Veterans Day Tribute

It is the day to remember anyone who served in the armed forces. I remember as a child going to parades and hearing military marching band music. My dad was in the Coast Guard and served in WWII and Korea aboard a destroyer escort. He retired after twenty one years and he kept meticulous albums of his adventures. He knew he would move the family from New England to Florida when the time was right. My grandfather was so proud of my mom because she was the only child out of five who served in the Navy during WWII. She traveled to San Francisco and loved it. A friend was supposed to join her but backed out at the last minute. She never looked back. After a couple of years in the Navy she worked in a variety of government positions and retired from the VA. Our son joined the army while in college, got his medical degree from UWM, a residency at Walter Reed and a post residency at Harvard. He served for twenty one years in the army and was deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. You could say he was one of the reasons we moved to DC from the Midwest. We lived down the street from them on Capitol Hill and were available to our daughter in law and grandson while he was away. I was so lucky to get a job at the Library of Congress which was just two blocks away and we had the opportunity to grow with our family. So today we celebrate the service of our family members. Thank you! 

USS Newell and My Dad on Veterans Day

My brother has it now - the scrapbook our dad meticulously maintained and chronicled his twenty one years of Coast Guard service. My dad never talked about the adventures per se, but it seemed to be the happiest - and scariest - times in his life. He has a few medals from WWII and Korea. He even kept a few of his uniforms and is buried in one of them. He and my mom, who was a Navy veteran, are resting at Florida National Cemetery side by side. I remember visiting ships as a youngster whenever my dad was in port, and even after he left the service. He loved the water. There was an account of one of the ships he served on - the USS Newell - among the photos and trinkets. He must have requested it from the Navy Department in 1952. It tells the history of the ship and the role it played in WWII. My dad was in the engine room, where the hatches would be closed off in the event of a torpedo strike. It happened in a convoy in North Africa but luckily his ship was not hit. The photos of the event are somehow lost, but I remember looking at them - explosions, picking up survivors ... today is the day we honor all these servicemen and women on Veterans Day. It is well deserved. 

 

USS Newell and My Dad’s Coast Guard Scrapbook

My mom passed away last month. She was 97. It’s hard to believe she was 97! My dad passed away in 2015 at 95. This time we all needed to go through and keep all the mementos that we cherished before handing the house over to the next door neighbors who cared for mom the last few years. Both my parents were in the military in WWII. Mom had a great Navy scrapbook and Dad had two well documented Coast Guard scrapbooks. We think we will be donating them somewhere but haven’t figured it out yet. We have dog tags and medals, and even an officer’s well preserved jacket. There is also a letter from 1939 requesting special permission for dad to enlist from his father because he was underage. The history of the USS Newell is well documented, but my dad never talked about it. He was in the engine room and their convoy took direct hits. He always said he would never take a cruise across the Atlantic because they made several during the war to North Africa and the Mediterranean. The photographs tell a story in time - we especially like the Washington DC and Wisconsin items. He was very proud of his twenty one years in the Coast Guard. His story is a great one to tell. 

A History of the USS Newell

My dad loved the Coast Guard. He was in the service for twenty one years and served in both WWII and Korea. He never talked much about his adventures. While we were searching through his papers yesterday, we came across the history of the USS Newell - the ship he served on in WWII. One can only imagine how it must have felt to experience life at this time. It's a great reminder about a lot of things. This account was compiled and dated September 1952. He has two scrapbooks from his days in the service and we will most likely donate them to the Coast Guard. He left a nice legacy and this is just one part of it. 

A Day to Remember

My dad died on Father's Day. The things most important to him were his 21 years of service in the Coast Guard, serving in WWII, being around water, and moving us all to Florida when he retired. He will be buried in his Coast Guard uniform. As difficult as all this is, my parents arranged for all their funeral plans ten years ago making it all so much easier because all the decisions were already made. So yesterday when I looked up at the night sky, the moon was brilliant with Venus sitting next to it. In the distance in the opposite direction was a show of lightning and thunder. I could only imagine how often my dad looked up from on board a ship and saw these same sights. Yesterday morning was a brilliant sunny sky. My dad would have liked that. The night sky was a little sad and was mourning along with me. My dad had a good life and left everything in perfect order and I'm not a bit surprised. 

A Tribute to my Father on Veterans Day

I have thumbed through these scrapbooks many times. My dad meticulously kept memories of his twenty one years in the Coast Guard, including a 1939 letter from the Treasury Department requesting his father's authorization to join, his uniforms, all the ship passes, training certificates, and recognition awards for serving in WW II and the Korean War. He never discussed a lot of it, but there are internet accounts of his convoy in North Africa on the USS Newell. The engine room was not a good place to be with ships exploding around you. The doors below were shut tight, which would mean a certain fate. As a youngster, I do remember visiting the floating vessels when they were in port, and how he became animated when he saw Battleship Cove in Fall River on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. I know he loved the water. He traveled all over the world, and retired to Florida when I was in second grade. The funny thing is that there are photos of him and his buddy in Washington - where we live now, and he trained in Beloit and Manitowoc Wisconsin - we lived in Milwaukee thirty years. He loved the Coast Guard and the time he spent in it. He just turned ninety-five, and doesn't remember a whole lot any more. But when he hears the music of his day, he becomes animated all over again. Happy Veterans Day Dad.

American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial

We've been watching the construction over the last couple years. Right next to the house office buildings and two blocks down the street from us is a new memorial. It was dedicated while we were away on our vacation earlier this month. The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was quite stunning in the bright fall afternoon sky. It was already attracting a lot of foot traffic. The flowing water feature is highlighted with a five point star that represents the branches of the armed services. The Army, Navy, and Coast Guard are most dear to me as our family members served in WWII and for the last twenty years with three deployments overseas. The glass walls are etched with stories from every day people and their personal lives and struggles. George Washington and Bob Dole are prominent, and so appropriate. So now when we walk to the US Botanical Garden, this spot offers another place to stop, sit, and reflect on a lot of things.  It will be interesting to see it change with the seasons, but the feeling one senses while meandering about it will remain the same.