Wednesday, February 25, 2004
MY BROTHER - WAR YEARS
Everything that was anything was effected by the war. Long lines of young men strung out from every recruiting station across the land. Men that were too old and boys that were too young wanted to sign up. Dad wasn’t the right age for either war and was classified as essential to the home effort….with a wife and two children he never made a different classification.
Every day the newspapers carried stories of kids who lied about their age and saw the worst of the battle. Even today everyone knows the story of Audie Murphy. The guys who were underweight ate bananas to qualify…the ones who wanted in the Marine’s and were turned down for sleep-walking or flat feet, having to wear glasses etc; went from there to the Navy, Army, or Coast Guard until someone took them.
As for our family we were only conscious of the domestic ways that effected us. At school we were urged to plant Victory Gardens, and once a week we were given the chance to buy War Bonds and Stamps. We wrote to servicemen and had reports taken from the media.
Mom and dad didn’t have it that easy. I remember mom dealing with Ration Stamps and trying to mete it out so she could buy what she needed. Dad was given extra gas stamps because he was in business and he fixed flats rather than use up his tire allotments. The business was hard hit because of metal shortages. Being in the plumbing business lead pipe was necessary to pass inspections for water and sewer lines. Sometimes they would have to wait until supplies came through.
Louis was growing into an adult when all this was going on. At the start of the war he was thirteen years old and in Boy Scouts…..later joining the Nebraska State Guard. He was handsome and had great communication skills. His resonant voice is something I remember and miss. Our uncle Buster and he had the same voice quality and were hard to distinguish over the telephone. Two things I admire are eye contact and voice quality. They had both.
Louis was called to duty with the “Guard” when the Alcorn River was flooding it’s banks west of Omaha. He and his buddy, Tom Stuart, were excited about going. They packed and dad took them to the pick-up address. Of course it was fun reading about it all in the paper since he was involved in it and the following Sunday we went to visit the area.
We found him with a bunch of guys….in just a few days we couldn’t believe how “grown up” he looked. He had a cocky swagger and wore his hat in a flippant way……dad laughed when he saw him. Mom chocked up when she realized how adult he was looking. I was just proud because he looked so “official.” The Governor of Nebraska was there touring the area and dad pointed him out to me and said I should go get his autograph. The governor at the time was Dwight W. Griswold. I approached with my autograph book I always had with me and when he saw me approaching he reached for my pen and book. The first thing he said was, “Is your family with you?”………….when I told dad he laughed. He said, “Esther you just met your first politician. He wants to make sure we vote for him next election.”
Louis came home in a few days and it was hard for him to settle back into the routine of school and being home. From that day on he was restless to get on with his life……his sights were set far beyond 4237 Lake Street……….and we never dreamed how far he would go……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Every day the newspapers carried stories of kids who lied about their age and saw the worst of the battle. Even today everyone knows the story of Audie Murphy. The guys who were underweight ate bananas to qualify…the ones who wanted in the Marine’s and were turned down for sleep-walking or flat feet, having to wear glasses etc; went from there to the Navy, Army, or Coast Guard until someone took them.
As for our family we were only conscious of the domestic ways that effected us. At school we were urged to plant Victory Gardens, and once a week we were given the chance to buy War Bonds and Stamps. We wrote to servicemen and had reports taken from the media.
Mom and dad didn’t have it that easy. I remember mom dealing with Ration Stamps and trying to mete it out so she could buy what she needed. Dad was given extra gas stamps because he was in business and he fixed flats rather than use up his tire allotments. The business was hard hit because of metal shortages. Being in the plumbing business lead pipe was necessary to pass inspections for water and sewer lines. Sometimes they would have to wait until supplies came through.
Louis was growing into an adult when all this was going on. At the start of the war he was thirteen years old and in Boy Scouts…..later joining the Nebraska State Guard. He was handsome and had great communication skills. His resonant voice is something I remember and miss. Our uncle Buster and he had the same voice quality and were hard to distinguish over the telephone. Two things I admire are eye contact and voice quality. They had both.
Louis was called to duty with the “Guard” when the Alcorn River was flooding it’s banks west of Omaha. He and his buddy, Tom Stuart, were excited about going. They packed and dad took them to the pick-up address. Of course it was fun reading about it all in the paper since he was involved in it and the following Sunday we went to visit the area.
We found him with a bunch of guys….in just a few days we couldn’t believe how “grown up” he looked. He had a cocky swagger and wore his hat in a flippant way……dad laughed when he saw him. Mom chocked up when she realized how adult he was looking. I was just proud because he looked so “official.” The Governor of Nebraska was there touring the area and dad pointed him out to me and said I should go get his autograph. The governor at the time was Dwight W. Griswold. I approached with my autograph book I always had with me and when he saw me approaching he reached for my pen and book. The first thing he said was, “Is your family with you?”………….when I told dad he laughed. He said, “Esther you just met your first politician. He wants to make sure we vote for him next election.”
Louis came home in a few days and it was hard for him to settle back into the routine of school and being home. From that day on he was restless to get on with his life……his sights were set far beyond 4237 Lake Street……….and we never dreamed how far he would go……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
