Jack with "Blonde" hair

While I was away, Kitty had a professional portrait taken with Jack. The photographer thought it would be nice to change Jack's brown hair to blonde. Kitty had a fit. She told the photographer her son had brown hair, she was sending the picture to me, and how was I going to recognize my son with the wrong color hair. I didn't care what color hair Jack had in the picture. I was just happy to receive new pictures, but it really bothered Kitty.

Kitty and Jack at Glenn Echo - 6-30-44

While I was away, Kitty and I sent many letters and pictures to each other. Here is a picture of Kitty and Jack at Glenn Echo, the last stop on the street car.

"My 2 Great Years in the U.S. Army"

I enlisted in 1941 on the 1st day of the draft. To my surprise, I was rejected. After 2 years, I was drafted on November 30, 1943 and was discharged on November 30, 1945.

I completed Basic Training in Camp Croft, S.C. Then I went to a camp near Boston (as we were told not to mention the location.)

A few days before I was to ship out, I called my wife Kitty and told her that I could meet her in New York, where my oldest Brother Francis could show us around the city. Kitty took the train up. We had a wonderful time.

I returned to the unknown camp Monday morning to receive my orders to get a ship to England, where I was to take 21 days of Infantry Training to enter WWII.

The ship was a former luxury liner that was converted to 6 decks of army cots. The ship took a zig-zag way across the Atlantic to steer clear of the German torpedoes. The Germans were hoping to sink the U.S. Ships & Troops before they arrived in Europe.

The 1st Sargent met me in France to fill a vacancy. It was told to me that I replaced a soldier who went insane from the very heavy sound of the cannon noise.

I was able to hear the loud noise every time I handed a shell to be placed in our cannon to shoot at the Germans.

It was a great relief when U.S. President Harry Truman won the war with Japan, plus the Battle of the Bulge when Hitler surrendered to the U.S. Army

Coming home

Kitty put a flower in her hair, dressed Jack in a soldier uniform and they took the bus to Ft. Meade to meet me. Jack hadn't seen me in two years. He went up to many soldiers to ask if they were his "soldier daddy". It was a very happy homecoming.

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

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.

Grandma's Dollar Bill

During WWII, Kitty’s grandmother mailed me a letter with an American Dollar Bill. One night I walked into a German Bar with about 8 fellas. Beer was about 10 cents a glass. I held up the dollar bill and told the soldiers “This is Grandma’s dollar bill. We are going to buy some beer with it." Immediately they said “Let’s give a toast to Grandma.”

When I wrote to Kitty’s grandmother on how I spent the dollar bill, she was quite pleased.

A Bad Dream while I was a Soldier

I dreamt I had been captured. I thought ‘there is nothing you can do’. Then I woke up in the mud with the U.S. Army. I was never so happy to be in the field.

Easter Sunday 1945 - Hotel Negresco

This is a favorite picture in my family. It is me as a soldier during WWII enjoying R&R on the balcony, overlooking the sea at the Hotel Negresco in France. I was given a 4 day pass.

My children have posing me in the same position in later years.