Kay yesterday

Kay must have "rebooted" herself yesterday because she about as normal as she can get.  Today she got up although she is moving around pretty slowly she is awake and seems to   think to her normal level.  I rushed and got her her breakfast as  I had prepared it when I got mine and had her sitting down to Milk toast with a poached egg on it.  If she eats it is something else however.  I suppose when it gets to the stage where she cant feed herself then it is an entirely new ball game.  However other things could cause dramatic changes before she gets to that stage I suppose.  Because just eating and swallowing could be impossible as I have seen in other people. 

On leave from either Ft Lewis or Ft. Sill, probably Ft. Lewis as the cap looks too new 

When I went overseas in WW2 she did some volunteering at the USO located in the downtown Young Women's Christian Association I think it was. She was a pretty good dancer.  Me?  I had two left feet.  I never in my whole life managed to learn to dance even though she begged me to learn.  Even though I played in dance orchestras many times. But at the USO she was sometimes pared with a good soldier or sailor on the dance floor and the other dancers would clear the floor to watch them dance.  I suppose it was Boogie Woogie dancing.  She told me this after the war when I came back.  She also knew the Hula.  Of course during the war and as Seattle was a major seaport it was crawling with servicemen looking for a place to have a good time.  I cant remember the name of the nightclub  on First Avenue close to the waterfront but the owner of the club approached her and offered her a job as performer in it.  it stayed open for some years after the war. Because of her upbringing as a good old fundamental Free Methodist, although she herself didn't particularly go along with their severe approach to fundamental Christianity, no doubt her upbringing influenced her not to accept the job but continue  to get along on the $80 dollars a month the government doled out.   She certainly could have used the money. 


I'll occasionally post some more memories of that period from time to time. 
Bill Sheldon June 17, 1920. April 4, 2001. Four years in the 3rd Infantry Division WW2 His story. Find it at Four years in the 3rd Inf in WW2
If you can't wait to get new posting to this web page get on the list of automatic mail when something new is posted................KE7PLR......................

Kay today

When Kay gpt up today I found she had 3 panitys, a brazier,  blouse, 2 sweaters and a heavy overcoat.  But I caught her  right away and had her take a bath  before she got in the kitchen for breakfast.  Why do people with dementia want to put layer after layer of clothes on?  I've heard of others doing it too.

 

ft Lewis June 1944

Bill Sheldon June 17, 1920. April 4, 2001. Four years in the 3rd Infantry Division WW2 His story. Find it at Four years in the 3rd Inf in WW2
If you can't wait to get new posting to this web page get on the list of automatic mail when something new is posted ................KE7PLR......................

Striker Brigade and the War

The Striker Brigade stationed at Ft Lewis Washington has had   seven soldiers killed in one day and were holding memorial services for  another eight killed a few days ago. It may be great to honor the fallen but if this becomes commonplace how long can the Army keep reminding the soldiers still at Ft. Lewis waiting to go to Afghanistan of the fate that awaits them?  Although the comnparison to WW2 where 275 Americans a day for four years were being killed, still, in the kind of wars the Americans are used to now casualty rates of 7 or 8 a day will get their attention.  So my guess is that these memorial services will be downgraded, especially if the casualties continue on. So expect these memorial services to slow or stop for the morale of both the public and the soldiers still waiting to go to Afghanistan. The war must go on. 

Have a nice day. 

See an account of a hero or WW2

 

Going Home

Going home from Marburg replacement depot. Click on the small slideshow going on below to switch to a full size picture. Around May 1946 they decided the army had had enough of me and decided to ship me home, I was sent to Marburg where there was a replacement depot. The slide picture show shows various conditions in the camp. In there area 4 Germans had been killed late in the war and their graves were still there a year later. The helmets were still there too as you can see. They had not been disturbed all this time. We had inspections and had out equipment laid out. There was still hunger and lack of supplies in Germany a year after the war. The little kids would meet us at the exit of the mess hall and beg for what we didn't eat.

On our way to Bremerhaven we passed the Europa docked there. It stayed there the entire war. I am surprised that there doesn't seem to be a lot of bomb damage from what we see in the pictures. Seems strange to see the lack of damage to Bremerhaven harbor then consider that Dresden, Darmstadt and some other cities were destroyed. Places that had nothing to aid the German war effort. Bremerhaven city was heavily damaged.

We went home on the SS MacAndrew. The ship on the trip back to the US was as crowded as the Queen Elizabeth was going over. Obviously we went to Le Harve by train as I show pictures of our troop train but I don't remember ANY of the details. . The train opposite our train was for German Prisoners released from the Marburg Prison camp,
It's a shame I cant remember more. When I have pictures I can remember something.

Next is on the ship and our time at Ft. Mead Md.

I think the picure at Ft. Dix was the last picture taken before I got home at Ft. Lewis. It was real funny just before we got home the guys had been drinking everything under the sun but just before we got to Ft. Lewis they started throwing everything off the train.

I was discharged on June 4 1946 almost 2 years to the day after I was inducted.