Yesterday McGuyver and I went up to see Uncle Jr. and Aunt Jeanette…I knew they needed us (McGuyver) to help take the plastic off their screen porch….and I needed to get out of the house!! We stopped at our daughter’s house in Sugar Grove on the way..
Terrie and Tim have a lovely home, and they were just getting their pool ready to open..As you can see, Taylor was all ready for it….
They have a rescue dog, Bogie, who is part Pit Bull and part ???…She is deaf from being abused..and gentle as a lamb, but strong as an Ox!!!! If she gets loose, it is a big problem..you can’t call a deaf dog, so we found out.
After we left there, we drove the 5 more miles over to Jr. and Jeanette’s home..They live in Montgomery Illinois and the bridge across the Fox River was all decked out in flags…
You can see the river from their front yard..and the water level was pretty high, due to all the rains… We got to Jr.’s about 11AM. I have a little problem going up and down steps with my new found nemisis, my walker..Dennis had to stand behind me and lift me up as I hopped up the 2 steps into their house…(There is no railing)..I have been getting a real sense of the frustration that our handicapped population must feel when there is no easy access into places.
I took these two photos from my chair in their kitchen..You can barely see Junior through the screens, but he was trying to help Dennis with the porch…He absolutely refused to sit down and let Den take care of it…He is so very proud, he will not give in to the fact that some things he just cannot do anymore…Dennis also went up on their roof and swept all the Maple seeds off the valleys and cleaned out their gutters….I noticed that their outdoor table and chairs wasn’t set out yet, and Jeanette said it was still in the garage..She tried to talk Den out of getting that out for them too, but good ‘ol McGuyver went into the garage and got it all set up for them…
When Den finally was done, Uncle Jr. finally sat down too….and of course, out came the snacks, nuts wine and beer…And also out came the beloved stories of WWII in the South Pacific onboard the USS Bennington and the USS Lexington…
Jr. joined the Navy in September of 1941, and after his boot camp at Great Lakes (where our son also did boot camp), he was stationed at Pensacola Florida Naval Air Station. He told us that on December 7, 1941, he and some other sailors were on liberty in downtown Pensacola..Suddenly the big Naval trucks came roaring through town, telling all Navy personnel to climb in the back, no questions asked. Uncle Jr. said they had no idea what was going on until they got back to the base and heard about Pearl Harbor…and, as they say, the rest was history…We had never heard this story before…
What a wonderful way to spend Memorial Day…visiting with our very own WWII Vet….He still gets very emotional about the stuff he saw…He got out of the Navy in 1946. All of his time was spent in the South Pacific theater…When we go to the Texas Hill Country next time we really need to go to Fredericksburg and see the National Museum of the Pacific War …
All in all, we had a very wonderful Memorial Day, visiting with Den’s Aunt and Uncle and revisiting World War II with a fabulous hero/gentleman, Uncle Clarence Bark, Jr.
BYE, YOU TWO!!! WE’LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON…AND…
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!!!
I always enjoy hearing about your Uncle Jr and his sea stories,I never was on the Lexington, but I was in Pensacola for flight training and then went back right before I got out with a detachment of two helicopters for rescue duty while the Lex which was the training carrier was in the yards.That was on The USS Intrepid. As Uncle Jr will tell you life on
ReplyDeletethose carriers was a keep your eyes open never a dull moment.Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.
A great way to honor Memorial Day!
ReplyDeleteMy father was on the Lexington. I was born in 1945 while he was in the Pacific. Great Memorial day stories from your uncle. Not many guys left to tell those stories. my dad died in 2002
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to drink beer and tell war stories. Glad to see you hopping around.
ReplyDeleteI've always felt those Vet's remembered history should be on tape for future generations & archives. All that salt water & sun in the South Pacific has aged him well.
ReplyDeleteSpending time with your Uncle and listening to his stories about his war experiences is probably the best way to spend a Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteI laughed when you said he told you a story you had never heard before because my Dad was the same way before he passed away in 2003. It was only in the last 10 years of his life that he ever spoke of the war and his experiences on D-Day and as a prisoner of war in Germany. I keep thinking he probably had dozens of great stories that we never got to hear. Too bad.
a great way to spend your Memorial Day..hearing all those old stories from Uncle Jr.!..take care of your foot!..nice blue shoe!
ReplyDeleteIndeed this was the "Greatest Generation." My dad spent time during WWII in the South Pacific. Wonderful way to spend Memorial Day!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your surgery went well. We have not had internet for a few days (we've been in Nashville) so I am just now getting caught up. Hope you continue to heal and improve!