In the Army now...

Our Dad

circa 1940

Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941. Like everyone of his generation, dad remembers the day, and told me he was with his mom when they heard the awful news together on the radio.

Dad's brothers were quite a bit older and not eligible for the first draft, but his mother knew that Sam Jr. would soon be leaving for the war.  The following year when he turned 18, he was drafted into the Army.

Dad had probably never traveled more than 50 miles from the family farm, and his story was not unique-- just substitute Columbus, Ohio for Quakertown, Pennsylvania.  John's father, like thousands of other boys, joined the Marines as soon as he could, and was shipped out (literally, like a sardine packed in a can) to the war in the Pacific.

Many of these boys came from big, close families, and by today's standards had led very sheltered lives. When they left home, no one knew when or if they would ever return. Just imagine what those family good-byes were like? 

While I was organizing the old family farm pictures, I found this interesting little sequence of snapshots. From the serious faces, I'm sure these were taken right before dad left home for the Army.

 Dad with his sister Marion

And dad being dad, maybe clowning a bit to lighten the mood? 

And here's the family posing together on that sad proud day.

Back row left: older brothers Clarence and Howard standing behind their father, then Grammy (dad behind her) and his sister Marion and sister Helen (I think) in the apron.  The little girl in front is the youngest in the family, sister Doris. 

They didn't see Samuel Jr. again for four long years.

 In the Army now...

I wouldn't call a teenager "lucky" who is wrenched away from home to fight a war, but by the luck of the draw, dad was sent to Panama, considered highly strategic because of the Canal, but not directly involved in combat.  When the war suddenly ended, dad thinks he was just a few weeks away from being shipped out to the Pacific front.  There might have been a very different ending to the story.

Dad on the right with his buddies...

And here with enlisted rank insignia of sergeant, about the time of his discharge.

And then what?  He came back home to the farm, bought a snazzy convertible roadster and went courting a pretty young city girl who had just moved from Philadelphia to Quakertown.

I think this picture was taken on the day they got married.
And the rest is history.

The wedding...the honeymoon

To be continued...