Featured Guest - My Dad Part 2

NOTE: I am feeling much better. Strep always takes me down for the count. Thanks for your prayers. I am eager to get this post up; and wish it had not been delayed due to being sick.

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with my Dad about his memories from growing up. Today I wanted to share and conclude the interview. We spent a good deal of time talking about the war and what he remembers from growing up during World War II.

Martie: Do you remember what life was like during the war ( WWII)?

Dad: Yes, my brother was in the army. I can remember hearing a lot of planes flying over going to Lawry Air force Base or over to Buckley Base. There where a lot of planes flying over all the time. I also remember the black out times. Mom went and gave the measurements to our windows and we got black material curtains that we would have to have on our windows during the blackout drills. I remember helping her put them on the different windows.

M: Do you remember being afraid hearing the planes flying over?

D: No, no. They were just going to the different air bases. All the blackout drills were for practice. Sometimes on the news you would hear about Japan making balloons that they would try to get to land over here - but otherwise there was no enemy war planes to be afraid of.

*He went on to tell how his Dad had helped to haul gravel to pave the air strips at Lawry Air force base. This was a fact that I did not know. Very interesting!

M: Do you remember your Mom and Dad being concerned or scared during the war?

D: Oh yes, very concerned. My brother was over there and we did not often get letters.

M: What other things do you remember about the war time?

D: In one of the houses we lived in the government purchased the houses next door, tore them down and paved the ground as a lot to store the different army trucks on. We would go over there on the weekends and play on the tanks. We weren't supposed to; but we didn't hurt anything. Just played on the big trucks.

M: What do you remember about your food during the war time?

D: I remember things were tight. Mom had a coupon book that she took to the store. She could only purchase certain things with the coupons in the book. Once the coupons were used we could not get any more of those items. I also remember her having us take off the labels on the tin cans and crush them down. We would then take them to the grocery store and turn them in.

M: Do you remember the war theme being a part of your play time?

D: Oh yes. We played army. We had a stick with a rope and that was our horse. We also had a time that we would roll in down the street. Yes, during the war we would play army stuff.

M: What type of animal situations did you remember from your childhood?

D: I remember we had a lot of rats. They were out in the barn and would tunnel through the manure that we had placed along the side of the barn for insulation. In the spring when we would move the piles, we would find a lot of them. I remember one day I killed 7 or 10 of them. Out of those that I killed, at least 10 got away. I would kill them with the pitch fork. I was so excited to tell Dad how many I had killed that I went and hung them on Mom's clothes line so that Dad could see them when he drove in. My Mom saw them hanging there and came out and told me to get those things off her clothes line. She did not want them on her line!!

D: I also remember that we had muskrats in the irrigation ditch. We had a dog names Pudgy that would chase the muskrats. He got one one day. While he had it in his mouth the muskrat got a hold of Pudgy and bit him. Then Pudgy chomped down on the muskrat and I remember hearing the bones in his body crush as the dog bit down. He got that thing though!

M: Do you remember any hobos coming to your house for food or shelter?

D: Once there was one. Mom shooed him off with a broom. Dad was gone working at a job and she did not want any of them coming around with him gone and not at home.

M: Did you ever have a summer job?

D: Yes, I would help Dad with the sand and gravel business. I loaded the dump trucks. I would get $1.00 a load for fill dirt and $1.50 a load for top soil. I usually did 7-10 loads a day when I worked. In the morning Dad would take a water jug and my lunch with him in the truck. I would ride my bike to his work and then would work for the day.

M: How far was the bike ride to work?

D: It was about 4 miles one way.

M: What did you do with the money that you earned in the summer?

D: Well I gave part of it to Dad and then I would use it to help Mom buy clothes for the school year.

M: Getting to our of your childhood - did you get drafted into the army?

D: I volunteered for the draft. I volunteered right after the Korean war. Good thing I did; if I had not I would have been drafted in Vietnam. Enlisting when I did allowed me to miss Vietnam completely. Although, I did not know that when I enlisted.

M: Why did you volunteer?

D: I knew I was going to get drafted. So I figured I would just as soon go ahead and get my time in and behind me so I could get on with life.

M: What did you do in the army?

D: I worked as a radio operator.

M: How long were you in the army?

D: 2 years active, 2 years reserves, and 2 years inactive. The 2 years I was in the reserves are when Vietnam happened. They did not send reservist over there when I was in.

We talked about a few other things. I so enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about my Father's childhood days. Seems I know him a bit better and understand him a little bit more. Thanks so much, Dad for sharing your memories. I will be calling you again for some more trips down memory lane!!

I will be leaving for Colorado here in a few days. I am looking forward to spending some time with Mom and Dad - even though most of the time will be busy with a Quiz Team competition!! Dad and Mom have graciously opened their home for the team. Colorado - - here we come!!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I am so glad you did.

~Martie