Memorabilia, Part 1

It All Goes So Fast

I’m slowly working my way through boxes and bins full of memories, letters, cards, photos, and other odds and ends of material in my possession passed on from my parents and grand-parents. It’s quite difficult to do…there is so much stuff that it’s hard to decide where to even begin. On the one hand, it seems important for me to document and archive the memories. On the other hand, I have no children to pass the goods down to, and would they even care about having more stuff to deal with about people they barely or never knew? I do have two nephews but mom died before they were born and dad is but a distant memory from when they were very young. I’m pretty sure they don’t want to be burdened or bothered with it.

So it comes down to how important is it to me? Important enough that I try to dive in as often as possible. For instance, this letter from my father to my Maternal grandparents, and my 15-year old aunt Dolly, was written when he was stationed in Guam. He was only 20-years old. The war had just ended a few months earlier but it appears, as a radio operator, he had to stick around to see other men being discharged home. (On another note, dad was recruited by “Phog” Allen, known as the “Father of Basketball Coaching,” before he signed up for the war. Most young men signed up at the time. It was a tough decision, I’m sure, as he had the opportunity to play ball for Kansas. On even another note, his mother, Clara, also made a tough decision when she was dad’s age. She had a music scholarship to attend Juilliard but instead chose to marry my grandfather, William, and raise seven kids…sheesh)

So, for what it’s worth, here’s his letter and I have included a transcript below the images:

16 Sept, ’45
Sun. A.M.
Dear Trena, Ervin & Dolly,

About time, yes? I am really going bad on my letter writing—partly my fault—and the rest of it, you can blame it on the close schedule I work—free time of my own is practically a thing of the past. We are now operating the station here at a minimum numbers of personnel—before the war ended, we had 125 E.M. here in our squadron—we radio ops were working six hours on and 24 hours off—which was really nice!—and then we started to ship out our men when the war ended, some going home for discharge, some going into Japan, Korea, etc. until it is now just a skeleton force— and we radio ops are

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Working straight 6 hours on and 12 off—and what time we don’t sleep is usually spent doing details, K.P., etc.—but if it means that it will take the guys home quicker, it’s O.K by me—I’m not complaining, understand,—I just wanted you to understand why my letters have been so few.

To-day is the nicest day we have had for two weeks—the sun is actually shining! We have been having some typhoon & hurricanes out in this area lately—we usually get a whiff of it—‘sorta on the tail end of them—and these winds have been blowing from 45 to 75 m.p.h. for the last couple weeks—fortunately, my tent is still standing. And due to these bad winds, etc., very few planes have been flying thru to Guam to pick up our mail—and we really sweat those planes out, we are losing quite a few of them now during this bad weather; however, thru the aid

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Of our facilities—radio beams, direction finders, etc—we are able to bring quite a number of last planes home.

Well, how does Dolly like high school—by now, her in initiation is probably over, and she likes it very nice, yes? She will have to keep me posted in the F.B & BB games this winter, but as yet, I cannot even estimate how soon I will get home—it’s really a mixup—the War Dept. say they are discharging twice as many men as they thought they would a month—and, for instance, the infantry outfit we eat with—practically all of their men have over 90 pts. So I feel that if I am home by next June I will be fortunate—and I’m hoping O get home before then.

Well, folks, not much news from this kid—hope you are all O.K.—give everybody my regards—

Love,
“Chas”

Dad in the early 50s after surviving the war and starting a family

And now….