rrich
15th August 2021, 01:52 PM
Where you were today in 1945? Here V-J day is August 14. There it is August 15.
With my parents, I was at some sort of a hotel in Mattituck, Long Island, New York. Coincidently, August 14 was my fathers birthday. My father was deemed in an essential occupation as a New York City fireman. During the war the typical work week was as much as 80 hours and more based upon what the individual could endure. Overtime pay was an unknown for civil servants back then. Your official reward for the hours was that "You're here and not over there". This was his first vacation during the war.
I was born in 1942 and was a bit over 3 years old. Even so the hotel staff gave me a couple of glasses of wine that day. My mother said, "You're too young to drink" but just let it pass. We had spent most of the day at the hotel outdoor pool. People were delirious because the news was indicating that surrender was eminent. All day long the fire trucks were roaring up and down the streets and with every one that passed I would run to the chain link fence to watch it drive by.
My mother managed buy a cake that day and as I've been told the hotel managed to find some candles to put on it. After dinner the hotel brought the cake out and lit the candles. Almost the entire dining room staff stopped doing what they were doing to gather around and sang happy birthday. The diners in the dining room also joined in.
Amazing, here I am almost 80 and still remember the events from a personal perspective. Growing up my mother never wanted me to have anything to do with the armed services, police work or guns (toy or otherwise). It wasn't until 2007 and after watching the film by Ken Burns, "The War", that I understood my mother's feelings. She used to say that she was glad that my asthma would disqualify me from joining the military.
With my parents, I was at some sort of a hotel in Mattituck, Long Island, New York. Coincidently, August 14 was my fathers birthday. My father was deemed in an essential occupation as a New York City fireman. During the war the typical work week was as much as 80 hours and more based upon what the individual could endure. Overtime pay was an unknown for civil servants back then. Your official reward for the hours was that "You're here and not over there". This was his first vacation during the war.
I was born in 1942 and was a bit over 3 years old. Even so the hotel staff gave me a couple of glasses of wine that day. My mother said, "You're too young to drink" but just let it pass. We had spent most of the day at the hotel outdoor pool. People were delirious because the news was indicating that surrender was eminent. All day long the fire trucks were roaring up and down the streets and with every one that passed I would run to the chain link fence to watch it drive by.
My mother managed buy a cake that day and as I've been told the hotel managed to find some candles to put on it. After dinner the hotel brought the cake out and lit the candles. Almost the entire dining room staff stopped doing what they were doing to gather around and sang happy birthday. The diners in the dining room also joined in.
Amazing, here I am almost 80 and still remember the events from a personal perspective. Growing up my mother never wanted me to have anything to do with the armed services, police work or guns (toy or otherwise). It wasn't until 2007 and after watching the film by Ken Burns, "The War", that I understood my mother's feelings. She used to say that she was glad that my asthma would disqualify me from joining the military.