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So I had planned on a big day of wrenching on Goliath today after a morning brunch we had with the family for Easter. Those plans were derailed because we ended up doing a bunch of stuff with my wife's side of a family, but I did manage to get a little done.
Anyway, the highlight of the day was being able to yak with my grand father for the entirety of brunch. In case you missed this http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Antiqu...lment-One.html he gave me a couple old scrap books full of old timey photos of car wrecks, news stories, etc. We'll be running installments for months on the blog. There's one due to show up on Monday afternoon too.
Anyway, I was asking about his military experience and he had a couple of true gems to share. He was in the army from 1951 to 1954 and served in Germany. I didn't give much thought to it, but he told me that the tension there was incredible and he was convinced that we were going to be at war with Russia before he got out. This was the time period of the Berlin wall's creation and the "Cold War" really took shape.
Anyway, he was living in some barracks that had been build by the Nazis and one day saw a team of guys mapping out the building and poking around. He asked what was up and they explained that they were demolition specialists and they were mapping out where the explosive charges were to be placed in the event that the Russians pushed across the Rhine and made an offensive on the American position. They weren't going to let the Russians have the building if the Americans had to pull back so they were plotting on how to bring the place down!
When he first got to Germany a ranking officer posed the simple question to the group that my grandfather was in, "Can anyone type?" Knowing that the golden rule was not to volunteer for anything, he did anyway, and was assigned to the task of typing our leave passes. He said that there were LOTS of leave passes in his possession once he got the hang of it. :D
He also told a good one about sailing over to Germany which was a 10 day trip on the water. He was on KP duty and was feeling awful. While slicing onions he hacked into his thumb and was sent to the infirmary where the nurse gave him a note stating, "No KP duty for one day." On his way to delivery the note he grabbed a pencil, drew a 0 behind the 1 and crawled into his bunk for 10 days. ;D
Grandpa is nearing 80 years old and still works with my dad every day. He WORKS every day nailing and heaving pallets and skids around. He's a truly inspirational guy and someone who has set a very high standard to live up to. They don't build 'em like grandpa anymore.
Incidentally, what we did with my wife's side of the family was to visit her grandfather too...at the National Cemetery in Bourne, Ma. He was a D-Day survivor and decorated fighting man in the Italian theater of WWII. He passed a couple of years ago and is buried amongst thousands of patriots and heroes in Bourne.
When she told me that she was headed down there to see him, it was a very quick decision to drop my tools and go. I had the opportunity to sit next to, laugh with, and swap stories with my grand father. That's an experience she can no longer have. I would have felt like a heel if I didn't accompany her and the kids.
I tell the little guys all the time that they are beyond lucky to have a great grandfather that is so active, with it, and able to be a part of their lives. It can't and won't last forever, but they (and I) enjoy the hell out of all the time we have with him.
Anyway, I wanted to share that junk because I figured you guys and girls would get a kick out of it
Brian
Anyway, the highlight of the day was being able to yak with my grand father for the entirety of brunch. In case you missed this http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Antiqu...lment-One.html he gave me a couple old scrap books full of old timey photos of car wrecks, news stories, etc. We'll be running installments for months on the blog. There's one due to show up on Monday afternoon too.
Anyway, I was asking about his military experience and he had a couple of true gems to share. He was in the army from 1951 to 1954 and served in Germany. I didn't give much thought to it, but he told me that the tension there was incredible and he was convinced that we were going to be at war with Russia before he got out. This was the time period of the Berlin wall's creation and the "Cold War" really took shape.
Anyway, he was living in some barracks that had been build by the Nazis and one day saw a team of guys mapping out the building and poking around. He asked what was up and they explained that they were demolition specialists and they were mapping out where the explosive charges were to be placed in the event that the Russians pushed across the Rhine and made an offensive on the American position. They weren't going to let the Russians have the building if the Americans had to pull back so they were plotting on how to bring the place down!
When he first got to Germany a ranking officer posed the simple question to the group that my grandfather was in, "Can anyone type?" Knowing that the golden rule was not to volunteer for anything, he did anyway, and was assigned to the task of typing our leave passes. He said that there were LOTS of leave passes in his possession once he got the hang of it. :D
He also told a good one about sailing over to Germany which was a 10 day trip on the water. He was on KP duty and was feeling awful. While slicing onions he hacked into his thumb and was sent to the infirmary where the nurse gave him a note stating, "No KP duty for one day." On his way to delivery the note he grabbed a pencil, drew a 0 behind the 1 and crawled into his bunk for 10 days. ;D
Grandpa is nearing 80 years old and still works with my dad every day. He WORKS every day nailing and heaving pallets and skids around. He's a truly inspirational guy and someone who has set a very high standard to live up to. They don't build 'em like grandpa anymore.
Incidentally, what we did with my wife's side of the family was to visit her grandfather too...at the National Cemetery in Bourne, Ma. He was a D-Day survivor and decorated fighting man in the Italian theater of WWII. He passed a couple of years ago and is buried amongst thousands of patriots and heroes in Bourne.
When she told me that she was headed down there to see him, it was a very quick decision to drop my tools and go. I had the opportunity to sit next to, laugh with, and swap stories with my grand father. That's an experience she can no longer have. I would have felt like a heel if I didn't accompany her and the kids.
I tell the little guys all the time that they are beyond lucky to have a great grandfather that is so active, with it, and able to be a part of their lives. It can't and won't last forever, but they (and I) enjoy the hell out of all the time we have with him.
Anyway, I wanted to share that junk because I figured you guys and girls would get a kick out of it
Brian
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