V Mail during WWII

V Mail stood for Victory Mail. You would write a letter and the Army would reduce it to the size of a post card, making it cheaper to mail to America. I wrote your mother 3 letters a day.

Your mother got very mad with me. We were told not to write about our location. Instead of writing about being in a serious battle in France, I wrote letters describing the English countryside. Your mother told the corner grocery store guy, who had a son overseas, where I was. He said "like hell he is. He met my son in France and they saw Bing Crosby." Your mother wrote me a terrible letter and I wrote back telling her I can't be telling you about everyone dying.

When I returned from the war, Kitty introduced me to the mailman "This is the man who wrote me all those letters."

In the Battlefield

There was a lot going on in the battlefield.

The guys cooked right on the truck. The mess sargent worked all the time especially with the four hour deal. I would help out as the cook's assistant when the mess sargent got shot. I always wanted something to do.

The French kids would come up to you in the field for your leftovers. The kids were thrilled to get food as they were being starved by the Germans. One kid had a funnel and bottle to get your leftover coffee. The boy's father would heat it up at the house and have hot coffee.

Sometimes you got 3 rations. You would eat one, and put the other two in your back pocket. I would see dead soldiers lying face down with their C-rations in their back pocket. They didn't get a chance to eat those.

After the war, I had the cook and his wife come over to my house in Spalding Heights. As they sat on the porch, the cook said "I never thought I would be sitting here with you in Maryland. You are cooking for me instead of me cooking for you."

Day Passes in WWII

I always put my name on the board for a day pass. It was a good way to get away for the day. Most guys didn't want to go, as they thought it was enough to be in the war. A group of 8 would get a pass from 7 am to 6 pm. A truck would come by to pick you up in the morning. I always got there a half hour ahead of time. I wore my uniform with my mess kit and canteen tied to my belt, and a rifle. (I always had to carry the rifle everywhere, even on the day pass.) I never had to pay for street cars or bus transportation. I would use my mess kit to get food at the hospital or other places. I would fill the canteen with coffee. There were big trash cans of hot water where you could dip your mess kit and get it clean.

I went to the churches and museums. I sent 10 cent perfumes to all the relatives. People were delighted to get the French perfume.

That is how I did my sightseeing. My friend Pat at The Charter House and I have both said, "We saw Europe."

WWII - In the beginning

These are some conversations I had with Kit about WWII......

I am in the center of the picture with the cap on my head.

I was in the Infantry for the first few months. They called me the "catch-up man" because I couldn't march so well. My veins were in bad shape. I had been using masking tape to wrap my legs from the ankles up.

They put me in the artillery which was very good, as it eliminated all the marches out front. Cannoneers shot cannons at the enemy. You shot the cannons and then everyone could move forward. There were 8 in the artillery to shoot the cannons. When it landed it would kill, God knows how many people. (They shot mathematically, so it would hit something.) Once it hit, the infantry would move forward. In the meantime, the other side was doing the same thing.

We did a four hour deal - battle four hours and sleep four hours. I once went without a shower for 7 months, but you were so busy you didn't think about it.

2000 Charter Member of WWII Memorial

(Written on the back of the letter welcoming me as a charter member.)

1-26-01

Dear Kit,

This is where I spent two years away from my good wife and Jack, We Kitty and Jack had to leave a beautiful 2 bedroom brick house on the corner of 33rd and Blaine Streets, NE, with a screen side porch with a Rattan sofa and chair.

To pass the time as a soldier, I would help Joe Coleto the cook, handle the mail call each day, and wrap packages for those who were sending German articles home. I sent a German Uniform that Kitty's brother Charles wore to the St. Anthony's dance.

I kept my name on a pass list. One night I went in the army truck to Inssbrook, Austria to an opera, just to get away for an evening.

Trudi Schreyer, was a great friend who took me and my friend Tom Hammond climbing the Zugapit Mountains in Bavaria with her 2 girls, Seagrid and Hertha and her son Hubert. I could not climb now as I was 26 years then. When you reached the Mountain Top Inn, the Manager would give you a card signed by him that you had officially reached the mountain top.

I was able to get R&R in 1945 to Nice, France to a great week at the Negresco Hotel with free metro rides, free meals in the hotel accompanied by a good sized band to play our requests all arranged by General George Patton, 3rd Army Chief, who planned this for all 3rd Army in combat for a year, to go to the French Riviera.

I also had a 3-day trip to Paris where we had free rides on the Metro, that stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral, and all the special places.

I was able to send Mom 3 V-Mail letters a day as I could write them on my lap.

I'll close for now as I'm running to the end of the page.

Love you always,

Dad and Mom

My Mother's Deep Irish Voice

When I was the Business Manager of the Plumbers Local 5, the Finance Secretary, George Bliss, would answer the phone when I was out to visit jobs, settle complaints, and handle Union Business.

One day when I was out, my Mom with her deep Irish voice called the office. The Finance Secretary thought it was a man, so Mom let him know she was the Business Manager's mother. George Bliss told her he was sorry to have made that mistake.

Mom had a nice deep voice and sometimes people would say "Johnny, you have a nice soft voice." So this is a nice story for the Irish.

The Christening Dress made from a WWII German Silk Parachute

My three daughters and two of my grandchildren were baptized in a Christening gown made by my mother from a German silk parachute that I sent home during WWII. This is a picture of my grand daughter Melissa wearing the gown.

When the Germans jumped out of the plane, they just left the parachutes on the ground and went off to fight. The war was on. There wasn't time to bring it down to size and fold it up. The Americans were the same way. When the parachute was open, it was very big as it held a man in the middle of the air.

After the war was over, I saw a parachute on the ground. I folded it up and sent it home in a package. I had to get permission from the Lieutenant. He didn’t care too much for it. I was the only one who sent one. I had no idea my mother would make a Christening dress. I just knew she would like the silk material.

Pictures from the Christening

John Eugenio's Christening - September 1, 2007

Today was a very special day, the baptism of John Eugenio. All of his brand new aunts and uncles (except for Kevin in California), his two sets of grand parents, his extended family and friends, and myself were there to witness this wonderful event.

It was a private ceremony at the parish church. John Eugenio was a perfect gentleman as he slept soundly through the pouring of the water and the anointing of the oil.

There was a delicious lunch afterwards at John and Carolina's house. Many of us sat outside as the weather was mild and sunny. Many pictures were taken of the 4 generations of Johns.

I enjoyed talking to everyone, particularly my grandchildren. My son Jack told his children one of his favorite stories about me. As a young man, it often happened when Jack would meet the mother of a girl he was dating, the mother would ask "Can you dance as good as your father?" As a young man, I was considered a good dancer. I won most of the prizes for the best dancer and the booby prize for the worst singer. The grandchilden enjoyed that story, even though they may have heard it before.

When Kit signed me in tonight at my retirement home, she told me we had been gone 6 1/2 hours. I told her I would skip dinner and sleep well tonight as I had had a perfect day. It is days like this, when you say 'wunderbar'.