WWII

As a father of a new baby born a few days after Pearl Harbor, I doubt Dick was anxious to march off to war. In 1943 he moved his growing family from Marion to Akron to take a new job. Could it be that during these years of the war he was working in a job that had some deferment from the draft? At 29 years old was he too old for the draft? I don’t know. But in 1944 or 45, at 32+ years old, he went off to boot camp. Was he drafted or did the enormous sacrifice of friends cause him to look beyond his family responsibilities and volunteer? I don’t know. But I can remember standing at the door, weeping with Mom as he walked off to the train station. I think Nana and Jim might have been there also, to help mother cope. But not too many days or weeks passed before he returned, a health reject. Not much was ever said about this until much later. In what appeared to be a very fit, healthy and handsome man, it seems that the army doctors saw something abnormal in his eyes – something that would eventually balloon into multiple sclerosis. At least that was the way I heard Dad tell about it.

This summer Kathy shared some pictures and mementos that she had found in Mother’s picture albums. One was a letter that Dad’s friend, Ernie, wrote to Kate from the front lines – saying how bad war conditions were and hoping that Dad would not have to join the army.