In 1951 my parents drove from Illinois to California so that my father could go to war. My father had already fought in World War II not even 10 years before, leaving college to enter the army at age 18. Now my father was a college graduate, a husband, and a father, and he was off to Korea.
My parents speak of this time with great fondness. They'd been married just a few years, and their lives were wrapped up in James, as we all are with out first child. It was a great adventure to drive across the country, to visit the Mojave Desert and the Continental Divide, to touch the Pacific Ocean. My mother was sending her husband off to war. It is what women did.
My mother and James flew back to Illinois when my father shipped out, and my father was in Korea for a year.
Here is a picture that my mother sent to him in Korea, near the end of his tour. James is wearing an outfit my father sent that was purchased during R&R in Japan.
My father is 83 years old now, my mother 81, and James will be 58 in July. In the evenings when my parents tell stories, though, they remember every detail: the rickety hotels, the sound of the ocean, the sifting of sand between their fingers.
Comments
Monday, May 26, 2008 - thank you!
Posted by Jennifer in OR (69.88.229.219)
Thanks to your father, today. These photographs are a treasure. I love that one of little James at the bottom. :-) You have a wonderful family history.
www.diaryof1.com
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous (71.215.191.209)
Those are incredible pictures. What a special thing you are doing, making those memories have a life of their own... and sharing them with us. Real life history.
Heidi @ Mt Hope
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - I love soldiers.
Posted by bestsister (64.231.61.72)
I know that sounds really shallow at first, but I sure don't mean it to be. Our November Remembrance Day always chokes me up. I wear my poppy with pride...and I'm not even from a particularly military family. I remember hearing the stories of my grandad who fought in WW2 and how I would cry as a child considering his sacrifice for people he would never meet. It always makes me think of Romans 5:7. Thank you for sharing this story and these pictures. It warmed my heart.
Friday, May 30, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Natasha @ Maw Books (71.195.222.87)
What wonderful photos! I love these old black and whites.
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