27 replies to this topic

[texas38]

Hello, everyone. Reading the above, it has just dawned on me that I haven't introduced myself.

My name is Marilyn and I live in Southern California where it's warm and sunny...most of the time. A few weeks ago, we had four straight days of really serious rain and I was beginning to feel waterlogged.

I was a kid in WWII and remember certain things from that point of view. I also had an uncle who fought in Italy and ended up in Austria. That's about all I know because once he came home he wouldn't talk about it and we kids were strictly forbidden to ask. Hence, I don't even know his outfit. I thought for awhile it might be the 36th but as I read more history about the Italian campaign, I'm inclined to think he was with the 34th. Why? Because bits and pieces of family talk say he fought all the way up the Italian Boot and, so far, my readings indicate that the only outfit to do that was the 34th.

Growing up, one's worth with the other kid's on the block was measured by how quickly you could spot and identify the planes being ferried across the sky on a clear day; whether you'd seen Thirty-seconds Over Tokyo and how well you could remember the lines because once home, the plumb roles of reenacting were taken by the kids who could best remember those lines. Seniorty was also given to those kids whose fathers/uncles outranked the other kids'. Since my father was too young for WWI and too old for WWII and, anyway, just ran a gas station - oh, the humiliation of it all! - and no one had seen hide nor hair nor even heard from my uncle once he went in - it fell upon me to take the bull by the horns. As we rarely stayed in one neighborhood longer than the length of one school year, I took it upon myself to promote him. From 1943 or thereabouts, he got promoted from private to major - quickly, and shamlessly. Had the war not ended when it did, I'm sure he would have made Colonel.

Every Tuesday was Stamp Day at school and I made sure that I had my dime to buy a stamp to paste in my Stamp Book. Once the Stamp Book was filled, you got a $25 War Bond. Everyone was urged to buy a War Bond. It was either that or prepare to speak German.

Rationing was everywhere; sugar; meat. I don't remember it all. Regular gasoline cost 14 cents/gal and ethyl cost 16 cents/gal. What else do I remember? Hiroshima.

The day they dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. I remember the stunned faces of all the grownups once the news was announced. It was the first time I'd ever encountered a situation where the grownups didn't seem to be totally in control. They were just...speechless. They all just looked at one another. What could one say? To think that one bomb could do all that. I remember not liking the feeling of grownups not seeming to be in control. Kids dream of independence and freedom from control...but at six? I went off to play by myself and when I came back, Dad was pumping gas and my mother was greasing a car and everything seemed normal again. The bomb was gone. For awhile. - Marilyn

[Walt's Daughter]

Big, big welcome.  You and I have already met on WBG and I am so happy that you decided to join our little family.  Hey we're actually growing and we now have 43 registered members.  

I really enjoy talking with you and I'm sure everyone else will feel the same way.  Your contributions are greatly appreciated.  Thanks for making this special for me.



BTW, you are absolutely right.  The 34th stayed in Italy and ran all the way up the boot.  The 3rd, 36th and 45th left Italy and went onto the invasion of southern France.

[texas38]

If you ever hear that the 34th has a roster of names like the 36th does, please let me know. It's too bad the records center burned in 1973 but , anyway, I don't qualify when it comes to filling out those forms for information. I'm only a niece. Everybody else is gone. - Marilyn

[rennog]

A few weeks ago, we had four straight days of really serious rain and I was beginning to feel waterlogged.

  A big hello from Luxembourg Marilyn   and thanks for making my day you must know over here we are happy when we have straight 4 day's of sun.( The last 2 weeks it was gray cold and wet   )
By the way I didn't introduce myself too, so I do it now.
My name is Martin I was born in 1967 and grow up in Luxembourg city now I'm living in the south of our very very big country in a town with the name Schifflange.
I'm fascinated about WWII and the US don't realy know why but it began when I was 3 or 4 years old and I heared the first story's from Grand parents Uncles etc. from WWI and WWII.
When they spoke about the time the Germans ruled our country they were angry and sometimes full of hate but when they spoke about the American "Amerikaner" you could see the glance in their eyes and they spoke with thankfullness about the people who gave us liberty   , so somewhere at one of these story's I was bitten and it didn't let me go.
I read a lot of books about WWII but the best is that we have webpage like this one where you can read story's you'll never find in books and sometimes get in contact with one of those who gave us Liberty.

Martin

Ps.Excuse my faults.

[texas38]

Thank you, Martin.

Don't worry about your "faults" as you put it. Your English is very good and will improve with even more usage. I speak neither German nor French but as I live in California and Spanish is prevalent here, that's what I focus on as a second language.

I know where Luxembourg is; when I was little, I remember reading a story about a little girl living in Luxembourg while under the German occupation and the problems she was faced with. Quite a difference in the way she grew up vs mine here in the U.S.

For one so smitten with the idea of the U.S., you should think about coming over for a visit. I doubt you will be happy till you see it for yourself. We Americans tend to take it for granted but everyone I've ever known from Europe or elsewhere are really quite amazed. Our country is as vast as it is beautiful.

Marilyn

[Bader40]

Welcome Texas38, i thought i'd seen that name somewhere else but for the life of me i could not remember where.....no, i guess my Altzheimers is not gettin any better

[texas38]

Yes, it's true - I also hang out at WBG. So where have you been, lately?

Also, it's not Alzheimer's. Over here, we call it having a "Senior Moment".   - Marilyn

[Bader40]

My other haunt is the official Dick Winters site....congrats on your promotion to sargeant by the way.

[texas38]

Oh, yes. Now, I remember. The site - not the address.

Do you haunt castles, too? - Marilyn  

[Walt's Daughter]

Hey guys, here in Michigan we call it "SOMETIMERS".  Sometimes we remember and sometimes we don't.          

And yes, his English is very good.  I haven't had a problem yet.  I am learning French again as Martin knows and I only hope that I will be able to speak French as well as he does English.  

I hope when I get to visit my cousins in France, that I will be able to communicate fluently.   I am giving myself a couple of years.  I also plan on visiting with Martin and I thank him for his invitation.

Merci beaucoup mon ami

[rennog]

  Thank you Lady's for your kind words   yes I think my english could be worse, for one who had only one year english in scool (24 years ago) it's probably not too bad I learned a lot the last 5 years by reading in the Internet but I'm still not used to talk it.
I have planned to visit my friend Tom from New Hampshire last year in march but I could not get off work. I have meet him on the Internet 5 years ago his Father was in Lux. in 44.
Maybe I will come in june this year but it isn't for sure, Marilyn the girls name of the story was it Milly?
Yes the war years were very heavy for the peoples under the nazi boot but the biggest crime they did it to our young men they put them in their gray uniform and send them on the russian front.
If they refused to put on their uniform the germans would send the entire family to germany for reeducation.
Most of them never came back from russia   
My Grand-father from my mother's side hated the germans and when I was a kid my Grand-mother told me  (he never talked about his experience) one day a black car arrived
men's in long black leather coats (Gestapo)went out of the car came into the house without knocking
on the door and took my Grand-pa with them without an explanation.
After 5 or 6 days he was back home they had tortured him that's for sure but till today nobody realy know's why.
Even today after now 60 years the older peolpe can't forgive what the germans did to them.

Let's hope that it will never happen again.

Martin

[texas38]

Marilyn the girls name of the story was it Milly?
Martin

I don't remember the little girl's name in the story. I read it when I was 10 years old and that was a LONG time ago!

Marilyn

[CaptO]

Hi Marilyn,
Today was the first time I read your introduction (I looked at your profile after reading your thoughts on Papa Art.) It was very interesting; you don't often hear about what a child's perception of World War II was of the war as it happened. Certainly better for American kids then for European ones, as you discussed here. Martin's thoughts about growing up with Grandparents who lived through it all was very interesting, too. I began to be interested in WWII in grade school. I loved to look through the books in my little school's library and must have checked them out dozens of times over the years I went there (K-8th grade.) My grandfather never talked about it either and somewhere along the lines us kids either learned not to asked or felt it intuitively. I did speak with him about it in 2000, but I couldn't talk to much about it too much as he couldn't talk for very long.

As a Marine, even while in the reserves, I have found that former military men will open up to you more easily. As a for instance, I was dating a girl in college whose father was in Viet Nam. I visited her at her home while she was visiting there one time and had a long talk with her father. During this time, he told me about his time in Viet Nam. After we had talked and I was in the other room, my girlfriend toldme wide-eyed she had never heard any of any of those stories. And at that time I had only been out of basic training and in the reserves for a few months. At least now (13 years later) I have more than boot camp stories to tell! I'm reminded of that line in A Bridge too Far, "This is a story you will tell your grandchildren; and mightily bored they'll be."

Edited by CaptO, 01 August 2008 - 01:13 PM.

[roque_riojas]

Hello,, TEXAS 38 !!  I'll add my welcome also.  I know you will enjoy
this website.  I can see why your second language would be spanish.
   Short summery,  I am an American of Mexican descent.  WW 11 Vet.
I was with the 34th Inf. Divn. No. Africa and Italy.
  MUY BUENOS DIAS, LE DESEO.              ROQUE,(ROCKY)  RIOJAS

[Walt's Daughter]

Marilyn:

Interesting, because I went back and read your original post from 2005!  Wow, has it been that long? I have come to realize that it's really cool to go back to these original posts and re-read them. Gives you a fresh perspective, and not only that, it let me recall little things that I've forgotten over the last three years, since you joined.

It's nice to see you around again.  

[CaptO]

Hey we're actually growing and we now have 43 registered members.  

Recalling things like that, perhaps?

[CaptO]

Recalling things like that, perhaps?

Just saw this at the bottom of the page:

We have 500 registered members

Thanks for giving a sandbox in which to play Marion. Congrats!

[Walt's Daughter]

Ha-ha!  43!  And now 500!  What a difference. At one point early on, I actually even thought of disbanding the forum due to lack of membership. Man am I glad I re-thought that one through. I try to never make rash decisions. That would have been one I would have regretted.

You are welcome Capt O! Glad I could provide the sandbox, swing set and jungle gym!  

[Jeeper704]

Well, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one being very happy that you didn't decide to disband this forum.  

Erwin

[civilwargal]

You are welcome Capt O! Glad I could provide the sandbox, swing set and jungle gym!  

Glad that you're all here on the big playground in cyberspace.  Now, I had a sandbox and swingset built by a combat engineer.  Both involved stainless steel and the swingset had heavy chains.  At least here, you don't have to worry about being told not to slice your leg on the stainless lining of the sandbox.....

[roque_riojas]

GOOD LORD!!CaptO, sounds like she built an obstacle   course..
All she forgot  to tell the engineers to put up barb wire.  If the
Engineers built it,-   it's good.   Bet a squirrel could walk over
it.                       Rock JS

[texas38]

Ha-ha!  43!  And now 500!  What a difference. At one point early on, I actually even thought of disbanding the forum due to lack of membership. Man am I glad I re-thought that one through. I try to never make rash decisions. That would have been one I would have regretted.

You are welcome Capt O! Glad I could provide the sandbox, swing set and jungle gym!  

Marion,

It was because of Papa Art that I put in my first appearance here. He knew you were struggling and in answer to a WBG member's question as to where and why he had been so long away that I decided to pop over and say hello. He was such a sweetheart and I, too, had missed him. I remember him telling me that he used to work for Friden and had I ever heard of them? Heard of them! Back in the days when I was first starting to work, they were a BIG outfit either to work for or to be knowledgable of any of their machines. In those days, I was entry level and knew that if I could learn to work a Friden that it spelled M-O-N-E-Y!

To Captain O: Thank you for your comments and for taking the time to look up my profile. What a lovely compliment!

Roque: We've conversed before but I've been away so long ... well, never mind. My, but I must say having read your posts you are a lively one!  

Marilyn

[CaptO]

I guess it shows that I'm a young'n because I had to Google Frinden:

And I just joined up with the WBG folks primarily to look up Papa Art's posts over there. I have seen a lot of familiar faces, however; your's being one of them, Marilyn.

But I won't be be going AWOL from this place. Y'all know where this Texan's heart really lies!!

[Walt's Daughter]

Marilyn:

That's right; once again Papa was the conduit for yet another friendship - ours! He brought many of us together. As I stated in his obit, it was because of him that I met such people as Don Burgett and George Koskimaki, and so on and so on and so on. I bet you if I actually sat and calculated (had to get that in for Friden   ) all the connections through him, I'd fall off my chair.

Capt - You'll enjoy all his posts on WBG. He had a lot to share. One great thing about the internet?  All the words are captured there for all to see. He lives on because of WWII forums, and won't be forgotten.  

[texas38]

Hello Everyone,

Long-time-no-see. Thought I'd drop in and check out what's happening here. Things have slowed to a crawl at WBG so I don't check in there much, either. Recently, there was a post asking why you joined WBG and I saw Capt O's reply in which he mentioned my name. Thanks, Capt. That was nice what you said. Also, thanks for posting that picture of the Friden calculator. I had quite a laugh out of the fact that you had to google "Friden". Just think: One of these days your grandkids will be googling whatever it is you used to do for a living. I got a Kindle e-reader last year and spend much time reading, especially while waiting to see the doctor. (It's called - shhh - aging.) It was nice re-reading some of the old posts from my friends like Roque. And I spend a lot of my time on the computer. It's my window to the world. Take care.