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Folks Of Interest What did your father do?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 49merc, Jun 20, 2020.

  1. My father would be 101 if he were still with us, died at 83 in 2002. He was the son of a violent, abusive, alcoholic father and said that the most important thing he learned from his father was that he didn't want to be like him. After quitting school at 15 to work in the textile mill in Aragon GA, he enlisted in the Army as soon as he turned 18 in 1937 to get away from the craziness at home. After boot camp at Ft. Oglethorpe GA, he was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone, which he loved. During World War II, he was part of the 41st Armored Infantry, Second Armored Division. Like many WWII vets, he didn't want to talk much about his war experiences. When the movie Patton with George C. Scott came out in 1970, my senior year in high school, Daddy said, "I don't want to see that movie, but I need to see it to make sure they got it right." When we came out of the theater in Rome GA, Daddy had tears running down his face. He spoke exactly four words: "They got it right." We rode home in silence. Daddy's wartime military decorations included two purple hearts, two bronze stars, and a silver star. He kept in contact with several men with whom he had served. I remember four who came to Georgia to see him over the years--a Florida truck driver, a heavy equipment operator from Illinois, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, and the chief justice of the New York state supreme court. After twelve years of Army that included all of WWII, he came back and worked textile mill work at Goodyear in Rockmart GA for about three years before going to work for Ford at the Atlanta Assembly Plant in Hapeville where he worked from 1952 (the year I was born) until his retirement in 1982. He was a kind, decent man, a Christian and a gentleman. I wish he'd had the opportunity to study engineering because he had the aptitude for it. Ford had an employee suggestion program that would pay awards that were calculated on how much money the idea saved the company. His suggestion awards paid for a big chunk of my college education. He was not a car guy. They were just transportation as far as he was concerned, but he indulged my interest. He said that as long as I was out in the garage working on the '38 Ford pickup (which I bought when I was 14), he knew where I was and knew I wasn't up to mischief or getting in trouble. He and my mother married in October of 1941, just a few months before the US entry into World War II, and they were married 61 years when he died. He had a photographic memory for names--in my years as a pastor, he and my mother would sometimes come to visit the churches I served. The second time there, Daddy was calling everybody by name. He could call off a company roster from WWII when he was past 80. I was an only child; he determined that I would have a better father than he did, and he succeeded at that.
     
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  2. Welditall60
    Joined: Jun 22, 2020
    Posts: 5

    Welditall60

    My father was the chief electrition for the New York State Thruway for 20+ years and before that worked at Bell Aircraft as an electrition as well.....we had a farm in upstate NY and he tought me to do everything as he believed in doing things himself. I lost him in 2004 and I sure miss him but I feel him with me all times !!!
     
  3. toml24
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 1,620

    toml24
    Member

    I have one story about my dad, who became an airline pilot with Western Airlines. Many years ago I was allowed to go through a small box of written data about his flying days. One day during his tenure as a pilot he was taking off from Los Angeles when suddenly there was a catastrophic failure of an prop engine, requiring it to be shut down. Dad barked instructions to the co-pilot to shut it down, and the co-pilot reached over and shut down the wrong engine. 2 engines down on take off! Dad realized the error and quickly got the good engine going and returned to the airport. Obviously the flight was cancelled, dad drove home to a startled wife. His first words were "You almost became a widower today".
    The final report, in part, blamed the co-pilot for his error in not following the verbal instructions of the pilot.
    1961-MAY-DAD-1.jpg
     
  4. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki

    Hello,

    My father was the nicest dad a little kid could want. He knew that family was very important to him. He did everything possible to be nice to our mom and to the two brothers. I was told that my brother as a little toddler was a handful, but my dad always kept his cool separating the brothers when necessary, but in a gentle way. In looking back, that gentleness was probably what gave me the calm attitude I have had all these years. Sometimes, my wife asks if I am alive or just playing dead…HA!


    My dad never pushed anything on us as far as sports. He was a very good baseball player, played for a semi pro team out of Los Angeles and was a left hand throwing, right hand hitter, if that matters. You would think that he would push his baseball love and skills on us. He did not until we asked. He loved all sports and threw a football around with us, set up a basketball hoop and backboard for us, but did not force any type of formal teaching until asked.

    When we asked about baseball, then he gave us pointers as if we needed them. He was just good at teaching or showing us how to do something, but only when asked. He was calm about the two rambunctious brothers, but waited until we were interested in something.

    As far as specifics on anything else, he was just a guy in the family, but stayed in the background in/at public events. He had his quirks, like all people, but for us, they stayed in the background and were not noticeable until we were teens. Even then, he supported both of us in whatever thing we wanted to do or showed an interest. When we were little, we learned to read by sitting next to him reading everything to us that he could get his hands on, books, comic books, newspapers, magazines and letters, etc.

    Everything was fair game. (in college, we learned that this technique has been used from a long time ago and was given the name of "Neurological Impress Method of Reading.") Most parents that did this probably did not know it was a great way to have kids start enjoying reading with pop or mom. (Or knew the long name of the technique.)


    Jnaki

    My brother and I went our separate ways after our drag racing days. For a while, desert motorcycle racing kept us together as well as surfing and those long road trips. My dad tried to participate in our sports days in junior high school and definitely high school varsity games. But, while he loved cars, he did as much as possible to keep the hot rod/drag racing flame alive throughout our builds and racing, as well as the recovery period. Let alone, allowing us to use his valuable 16 mm movie camera editing equipment and that giant projector any time we had the need.
    upload_2020-6-23_4-32-6.png upload_2020-6-23_4-32-17.png
    The two brothers shot from the HB Pier.

    As far as surfing, he did embarrass his teenage sons by being up on the Seal Beach/Huntington Beach Piers on those cold mornings filming us in our early days surfing or trying to surf. But, as we both got better and better, he was proud of us doing our thing in the water. At least, we acknowledged him on the pier with a "Hey, what's up..." head nod, that brought a big smile of satisfaction.

    upload_2020-6-23_4-33-11.png A photo of a photographer...

    All of these years later, we suffered thorough snide comments like…”Hey Nak, your dad is following you around again…” or “Your dad is filming everything from the pier again, including the babes…” We just let it slide back then, and the last laugh is from us, as 61 years of surfing history in our family is nicely portrayed in 16mm color films. Now, they are digitally preserved as a part of his contribution to our family history and long lasting help from “a dad for his kids.”

    upload_2020-6-23_4-30-21.png 1941 Buick Fastback Sedan parked in the street.

    Thanks, dad…Happy Forever Father’s Day !!! We learned a lot...


    off to dinner in Los Angeles…Whee, break out the party stuff !!!


     
  5. I also went decades trying NOT to be the person my dad was. I realize now that he was way over his head with raising 5 kids, but the males on his side were always distant from their kids and he had a strained relationship with his dad, who was a hustler and provided well for everyone. I'm more like my grandfather and inherited his love of exotic flowers and plants. My dad was not a gardener by any stretch.

    I did pick up carpentry from him, he was also a master carpenter and I learned concrete work by the time I was 9.

    So the more I have tried to get away from him, the more it backfired on me. He spent 32 years at Grumman and retired at age 60, I spent 38 years at a defense plant and just retired. My mom died at age 52, my wife died at age 58 so its like I'm going down the same rabbit hole and have to consciously avoid the pitfalls he did, so far so good.

    We later came to an understanding and became close. He did set some examples like getting up every day to get to work and wasn't one to shirk that duty. I rarely saw him get dirty even when working around the house or even at work. He wasn't a drinker, I did enough of that for us. Now I'll enjoy a drink and I'm not one for getting close to drunk.

    I think I set a decent example for my kids, I get them to help with carpentry jobs that are too big to do alone. They were never much for plants, I had the interest since I was a little kid, but kids are different these days. The concept of hard work and patience is something they will have to learn on their own I suppose.
     
  6. My Father , My Dad. It makes me sad when I think of him , his life and how he did what he had to do for our family. Born in 1922 in a sleepy coal mining town in north central Pa. He was one of 12 children . He lost his parents at 10 years old and relied on his siblings to care and provide. It was tough in the 30's and coal mining was the only work that the simple folk went to. Young kids were used in the mines to extract the coal . Only educated till the 8th grade he somehow made it to join the U.S. Army to fight in WWII. He married my Mom after the war ...... they were schoolmates in the one room little schoolhouse in the small patch they came from. As the mines closed up work became harder and he and Mom opened a small mom and pop general store. As my brother and I came along he decided to join the Baltimore City Police force . He lived in Baltimore and came home every weekend to his family Not sure of relocating his family to the city he did this for a few years before moving us to the hellhole of Baltimore. As an officer he had to deal with the riots of the city in the 60's and could not believe the looting , burning and disrespect of that time . His heart was not good and he suffered many major heart attacks . He died in my arms on his 50th birthday, I was 18 . He suffered from black lung disease from the coal mines . I can only imagine the hard times he went through and I feel he was cheated in life ....perhaps that is why God called him home ....to give him some comfort and grant him eternal life in Heaven. As I age and look at my family I can only hope he sees his grandchildren he never got to enjoy. My Dad is my biggest hero ....God Bless ya Pops ! Happy Fathers Day.
     
  7. bobwop
    Joined: Jan 13, 2008
    Posts: 6,115

    bobwop
    Member
    from Arley, AL

    joecattelinogilewi0001.jpg My Dad was a poor Italian kid whose Father died a month before his birth. He longed to become a Dairy Farmer, and he prevailed. In his late 20's, he married my domineering Mother. She took the wind out of his sails, but he soldiered on. Eventually, we developed a good herd of Registered Holsteins. We displayed out herd at fairs and shows. We sold breeding stock. In his late 50's, he was very seriously injured in a farm accident. The herd and part of the farm were sold. He recovered and rehabilitated himself and went on to have a nice career operating a large produce operation. He made and sold maple syrup and he raised tons of vegetables in his five acre garden. My Father was a leader in his community, his church and his business. He was a proud Director of the local farmer's cooperative. He passed in 2015. He lived a life of working 12-18 hour days, very limited social life and the constant scrutiny of his wife. He raised four children, but struggled to understand the methods of being a loving Father.

    My Dad worked me like a rented mule. When I rebelled, he beat me until I was bloody and bruised. I wore hand-me-down clothes, including underwear. We worked and worked and worked. He had no money to pay me, other than a minimal weekly allowance. I was very limited as to the amount of time away from the farm. Other than 4H, a few extracurricular activities and my one choice of basketball, it was all about trying to keep the farm running.

    I learned very early on that each task takes time and energy. So do it right the first time! I learned early on that it was important to be organized and efficient in order to maximize the use of time and energy. My Dad loved his cows. He was an awful mechanic. Out of necessity, it became my duty to keep the farm equipment maintained and operational. I discovered that preventive maintenance was much better than making repairs. I learned to be inquisitive and to do my research on how to operate and repair a piece of equipment. Dad's "can do" attitude has helped me adopt his perseverance.

    The biggest lessons I learned were how to work hard. I am very task oriented and find great satisfaction in my accomplishments. Another lesson is to value whatever money you can accumulate. Don't squander it. Waste not, want not. And most of all, I have learned to value a good meal and a good night's rest.

    I would love a do-over with Dad. I bet he would too.
     
  8. WB69
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 1,958

    WB69
    Member
    from Kansas

    Dad started farming at the ripe old age of 14 for his grandfather. He passed 2 years ago on July 4th just shy of his 84th birthday. Still full time farming! The day before he passed he worked all day on an irrigation center pivot. During slow times he ran heavy equipment building bridges, maintaining roads, wired, plumbed and built or remodeled homes. I guess you'd say he was a "Jack of all trades".
     
  9. cfmvw
    Joined: Aug 24, 2015
    Posts: 977

    cfmvw
    Member

    My Dad just turned 80. Being a teacher and later a principal, he had sumners off, so he and Mom took my two brothers and me out on a lot of sailing and camping misadventures! For a time he was commodore of the Rockland Yacht Club, and had the distinction of having the smallest boat in the fleet, something that we still laugh about. We didn't know it then, but we had a privileged childhood growing up like that, and being raised in an 1855 Victorian overlooking Penobscot Bay. Dad has mixed feelings about his own childhood, and wasn't that close to his side of the family. But he made something of himself, and we gave him the pride and satisfaction of saying that his three sons all went to college, and we are all doing well for ourselves... although we gave him plenty of reasons for sending us to the orphanage for some of the things we put him through!
     
  10. toml24
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 1,620

    toml24
    Member

    Well, the emotions just sort of opened up with this thread. Final comment I hope. There are 2 things that remind of my dad, now gone for 52 years. First, is music. We had an incredible selection of 78 RPM records and they would be stacked the full length of the record player spindle. Music all night. Very cool and relaxing.
    The one song that defines my dad is "Melancholy Serenade" by the Jackie Gleason Orchestra. You have to have lived in the 1950's or 1960's to appreciate the instrumental tune.
    The other memory is the movie "The High and the Mighty", as dad was a pilot. At the very end of the movie co-pilot John Wayne has just experienced a gut-wrenching episode in the air and landed safely, and is seen striding into the darkness with his briefcase. That also reminds me of my dad.
     
  11. railcarmover
    Joined: Apr 30, 2017
    Posts: 777

    railcarmover

    My father could float shift a model a like butter,the only time he used the clutch was taking off..smooth as silk.He instilled the love of the car in me,I carry it..and him to this day.
     
  12. mopacltd
    Joined: Nov 11, 2008
    Posts: 1,044

    mopacltd
    Member

    5 foot 6 at 135 pounds, my Father was awarded 7 silver star, 3 bronzes stars, the air metal and the flying cross during WWII. To me should be awarded the metal of honor as a Father!
     
  13. Loving this thread! Thanks to all that have shared here.

    My father was an engineer for GM for 28 years and a car guy as well. He was a great father and taught me about work ethic as well as many practical skills as far as fixing things. The main thing that both he as well as my grandfather taught me was that pretty much any task could be figured out and resolved with some effort. Neither of them ever called someone to come fix anything whether it be on a car or around the house. I think as much as anything they instilled in me that I could fix pretty much anything myself too.

    My dad was not necessarily into old cars like I am, but always was interested in cars starting in high school (his were just all fairly new at the time he had them). He later became interested in Corvettes and even restored a few for other people in the late 70's/early 80's when he was laid off from GM for a time. He taught me how to paint cars and helped me build a 67 RS/SS Camaro convertible as my first car starting when I was 12. He later got into riding Harley's and did that until a few years ago when he put one down on the highway getting hurt pretty good. He still has his latest bike although it just sits in the garage now, but he doesn't ride anymore. I am thankful to still have him in my life and hope to for several more years since he just turned 73 less than two weeks ago now.

    Thanks for the opportunity to share.

    Stan's senior picture 1965.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2020
  14. grumpy32
    Joined: Apr 1, 2010
    Posts: 245

    grumpy32
    Member
    from Australia

    My dad drove semi trucks, when he wasn't driving he would fix mecanicals, he tought himself body work, then he did the body work on the trucks. He was with the same company all his life. He used to take me when he drove nights when I was a kid, I had such good times. Dad tought me to work hard and love your family. Mum died very young, only 42 back in '84, devastated dad, but he kept busy at his favorite football club (Aussie rules football), he was a great help when we were drag racing our hot rod 31A. He passed back in 2005, while I was an aircraft tech in the RAAF. He taught me self resilience and to keep family close and you are only here for a short time so make your own opportunities. I miss both.

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  15. topher5150
    Joined: Feb 10, 2017
    Posts: 3,338

    topher5150
    Member

    My dad was a machinist and self taught engineer and salesman, probably why I issues with feeling so unfulfilled in life. My first memories are car shows and swap meets piles and piles of car magazines repair manuals. Since I was a kid I've been completely obsessed with cars. I'd love to get into some kind of car design but I think that ship sailed a long time ago

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  16. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,719

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    My dad was born in 1904, and lost his father when he was 10 years old. And being the oldest of 7 kids he quit school and began trying to keep the family farm going. After a couple years of struggling, and getting a little help from good neighbors, they finally tossed in the towel and lost the farm. At 12 yrs. old my dad began working for other farms in the area, so essentially a migrant farm worker until he got to his late teens.
    In his late teens his younger brothers had gotten old enough to also work and help their mother, and my dad got married to a girl who was the daughter of a farmer he worked for. They packed up and moved from rural NE Washington, to the big city, Portland, Or. in 1924 at age 20. He arrived here with very little marketable skills, and ended up working for Doernbecker Furniture Factory in the wood turning shop. He quickly learned the job, and worked his way up to foreman of the wood turning shop. But he wasn't thrilled with the job, so at night he went to night school to learn to be an electrician. Upon graduation he quit the furniture factory, and went to work at the local new hydroelectric dam on the Columbia, and did his apprenticeship there.
    During WWII he got sent to work at the shipyard and after WWII he got a job with the local railroad taking out all of the old Oregon Electric Railroad's power lines so the SP&S RR could use the tracks for their diesel locomotive lines. He stayed with the SP&S RR until he retired, and was their chief electrician for most of his years there. He got his supervising electrician's license just before starting there, and never got beyond a 6th grade formal education. But he was one of the smartest guys I ever have known, and a hard worker.
    My three brothers and I all avoided the electrical trade. I especially wanted to be a mechanic, and went to work at the local garage. Then moved on to take an apprentice job at the Cadillac dealer here. They sent me to GM Training school, and 18 months later I got drafted at the height of the Vietnam War. When I returned home Fisher Body was on strike, and Cadillac couldn't get new cars yet. I got my old job back, but only part time. I quit and took a job at the local steel foundry as a welder.
    Soon after starting there I ran into a friend of my dad's who was also an electrician at the steel plant. He looked at me and asked me what the Hell I was doing wasting my time welding and not being an electrician like my dad? Soon after he came and told me about an opening for an apprentice electrician, and I applied and got it.
    That was what I did the rest of my work life, and cars became my hobby instead of my job.
    When I think about what my dad went through, I rarely think I could have done what he was tasked to do at just 10 years old. He was my hero, and I lost him in 1989.Not hardly a day goes by still that I don't think of him.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2021
  17. 6sally6
    Joined: Feb 16, 2014
    Posts: 2,459

    6sally6
    Member

    My Dad was born in 1919 and like so many others left home for the CCC camp while a teenager. He was a mechanic in the Army during WWII.
    After the war he got out and became a textile printer. Worked for the same company for over 30 years before they .....shit canned him!! Gotta love big business!
    He was never bitter about it, he just found another job.
    He died 16 years ago and....not a day goes by I don't miss him.
    What an inspiration to me and alot of other guys.
    6sally6
     
  18. JC Sparks
    Joined: Dec 8, 2008
    Posts: 733

    JC Sparks
    Member
    from Ohio

    My dad was a custodian at a high school for 26 years before he died. He always made sure we had what we needed. I'd trade a bunch of tomorrows for 1 yesterday with him.
     
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  19. 1ton
    Joined: Dec 3, 2010
    Posts: 688

    1ton
    Member

    My Pop, born in 29. Upon graduating from Geneva H.S. Geneva, Il. He opened up a Moto Scoot dealership in my grandfathers garage. Did this and worked part time at the local 5 and dime. Went off to Korea. Came back, married my mom, got his job back at the store and handbuilt his first house in 54. Had a son, two daughters and then me. Somewhere along the way he bought the store which stayed open until around the early 1990's. Mom still lives in the house to this day. Saw her yesterday. He bought a 66 mustang convertible new. Drove it year round for four years until the doors started to bind. Put it in the back of the garage. It next saw the daylight in 2005 after a 35 year rest. Had 32 thousand miles on it. We sold it. Alzheimer's got him. Died at home in his bed in the house that he built some fifty five years earlier. He taught us well.
     
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  20. lippy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 6,825

    lippy
    Member
    from Ks

    I'm so proud to be here with you guys. Lippy
     
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  21. My father did many things, was a driver for a number of trucking companies, also worked for Boeing in passenger service, not long after he retired so he could have fun with cars. When I got my F-100 he gave me the side eye ( he’s a mopar guy, I’m a Ford guy)but we built it and I love driving it. Love you dad.


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  22. My father spent more time in the Military than anything else. Born in 1923 he enlisted in the Army in 1938, underage at 15, using his mothers maiden name as his last. In 1941 he was a Corporal and stationed at Pearl Harbor. When December 7th rolled around you know what happened. He was wounded, received a metal plate in the back of his head and medically discharged. In 1943 he enlisted again after his brother was killed as a torpedo bomber pilot in the South Pacific. Completed basic training and sent to the European theater. Wounded in Germany in 1945 he was medically discharged yet again under a fictitious name. 1948 rolled around unable to hold down a job he enlisted under yet another fictitious name. The Korean conflict came along and he was wounded yet again and again medically discharged in 1952. Finally in 1958 not knowing my mother was pregnant with me he enlisted again with another fictitious name. He was KIA in Vietnam in 1964. This is the story that my Grandmother, his Mother told me and there is no way to document it due to the fact of all of his aliases. My Mother also swore it to be all true and I guess if any one would really know they both would have. I would have really liked to know for sure but maybe that is where I got my sense of service and duty from.
     
  23. Wait just a minute, I’ve heard about this guy. Enlists the army using a false name and age. Goes through basic training, gets sent to Europe and ends up getting caught and discharged about a month, maybe a year in. World War 2 breaks out and he enlisted again, this time in the marine corps, once again using a false name and age. After about two years,maybe three, he once again gets caught after getting a pretty serious leg wound and gets a medical discharge. After recovering from his wounds he tried again only this time it was the navy. False name, age, you get the idea. About this time the Korean conflict broke out and he got sent over as part of an arctic platoon, it turned out to be his last hurrah. Seems somebody at the war department was checking the records and found the truth. He was eventually discharged and subsequently barred from enlisting ever again.


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  24. Jim 392
    Joined: Apr 10, 2021
    Posts: 30

    Jim 392

    There is no doubt that any of our fathers were " superhuman " in some way , pretty neat stories in this thread.

    My dad was a Mercedes - Benz mechanic for 40 years , VW and Ford before that. He was brilliant at anything automotive ( and Harleys ) , anything else probably not ( lol ). His dad was a heavy equipment mechanic and a mean drunk , but in his ( my dads ) mind he wasn't a " victim " it was just something he dealt with and resolved ( when he was old enough to stop his ass in the dirt and throw him out of the house ). It was never any fun working with my old man , even on our early hemi project it could go south really quick ( even though he was trying not to do that ). I was reading the thread " Mean or Nice Mechanic " or something like that and I just laughed , man my old man would turn into an ass when working on cars , lol ).

    He would bring home some neat new cars at times , I remember a 6.3 Benz and a Porsche 928 as my favorites. When he and mom split he bought an old FLH panhead and built it in the living room , lol. Chrome shop , swap meets , parts gathering ... I think that's what got me hooked into building . We built a 392 in a rented storage shed from a stock boat anchor out of a junkyard New Yorker ( which we had bored and machined with all of the aftermarket offerings of the day ). When we finally got the engine installed and went to fire it wouldn't go. Dad said " I know what's wrong , do you ? " I said "no ". Long story short we were 1 tooth off on the distributer but he took the LONG way to show me why ( mounting the degree wheel on the crank and starting over , lol ).

    Dad always said that the automotive industry was heading for self - diagnostics and that it would be pointless for me to pursue it. It didn't turn out quite like that but perhaps it isn't as easy now to be as successful as he was. I feel lucky for the time that we did have and that he did the best with what he had ( regarding me ).
     
  25. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
    Member

    Well missed this one on the first go round. Dad was born in 1924 with two brothers and a sister. enlisted in the USMC at the start of WWII fought in the pacific theater with the 5th marines. Was on Guadalcanal and he said the worst thing was NO WATER. Marines didn't care about the japs but they were so thirsty they would lick the dew of leaves to get a couple drops of water.

    Hated the Navy after they pulled the ships back before most of the Marines supplies were unloaded. Until the day he died wouldn't have or buy anything made in japan.

    One of the unlucky ones the got recalled and sent to Korea. My very earliest dim memories were of living in a "converted chicken coop" outside of Parris Island because real apartments were so hard to find. Was a Drill Instructor at PI for a couple years.

    Was a tool and die maker the rest of his life made a lot of the tools used by Revlon for lipstick tubes and ladies powder compacts made out of brass.

    Yea and my life just got worse after being a DI when he came home got a part time job as a local police officer and volunteered as an auxiliary State Trooper. Talk about being under a microscope with a Police officer as a father but then I did things that brought me to their attention LOL.

    Never liked cars they were just transportation but would make me parts for my mini-bike business and took me to the Hartford Autorama and Connecticut Dragway when I was a kid.

    As you can imagine he was quite strict but never raised his voice only drank at parties the neighbors had every so often. But did actually pull his belt off twice in my younger wild days and gave my butt a few strokes and like other has said he said this will hurt me more than you.

    After getting laid off a few times the best advice he ever gave me was get a job with guaranteed pension.

    Sadly and ironically he died shortly after getting a heart check in the morning and told everything was working just fine. Age 52 and after supper was "fooling around" and dropped dead in the saddle so to speak. Still talk to him in my head.

    pops 1941.JPG

    1.jpg


    pops2.JPG

    And the home where the chicken coop apartment was out back

    1951.linda.family-porch.jpg
     
  26. alphabet soup
    Joined: Jan 8, 2011
    Posts: 2,017

    alphabet soup
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    My dad followed in his dad's footsteps. He was a machinist and tool maker for Continental Can Co. for 42 years. He was in the Maryland CAP for many years and ended up one of the head guys. He did a lot of flying for Chesapeake bay patrol looking for drug boats. He also had a teaching certificate. Failing eyesight has done away with all that. He is still more than a little disappointed that he has four sons and non of us wanted to learn how to fly. Don't think he ever thought this car stuff made any sense, but never really said much about it. And never offered much help. He always provided but was never really a hands on dad. Now at 85, needs more help than he can give. Thinking that's just a normal turn of events. Gene.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2021
    loudbang and chryslerfan55 like this.

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