I can not wait to see the War documentory. My Dad and my Uncle both served in World War II. My Uncle lied about his age and enlisted at 16. He was stationed on the USS Yorktown and was a tail bomber in the planes that took off from that aircraft carrier. The bravery that it took to do something like that at age 16 is something that amazes me. I for one am very grateful for the sacrifices that were made by my family members during World War II. I know that kind of dedication to country exists today but we just do not talk about it enough

Our area is rich with WW2 Veterans and their stories are priceless. You don't have to be a medal winner to have stories that need to be passed on for future generations. Vets are dying daily, too many pass away with experiences that can give the rest of us context about life and sacrifice.

My grandmother told me this story, and I think it illustrates the very personal nature of every situation of every family that lived during that time:

My grandparents had gone to a wedding where my grandfather had too much to drink. The next morning, my grandmother was so mad at him, she was thinking of all the ways she could make his hangover even more unpleasant as she was feeding my 9-month old uncle. All of a sudden a piece of paper was slipped under the door and she froze - she knew it was my grandfather's draft notice. She moved in with my great-grandparents for the 4 years my grandfather served and my uncle spoke only Polish by the time he returned since that was all my great-granparents spoke.

One funny thing happened while my grandmother had been receiving letters from her brothers in the army and my grandfather in the Navy. Since mail was slow and censored, details were tough to come by, but she was able to figure out that they were all headed to North Africa at some point or another. Unbeknownst to her, they were writing to each other and my grandmother got a letter from my grandfather with a photo of him and her brother together! Imagine, 2 brothers-in-law from Dorrance, PA and in different branches of the service meeting in a camp somewhere in North Africa!
Later, my grandfather either didn't know or wasn't able to tell my grandmother when exactly he was coming home, so one day my grandmother walked down the lane for the mail and discovered a dozen roses with a note from my grandfather that said "I'm in Wilkes-Barre, come get me."

Its hard to read in a textbook and feel the emotion that these very real people felt and endured. I can't even imagine. It truly was the "Greatest Generation"