My Dad

He was born in Baltimore 14 pounds 7 ounces.
He may still have the record.

Growing up he ate a lot of oysters because they didn't have much else to eat, it was the depression and his Dad was a drunk. You can get oysters off the rocks at low tide.

They kept warm at night with layers of newspapers under their clothes. baltimore gets fukkin cold- especially for little kids.

As a young man, he joined the Army coz he could see what was happening with Herr Hitler, and he knew his country would be at war- that was 1938.

in 1940, he transferred to the USN, and by 1942 he was on convoy escort supplying the russkis against he krauts running materiel into archangel. If you ever read about the convoys you will know how brutal it was.

Ships sunk by the u boats very often, and so cold they had to be chipping ice off the upper works so the ship would not be top heavy and turn turtle. they did not stop to look for survivors.

Later- he was on the d-day landings as chief of engines on LSTs.

After that was the italian landings.

He served at one point on the Eldridge- just before the normandie was blown up at the docks in New York.

His war experience was no picnic.

He got a degree in engineering on the GI Bill and worked all over the world on petroleum projects.

He has beat leukemia and has had parkinson's for nearly 20 years.

he will be 90 in May.

Problem is - he is fighting the goddam war again in his mind and he is about worn out.

He may be dying.

I have a ticket booked to come over there for his birthday, and I would dearly love to see him in health and happiness.

therefore, I ask all you well intentioned folks to offer prayers for this man - either for his recovery or painless release in good time.

His name is Bill, and he lives in Tulsa - there are not many left of his generation and he put his life on the line like many others for a better future.
Thank you.