I was a bit surprised. However, I now know that my father also had a ship mascot. There is a photo of the little dog pictured below in Dad's scrapbook, with no explanation to be seen. I found the same photo posted on another website by the son of one of Dad's shipmates. Underneath the photos is the designation "mascot." (It felt very strange finding a few identical photos as part of someone else's collection.)  Note: I managed to get one of the little photos to show up a bit larger, even though it is very pixallated and the right edge is chopped off. |
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Post by mossie on Nov 28, 2012 8:13:41 GMT
Keeping mascots by servicemen is traditional and dates back to the American Independance. The story is that a stray goat wandered into the English lines and was adopted by a Welsh regiment. Goats, ponies, dogs have all been, and some still are, mascots. Some have an official rank and number, and at least one goat gets a cigarette ration  , this is reputed to be good for the coat. |
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Post by mossie on Nov 28, 2012 9:06:35 GMT
Thinking back to my last post, I guess that this practice goes back to antiquity when armies kept flocks to provide rations, especially in desolate areas.
No doubt other services as well, the Welsh Guards were known as "The Sheepshaggers",which honorary title is also sometimes bestowed on Australians and other Colonials.
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Post by bjd on Nov 28, 2012 9:31:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 12:29:24 GMT
And then there was the cat who was shot for treason in WW1 because it fraternized with both the German and French soldiers in the trenches.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 28, 2012 14:10:24 GMT
I'm not aware that my father's unit had a mascot in WW2, though I wouldn't be surprised if they found themselves temporarily adopted by some stray cat when they were in Egypt and Crete. Finding out about a parent's war service feels even stranger than other discoveries - most of those we can relate to some aspect of ordinary life today, but the wartime experience seems ever more remote. There were plenty of stories when I was a child, from his training in anti-aircraft in some of the most bleak and windswept coastal areas in Britain, to the scramble of the withdrawal from Norway, the relative quiet of his time in Egypt as the Italians were being chased further away, the disaster in Crete, my mother's false hopes on seeing someone very like him in a newspaper photo of troops arriving back in Egypt, only to find that the first personal comment he was allowed to put in a letter home was "Send curry powder". After that, there were just a few disjointed stories of his time as a prisoner of war. Some of the time he was put to work in a railway yard just outside Munich, then down a coalmine in Poland (which I suspect was grimmer than he let on), and finally moved away from the Russians into a barracks in Bavaria that later became a big US military base. A lot of that is in various bits of paper he kept, and corroborated by things I found in archives later. Once he mentioned having a picture of him in a German publication pointed out to him by a guard, and when I asked the Imperial War Museum if they had any idea what sort of publication it might be, they invited me to look at what they had - and sure enough, there is someone that looks very like him in a souvenir book about Crete published at the time over the name of General Student, the German commander. The National Archives had some contemporary reports from the Red Cross and the Swiss authorities on their visits to camps where my father would have been, and a copy of the forms he filled on his return reporting on an incident he heard about where a fellow prisoner had been shot. But my brother and I do regret that we never got him to talk before he died about the assorted photographs he'd managed to keep and bring back, nor did he say much to follow up on a casual reference to a camp near Berlin that was set up as a sort of "holiday" camp for propaganda purposes and later to try to recruit prisoners to the absurd "Legion of St George" SS unit. I think there probably was something to say, because he asked me to go and look at the village concerned once when I had a trip to Berlin: but at that time I didn't have the clues to pick up on. But I think he would have said something suitably scathing if the recruiters had approached him. I didn't think there was much more to be found out, so many records having disappeared over the years; but then a few months ago, thanks to the internet, I stumbled across this piece of captured German newsreel showing prisoners taken on Crete. I'm sure my father's in it, at half the age I am now, not knowing what was to happen to him, striding across my computer screen at about 11 seconds into this clip: www.britishpathe.com/video/german-troops-in-crete-aka-british-prisoners-in |
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Post by htmb on Nov 28, 2012 14:47:23 GMT
Patrick, thank you so much for sharing this personal information about your father. I cannot begin to imagine what it must feel like to see your father's image in a prisoner of war video. Just watching the video gave me chills.
You also give me some hope that as I continue to search the Internet I will learn more about my father's participation in WWII. I have to say that I found it bizarre last night, when in a Google search of WWII archives, this AnyPort thread popped up as one of the links.
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Post by mossie on Nov 28, 2012 19:15:56 GMT
Thanks Patrick. Your father had a really tough war, Norway and Crete, neither were holiday camps, but then to endure about 4 years as a Kriegie as our POWs in Germany termed themselves was the bitter end.
It all makes one realise how easy our own lives have been.
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Post by htmb on Nov 30, 2012 3:35:12 GMT
The first few minutes of this newsreel video shows what was happening in Brazil during my father's stationing there. When a pivotal meeting was held between Brazilian President Vargas and U.S. President Roosevelt, Vargas was housed on my father's boat.
Atlantic Convoys- The War at Sea
My father's destroyer patrolled the waters between Brazil and Africa for several months, and later escorted a convoy of ships to Murmansk, Russia not long before the Normandy Invasion. Dad always referenced that trip to Murmansk by only talking about how cold it was, so I had no idea what the job entailed. The four videos below, starting with Operation Drumbeat: the invasion of North American waters by German U-Boats, helped put the ordeal into a sort of context for me. I was especially interested in hearing the Canadian sonarman, whose job was the same as my father's, explain how hard it was to locate U-boats in the waters of the St. Lawrence River.
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Post by htmb on Dec 1, 2012 3:08:56 GMT
In researching my father’s WWII experience, I have learned (and confirmed the information) that he enlisted in the United States Navy in late summer of 1942, after graduating from high school. He was trained as a radarman and shipped off to Brazil on the destroyer Jouett 396 where he served on harbor and submarine patrol off the coastline of South America. This was at the time that Brazil entered WWII as allies after the president of Brazil met with President Roosevelt.  Dad on the left with his buddies in Brazil In March of 1944, the Jouett sailed first north to Charleston and then on to Maine, before escorting ships through the British Isles and on to Murmansk, Russia.  Photo dated May 1944, sometime during the Murmansk convoy The photo looks like it was taken from the top of one of the stacks looking down on the bow of the ship and the water below. She later served off Omaha Beach from June 8 until June 12, and as a young person, this is where I always got confused with the story. When I asked Dad if he had been involved in the invasion of France he always said yes. But then the locations and dates just didn’t make sense to me. What I now realize is that the major invasion he was referring to was the one in southern France, in the area around Toulon. The Jouett arrived at Oran, Algeria on the 21st of July, 1944. There they prepared for their next battle. Algeria is one of the places my dad always mentioned when he did talk about the war. He absolutely hated it. He said it was hot, dry, dusty and dirty in Oran, but the main reason he hated it there was because as he was relaxing with his buddies a wharf rat “the size of a cat” leaped on Dad, bit him, and consequently gave him a horrible case of hepatitis which also put him in a hospital for awhile. In early October, the Jouett gave cover fire to troops landing near Cap Ferrat, and then destroyed mines and bridges while patrolling the southern coast of France. In December 1944, the ship sailed back to Charleston. |
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Post by htmb on Dec 1, 2012 3:33:55 GMT
During these many months, I am not sure where, my father lost his best friend and shipmate. This he did talk about a good bit, though I have forgotten most of the details. It seems Dad and his buddy were coming about the side of the boat at one point. Dad was in the process of slapping his friend on the back when the friend was hit with enemy fire and blown to bits. I honestly think my father relived this incident quite often for the rest of his life, and I believe it was the turning point for him in his own personal journey.  This photo from Dad's album shows a US flag covered coffin, an honor guard, minister, and a line of sailors in dress uniform. It is dated September 1944, and I found the same photograph on the Internet with the words "only casualty" written underneath. It is my assumption this is the burial ceremony for my father's friend. Dad was also wounded from shrapnel, though again, I am not sure when. I suspect it was also at the end of his patrol time in Toulon, but it could have been at the same time his friend was killed. Dad had two or three operations on his lower back afterwards and his scars looked like he had been struck with large marbles just below his waistline. However, the most debilitating damage would be to his eyesight. He developed cataracts that were removed when he was in his 40’s, but his sight continued to diminish due to the radiation from the radar equipment he used on board. My father was very ill at the time of his death at the age of 68, but the one thing he didn’t have was cancer. In my research, I have since found that Dad and the other crewmen serving on destroyers were exposed to an inordinate about of asbestos. There are several pages on the Internet devoted to Mesothelioma lawsuits for destroyer men who later developed lung cancer.  Looks like Dad was still in the Navy, and certainly still the ladies man in this photo dated May 1945. His radarman's patch is on the left.  However, it's the picture of my parents with their arms around each other, the last photo in the album, that I like the best. |
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Post by mossie on Dec 1, 2012 8:30:17 GMT
Your dad had a tough war as well. Those convoys to Murmansk were no picnic, the weather could be atrocious and the Germans gave them a very hard time, both from aircraft and submarines. Having his best friend killed beside him can be a shattering experience and many people do not want to talk about it. Memories can be very painful. Be thankful he survived to tell you something and leave some precious mementoes.
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Post by htmb on Dec 1, 2012 13:58:37 GMT
Yes, Mossie, you are so very right on all accounts. I do know that my father was very proud of his service, despite his own personal sacrifices.
After the war, my father returned home and continued his courtship of my mother, to the dismay of my grandparents. My mother, who was a student at a prestigious university out of state, was sent on a trip to South America during a break from school. The main reason was to keep her away from my penniless Catholic, second class citizen father. My mother was among the first tourists to travel from the U.S. to Argentina, Peru, and Chile after the war.
Upon her return, my parents eloped to just over the Georgia state line, went to the courthouse, were married and came home to Florida without telling anyone. My mother went back to college to begin her junior year, which lasted about seven weeks until my grandfather figured out what had happened. That was the end of my mother's college education and the beginning of her life with Dad.
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Post by nycgirl on Dec 1, 2012 17:06:46 GMT
This is fascinating. It's great that there's enough documentation for you to trace your father's steps. It's understandable, of course, that he didn't want to relive painful memories, but it's important for this history to be preserved for the post-WWII generations.
I also love the last photo you posted. Your parents were a beautiful couple and had such a romantic story.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm going to revisit this thread when I have time to watch the videos.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 4, 2012 15:54:41 GMT
Htmb, I have to apologize for taking so long to comment on this remarkable, moving, & beautifully crafted homage and history. You began it when I was up in the States visiting my family. When I saw it, all I could think was how much Bill, my mother's husband, would enjoy seeing it and expanding on some of the points in it. Unfortunately, he was in the hospital having pins put into a broken leg. He got out of the Navy after WWII, but is proud of his service and enjoys talking about it. He is on a quest to find a photo of the landing craft on which he served on D-Day. I don't want to derail your thread, but hope you won't mind my putting the info here in a spoiler, in hopes that someone will see it & provide more info: I SERVED ON TWO SHIPS DURING MY NAVAL CAREER IN WWII. I SERVED ON THE USSLCF#9 IN THE ATLANTIC FOR THE NORMANDY INVASION. THERE IS VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ON THIS SHIP OR MORE ACCURATELY "CRAFT". IT WAS 195 PLUS FEET IN LENGTH AND THE NAVY SAYS THAT TO BE CALLED A SHIP IT HAS TO BE 200 FEET IN LENGHT. IT WAS A BRITISH SHIP THAT THE US NAVY GOT ON A REVERSE LEND LEASE PROGRAM ESPECIALLY FOR THE NORMANDY INVASION. IT HAD AMERICAN CREWS. THERE IS VERY LITTLE INFO ON THIS SHIP. I THINK THAT THEY KEPT IT SECRET FOR 50 YEARS. I FOUND A LITTLE ABOUT THE GROUP ON THE INTERNET BUT NOT MUCH. IF YOU CAN FIND ANY PICTURES OF THE #9, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I REALLY DO NOT THINK THAT THERE WAS EVER A PICTURE TAKEN OF THE SHIP. THERE IS A PICTURE OF A LCF ON THE INTERNET BUT NOT NOT OF THE #9. THE GROUP THAT I WAS IN WAS CALLED THE GUNFIRE SUPPORT GROUP. LCF STAND FOR LANDING CRAFT FLACK. IT WAS AN OLD BRITISH LCT WITH THE TANK DECK COVERED OVER WITH CREW COMPARTMENTS BELOW AND ANTI AIR CRAFT GUNS COVERING THE TOP DECK.
I WAS ON A LSM (LANDING SHIP MEDIUM) IN THE PACIFIC. THERE IS MORE INFO ABOUT THIS SHIP. I SENT A PICTURE OF THE SHIP TO THE NATIONAL LSM/LSMR ASSOCIATION AND IT ENDED UP ON THE INTERNET. I WAS ON THE LSM 452 AND EVENTUALLY BECAME THE COMMANDING OFFICER. I HAVE SOME PICTURES OF IT AND SOME OF THE CREW.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU FOUND OUT ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE LCF #9. I have hope because of what you wrote: in a Google search of WWII archives, this AnyPort thread popped up as one of the links.  Kerouac has touched on this point several time -- how good titles for threads here make it more likely that those threads will get prominent hit placement in Google searches. Your title is perfect! My own dad was briefly in the Navy but got sick & was invalided out, something for which he never forgave the Navy despite serving in the Army Air Corps during the war & later becoming career Air Force. I remember once when I was young he took great glee in having to phone the Navy for some records or something. He snappily identified himself as Captain L., his true Air Force rank at the time, but of course greatly trumped by the naval rank of captain. The stories from others about their fathers and that war are moving and valuable as well -- oral histories told by a group that diminishes every day. Patrick, your father's experience is horrible to imagine. I'm guessing, from what you wrote, that he pulled his punches when he told about those years, in order to protect the family from fully realizing his hardships. Regardless, your memories and research bring it all to life. I've mentioned this before, in one of Mark's threads, but reading that your father was in Egypt and Crete again makes me wonder if & how various of our fathers might have crossed paths during the war, perhaps even knowing each other. Speaking of Mark, I used a trick he taught us to look at the great group of small-sized pictures: holding down the Ctrl key while tapping the + key to magnify the pictures. (Ctrl & 0 to return to regular size) Htmb, you have such a gift for unfolding a story and bringing it to life. You truly make your father's life very vivid for us as you craft a document that will be treasured by your family as well. I'm not sure why there's an arrow pointing to the Statue of Liberty, who clearly has an enhanced face. I looked closely at that picture & think I have the answer. Partly it was doodling, as you'll note the mountains also have a line over them. The arrow is either a whimsical reference to Brazilian/US friendship, or a patriotic comment on his part. Look at the cloud. It forms a heart & the arrow is piercing it. |
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Post by htmb on Dec 4, 2012 23:58:23 GMT
Bixa, I am so glad you have posted this information, and hope you will receive a reply to share with Bill, too. I am also grateful to Patrick for posting about his father's horrifying experience, and have found myself led to scrutinize YouTube video even more carefully while looking for the numbers "396" on the bow of every destroyer I see on-line. Your stories of your fathers and stepfathers should be told.
One thing that has become even clearer to me is the fact that my whole family, including my children, was affected by my father's military service because he carried those experiences with him for the rest of his life.
With so many WWII descendants here on AnyPort, you have to wonder if some of our father's might have crossed paths. I'd like to think so.
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, this is reputed to be good for the coat.
Kerouac has touched on this point several time -- how good titles for threads here make it more likely that those threads will get prominent hit placement in Google searches. Your title is perfect!