Dem
47
GOP
53
Today's reminiscence is courtesy of J.M. in Portland, OR:
My father served honorably in the USMC, 1st Marine Division, in the South Pacific. This story isn't about him, however, but about the other half of the Greatest Generation.
At the age of 20, my mother took a train from Boston to Washington, DC, to marry a handsome Marine she had met on a blind date. I doubt she had ever been out of Massachusetts before. She was one of 11 children from an old, if humble, Boston family. Her ancestors had come over on the Mayflower. My father was first generation American out of the Azores.
They had just enough time to get married and get my mother pregnant, though neither could have known that before he shipped out.
She returned to Boston, lived with her Aunt Eunice, and, I believe, did secretarial work. I know nothing about those days or how her pregnancy affected her. I believe she fell somewhere in the middle of those 11 kids, so she was no doubt familiar with birth and child care. That said, how could she not have been terrified, carrying a child with no reason to believe she would ever see the father again? All she had was hope and faith.
My oldest sister, Pat, tells me she was born during a blizzard. When my mother went into labor, she had to get a ride in a neighbor's pickup truck, accompanied by her cousin Marjorie. They drove to the Naval hospital in Chelsea (I think). One of the memories my sister passed to me was these big sailors carrying tiny babies around the natal ward. I don't know if anyone else was there.
I have no idea how much or how little my father knew about what was happening back home. He wouldn't see his first-born daughter until she was 18 months old. He must have gotten a letter some weeks after the birth.
My father did return from the Pacific and they lived for a time in New York, while my dad served at the Brooklyn Naval Yard. I only recently learned that he was preparing to return to action in the pending invasion of Japan. We all know how that turned out. Hard to feel good about our dropping the bomb(s), but with the war over they were able to settle down in the Boston area, have 2 more daughters and me, their only son. They remained married 50+ years until my dad's passing in 1998:
The incredible courage they both showed in persevering through such a difficult and terrifying time just amazes me.
Thanks, J.M. (Z)