1944

 When we were going through some of my parents "stuff" we found a letter.  It is from my Uncle Arthur written to my Dad on January 14, 1944. 

Dear brother Jacob,

Received your Christmas card yesterday thanks a lot for it.

I suppose that you already know that I am in North Africa.  I suppose you are having a good time there out West.  At least I had a good time in Montana boy I wish I was back there.

These natives around here sure live like pig.  It sure takes a letter a long time to get here almost a month.

Is Hannah Kangas working in the same factory as you and Walter? 

I got a letter from Hugo the other day hes expecting a furlough pretty soon, that boy sure deserves one. Well this paper is getting pretty well filled up so I guess I have to sign off.  Take it easy and have a good time. 

Your brother Arthur

A few things to note about the letter...

Walter was known as Bee Kangas...Bee was a year older than my Dad...they went out West to work in the shipyards with Bee's Mother Hannah, my Dad worked on the gun turrets when he was 17 years old. 

Hugo was Arthur and my Dad's brother who was in the Army. 

Note the censors 's stamp in the upper left.

Four months after this letter was written...

Arthur died in the Invasion of Italy May 20, 1944 and is buried at The American -Sicily Rome Cemetery in Nattuno, Italy.  He was 23 years old.

Here is a link to more of Arthur's Letters. 

Far Side

A Veteran's Story

 Sometimes family history retold by others needs to be backed up by facts.   For years we all thought that my Dad's brother Hugo recuperated in California. 

Here are the facts from his Honorable Discharge paper. 

Inducted April 16, 1942 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.  He was 28 and 2/12 years of age and was a farm laborer, blue eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion.  He was 5 feet 9 inches in height.  He completed 2 years and 20 days service. 

He was a Rifleman qualifying with the M 1 Rifle

He was in the Sicilian Campaign

Decorations EAME Medal, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal

Wounds received  Shrapnel wound in buttocks, left leg and ankle

Hospital Tuscaloosa Alabama dated 2 May 1944

Left U.S. 8 June 43, arrived North African theater 22 June 43; left North African theater 5 July 43; arrived European theater 10 July 43; left European theater August 43; arrived North Africa theater August 43; left North African theater 15 Oct 43; arrived U.S. 24 Oct 43

Honorable discharge button presented at Northington General Hospital Tuscaloosa, Alabama.   He spent 193 days in the hospital.

He was part of Company K, 157 Infantry in the United States Army.

My Uncle Hugo was a quiet man, who only spoke when it was necessary ...and when he spoke it was important so you better be listening.    He limped especially in the winter.   I have many memories of him.  He married Aunt Mia and they raised Mia's Grandson together.   Hugo had no children of his own but Grandson Joe was like a son to him.  

Uncle Hugo  4 Feb 1914 - 25 Oct 1987

Thank you Veterans! 

Far Side

A Bible

 My Cousin Leann gave me a Bible that she found when going through her Mom's belongings... it belonged to my Uncle Hugo. 

Uncle Hugo's name is in the front cover and his Honorable Discharge Papers are inside along with an  Itasca Mantrap membership paper.  I scanned the discharge papers and put them up at Find A Grave. 

I also showed the Bible and papers to my Dad.

My Uncle had no children of his own.  However he and my Aunt  Mia (she was married before)  raised a grandson.  It was a really sad situation...there was a tragic death in the family from which the parents never recovered enough to care for a baby.  So he was raised by his Grandparents who he viewed as his Mother and Father.  They loved him very much.  

Since the grandson has an unusual name I was able to locate him.  I found his email and his home address.  When the email went unanswered I sent a letter.  Soon after that we were able to connect. 

The Bible is in Finnish. 

As it turns out he is a very successful Law Enforcement Officer, has four children and two grandchildren. 

So it all has a good ending...the Bible was mailed on Monday.   

For some reason the Bible sitting on my desk really bothered me...I was so happy to mail it...it was like something was telling me to hurry along! 

Far Side

Spring Sky

There are many Trumpeter Swans gathering for a rest after their long flight North.

We were visiting at Shell Lake one night.

 

This is a hill from my childhood, possibly before I was afraid of heights or maybe the reason why I am afraid of heights.   The road used to be narrow and gravel.   The sand on the hill soft and slidey… you could slide down on your butt and then run along the road and duck back in at the edge of the woods and go back up to the house again and slide back down until you were tired or an adult hollered that you better stay away from the road.  Your socks and shoes would be all full of sand, if the sand was damp, your butt would be all wet and dirty.

No more sliding down hills for me.

It was a great spot to watch the Trumpeter Swans fly over the lake. 

The sunset was calm and soothing after a fairly busy day.

I recall seeing many sunsets from this place on the lake.  It brought back many memories.

Fresh baked flat bread with butter and jelly, card games played at the kitchen table, knitting projects to oh and aww over as my Aunt was a marvelous knitter.  The marble topped coffee and end tables that were in the living room, the old tire swing that hung from a large limb in the yard.  Walking the ridges with my Uncle, hunting and learning how to mark your trail in the woods so you would never get lost.

 

Thank you Veterans!

My husband is an 26 + year Veteran of the United States Air Force and the North Dakota Air National Guard. Thank you for all you did to protect our family and our country!!

It wasn’t easy for him to be gone for extended periods of time.  We all survived, this was before cell phones, email and facetime…phone calls that were very expensive (usually collect calls), letters and postcards were our way to communicate.

Perhaps we were lucky…I am sure that soldiers in WWII and Korea would have loved to make an occasional phone call.

Today I would like to share another Soldier.  A good friend of my Uncle Hugos.

That is my Uncle Hugo on the left and his friend Anselmi on the right.


Today I salute these two men. Anselmi on the left and Uncle Hugo on the right.  Look at those grins. I believe this photo was taken before they were sent overseas in 1942.  My Uncle went to Sicily, he was injured when an 88 shelled trees where his unit was dug in.  His left heal was shot off and he had numerous wounds and shrapnel in his back near his spine.  He carried that shrapnel near his spine throughout his life.  He was sent back stateside and then had to endure a train ride from the east coast to a west coast hospital.  He spent a really long time in the hospital there.

I don’t know where Anselmi went during WWII, I know nothing of him other than he was  a good friend of my Uncle Hugos, Anselmi never married and he is buried near his parents, two brothers who never married and a sister who never married in the Pickerel Lake Cemetery.  He had one sister who married and had one child who didn’t care about relatives of his mother.   I found these photos a long time ago and scanned them, there is no one to give them to that would appreciate them. I cropped the first photo and put it up at Find A Grave.  I will make another trip back to the cemetery to look for Anselmi’s grave so I can photograph it.  If it doesn’t have a Veterans Flag holder or marker I will contact the County Veterans Service Officer.

How about you?  What will you do today to remember a Veteran?

Soldiers/Decoration Day

My Dad was in Korea, in fact he was there when I was born.  He found out about me through a Red Cross Telegram.

My Dad and my Mom  in 1950.

Dad was injured by shrapnel and he has photos taken in Korea that substantiates his injury.  All the records burned in St. Louis so he never received his Purple Heart.  I won’t say he came back unscathed, because he has nightmares often especially in the winter.  From what I have heard he didn’t even have an extra pair of socks or winter clothing yet was sleeping in foxholes in sub zero weather.  He survived conditions that are unimaginable to me.  Dad is 88 years old.

*****

These are my father’s brothers, my uncles;

Uncle Hugo was wounded, sent back to the States, endured surgeries and therapy and lived out his days with bullet fragments in his body.

Uncle Hugo and Mia never had any children together.  Mia had children from a former marriage.  They had a Grandson that they raised as their son.  I take flowers here because no one else does…and because I held his hand many days up in the VA Hospital before he died.  He died of Prostate Cancer.

Uncle Andrew

I had not been to Uncle Andrew’s grave in a few years.  Two of his children are dead now…there are a few children left but I wonder if they visit…perhaps a granddaughter visits.  She would have been the apple of his eye.  He was a wonderful man, I still miss him…he lived with us when I was little.  He died of Bone Cancer and Lung Cancer.

Uncle Arnold in Havana Cuba

My Aunt Sharon is still alive and she will take flowers there. Uncle Arnold was another wonderful Uncle taken from us too soon by a swift heart attack in the night time.  He died in the house where he was born.

Uncle Arthur

Died in the Invasion of Italy in 1944.

*********

On a personal note I want to thank my husband for the 26 years he spent in the service.  My baby brother for the time he served in the Navy and my nephew Ben who is currently serving.

Years ago Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day.

Wistful Wednesday: Soldiers

Soldiers..we had a few in my fathers family over the years.
My Paternal Grandparents had twelve sons, five who would serve in the Armed Forces.
My Grandmother must have been beside herself.. the worst news came in 1944  May 20 my Uncle Arthur died and was buried in Italy.  He was killed during the invasion of Italy. He was in the Army 1943 to 1944.

Arthur born in 1920 and died in 1944.

Twenty four years old..seems like so young to die.

My Uncle Hugo served most of his time in Sicily during WW2 where he was wounded.  His left heel was shot off and he had numerous shrapnel wounds in his back near his spine. He was in the Army from 1942 to 1944. Some of that shrapnel remained embedded near his spine until his death in 1987.

My Dad was in Korea when I was born. He was in the Army from 1950 to 1952. Dad was wounded when a round hit his helmet..he didn’t want anyone back home to worry so he never put in for a Purple Heart..but we have photos of his bandaged head.

My Uncles Arnold and Andrew served almost at the same time.  Arnold was in the Navy from 1952 to 1956 mostly in Cuba, and Andrew was in the Army from 1953 to 1955 mostly in Hawaii.
This photo was taken when Arnold and Andrew came home for their Mother’s funeral in June of 1953.  She died of a massive heart attack.
I often wonder..Arnold enlisted in the Navy so that perhaps Andrew would be passed over for the draft. Andrew was a sickly child and teenager..frail..and his Mother worried about him.  ( I think that he was also one of her favorites.)  She died shortly after he was drafted, coincidence..maybe..maybe not.

Anyway..this is the photo I wanted to share today.  My Uncle Andrew on the left with one of his buddies.  Look how close to the White House they are…I bet they strolled through the grounds and probably went inside too.  President Eisenhower would have been in office then..a Military man.  The entire inside of the White House went through a renovation during the Truman years 1945 to 1953.

I can date this photo from 1953 to 1955 because of my Uncles time in service.

We should remember our soldiers not only on Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.. but other days as well.
Lately the subject of women in the battlefields is being debated.  I say ask the women if they want to go to the front lines..if they want to go then let them..I am sick and tired of a bunch of men telling women what they can and cannot do:)

Update: There is some discussion,  is this the White House or not..I have searched for photos of buildings with columns in between the windows to no avail..if it is not the White House what building is it? 

Wistful Wednesday : Two Uncles

Everyone in my Fathers large family of fourteen ( eleven brothers and two sisters) worked hard. This photograph shows my Uncle Wilbert "The Barber" giving my Uncle Hugo a shave. My Dad was in charge of the sheep. Older brothers were in charge of milking the cows and caring for the horses. My Dad never did care much for horses. My Uncle Ervin was the bread baker. They were all hunters and trackers, my Grandmother would send them out to shoot some venison when she needed fresh meat. I asked my Dad once about Hunting Seasons, he said it was hunting season whenever his Mother said it was. They only took bucks or does without fawns. Everyone picked rocks, and fixed fence and worked in the fields. When school was out for five weeks over Christmas, they filled the haymow with hay.

In many of my old photographs showing buildings, there is more often than not a home made ladder next to a house. For snow removal and chimney cleaning. This photograph was taken at my Uncle Wilberts first place, and it looks like he had a puppy! This photograph was taken sometime in the 1940's:)