MEMORIES OF DEC.7, 1941

Source: Personal collection

MEMORIES OF DEC.7, 1941

Source: Bing clip art

Pauline (GARNER/APPLEBACH) HAHN was about 4 1/2 yrs old when the attack on Pearl Harbor, HI occurred.  Years later she was able to tell people that while she was too little to really understand what had happened, she knew the radio broadcast was bad. 

She remembered sitting beside her mom (Reba RESSLER) GARNER listening to the radio at their home on then West Chestnut Ave (later Temple Ave) in Lancaster, that the black-out shades were closed. While Pappy (Ralph GARNER) shook his head in disbelief, her mom cried.

Her memories of the actual war years were vague and mostly what others in the family had told her about that time, but her memories of the radio announcement of Pearl Harbor did not dim over the years.

Source: Personal collection

Both of the photos on this post were taken when Pauline was 4, so 1941-42. This was what she looked like when she heard the Pearl Harbor radio announcement.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

FRANK RESSLER'S SONS COMMENT ABOUT PTSD

FRANK RESSLER'S SONS COMMENT ABOUT PTSD

Frank & Bertha RESSLER had 4 sons: Clarence, Andy, Victor, and Charles and all saw battle - I believe in WWII. They all married, had jobs or their own businesses, and seemed to have adjusted to civilian life fine - at least from what I could see. None were drunks, drug addicts, wife or child beaters, etc.  They just seemed to be settled, responsible community members.

Source: personal collection

During my teen years in the 1980's when Vietnam and Vietnam vets were still spoken of as if they were curse words, I was privileged to overhear a few comments by my gr-uncles as they discussed "the war". 

When there was a break in their conversation, I quietly asked what did they think the cause was for the Vietnam vets coming back and having such adjustment problems back into "real" life? By the looks on their faces, this was something they had discussed among themselves before.  

Uncle Andy was the spokesman for the response, which started as "troop ships" and continued from there when I said I did not understand. Uncle Andy explained what a troop ship was and basically said that they blamed the majority of the "battle fatigue" (now PTSD) issue on the soldiers being flown back from the war and dropped back into civilian life and just told to adjust. 

They felt that the benefit of troop ships was that the soldiers were with others who had experienced the same or similar things while in the war, and because the trip across the ocean took a week or two, the soldiers were able to cry, weep, scream, be angry, be scared, occasionally have minor fist fights, etc. with others who completely understood.  

The soldiers were counseling themselves and able to get much of the emotions out before they were returned to "real" life. Was bringing back soldiers on troop ships a cure all? "Absolutely not" was the response, but they felt it was a big help to both the soldiers and their families when comparing WWII vets to Vietnam vets.

Source: National Archives

Another thing they pointed out was that America as a whole was proud of its' soldiers from WWI and WWII. Vietnam vets are/were looked at by many as being somehow not really soldiers or maybe even as just plain killers. The attitude was different, and they felt that also made it hard for Vietnam vets to adjust back into life.  

I wish I could have recorded the entire conversation. I never heard any of the four speak of their time in the military again and they are all dead now, but I am so thankful they took time to answer a curious teenager's questions about something that I really had no understanding of.

This conversation changed my view entirely about being patriotic to America and viewing all veterans as people and thanking them for their service to our country every chance I can.  

This is also why I refuse to watch NFL or knowingly buy products from their sponsors - those spoiled bratty NFL players would not have the right to be disrespectful to our country and our veterans if those same veterans had not fought so the NFL players could have the right to kneel during America's national anthem. 

Yes, it is a quiet protest, but they need to be thankful and respectful for those who shed their blood or gave their lives so that they can act like spoiled 3-year-olds fighting over toys in a toy box. 

Personally, it is my right to state that if the NFL players cannot be respectful to this country and our veterans, then I think they should be fired.  Believe me, they are lucky to be in America because no other country would tolerate their crap.

It cannot be stated enough: Thank the veterans you know for the rights you have and for their sacrifices to maintain your rights.

All the content writing and photos of this post is my own unless I state otherwise.

GRANDMA GARNER - SOME MEMORIES OF HER

Last night after the DAR meeting several of us were discussing the large families of yesteryear, and we wondered how in the world they managed to feed and clothe so many children.

Source: Bing clip art

My comments revolved around my Grandma GARNER and a conversation she and I had when I was a mom with one toddler on this very subject.  She had a hernia plus my uncle's birth had been very difficult (and the doctor was drunk) and after 2 children (my mom and uncle) the doctor told her no more children.  She had 3 more. 

 I asked if they tried any form of contraception, and she stated that she did not ask or expect Pappy to sleep on the couch the rest of their lives.  I asked why she didn't buy condoms, after all they had been available for many years prior to the 1940's.  Her answer after she stopped chuckling was, "I had plenty of food to feed more mouths, but I didn't have cash money to go to the drug store with."

Several of the older women who were in on this conversation last night smiled and nodded in agreement - they understood exactly what my grandma meant. 

 The Great Depression was just ending, and we were in WWII - cash money was just not available to most working people after paying for the necessities. Back in the day, most people had a vegetable garden, a few chickens, and maybe even a milk cow and a pig.  While food variety might not have been great, most people, especially in rural areas had food.  Both Pappy and Grandma GARNER's parents were alive and still on the farms.  My grandparents had a large home vegetable garden (I can remember Grandma still tending one in the 1970's).

Source: Bing clip art

Grandma often spoke of how during all the rationing of WWII, she took in laundry and ironing to help meet the cash needs of her growing family, while Pappy delivered milk for Moore's Dairy and later worked for Bushon Feeds. Grandma did not drive, and the car had to get Pappy to work and back anyway. 

Source: Bing clip art

Gas was rationed and in order to go to church on Sunday and to their own family's farms after church they did no running during the week.  Whichever of their parents farm they went to on a given Sunday for lunch and visiting also stocked them up on eggs, fresh milk, cider, and other items that Grandma & Pappy either didn't grow themselves, couldn't get in Lancaster, or did not have enough ration cards for. It was a hard time for many people, but I don't remember my grandma really complaining about it - they toughed it out.

A side note of this is that my mother had bad teeth, by the time I can remember she already had false teeth.  My sister asked me about it and in my opinion, it may have been caused by a lack of milk or other dairy products in her early years while she was really growing.

I remember Pappy talking about how they bought the house at 1747 Temple Ave in Lancaster in 1937.  They had lived in downtown Lancaster, not far from John and Emma (RESSLER) REESE, however, when Grandma became pregnant the decision was made to find a house on the outskirts of Lancaster. 

I don't remember all the details anymore, but I believe the house was purchased from 2 brothers for $4,000.  Pappy said when they paid it off, it actually cost them $6,000 with all the interest they had to pay. When Grandma sold the house in the mid-1990's it brought $61,000.  I wonder what Pappy would have thought of that. The reality is that $4,000 in 1937 was a huge amount of money to a regular working person.

When I was in Lancaster this past August, my sister and I went by and looked at Grandma & Pappy's old house on Temple Ave.  It looks totally different with siding and fencing.  But what sticks in my mind is how small it actually is - somehow with all the love and good memories that were produced in that home, it always seemed so big.  My sister and I drove thru the alley and actually got caught by the current owner as we were peeking over the back privacy fence!!  He was actually the person who purchased the house from Grandma, and once we explained who we were was very willing to talk to us about the house.  The back yard was tiny - how in the world did we play games and have so many family meals and picnics in that tiny yard !!!!

Source: Redfin

This is 1747 Temple Ave., Lancaster, PA looks now. In my memories, the house was white with dark green trim. The front porch had a metal swing and a couple of metal chairs. Lots of visiting and waving at folks going by happened from that porch. 

The yard was small, but from my current perspective it is tiny. It must have been all the love and good memories in that home that made it, and the house seem bigger. How we got so many people crammed in there for Sunday meals and holiday dinners is beyond me, but we did.

After those big meals, people scattered into the living room, porch, back yard, or on neighborhood walks to visit or play games. Good memories happened during any or all of that.

NOTE: THE PHOTOS USED IN THIS BLOG ARE IN MY POSSESSION UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.  THE WRITTEN CONTENT IS MY OWN UNLESS NOTED.