Memorial Day: Vets, Fathers and Trains

My dad was a Korean War era veteran of the Air Force just after it became a separate service.  He built me my first "layout."  It was a 4' x 8' piece of plywood with coasters on the bottom so I could roll it under my bed.  He installed the track and bought me some buildings including a water tank and a farm set with a barn.  He got stationed in England, 1950-1954.  During that time, while on leave, he came back to the States, married my mom (this year they have been married 60 years!) and brought her back to England with him.  As a result I was born over there.

 

I have many family members who are veterans.  My mom's side of the family were German imigrants.  Two of those uncles served in the European Theater of World War II.  One of them was a tail gunner in a B-17.  The other served in the infantry.  Because he was bilingual, he was assigned to interview German prisoners.  Another uncle fought with the Marines on Iwo Jima.  He gave me the Japanese Arisaka Type 99 rifle with the bayonet...the owner of which he killed.  None of them talked of the war.

 

Finally I had two uncles that fought in the Korean War.  One was in the Army...the other the Marines.  They were both at Chosin Reservoir.  Whenever we were at family outings and they had a little too much firewater, they would argue over which service left the other at the reservoir.  They were all good people and made a great sacrifice to our Country.  They all made it back  I thank them and all veterans...including those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Matt

My father was a veteran of the WWII USAAF, and we lived in a small college town in eastern Pennsylvania when I was three years old, but I understand completely what electroliner is saying.  Talk about not having the money to rub two sticks together!  When Dad was a student on the GI Bill, we didn't even always have money for gas to put in the '38 Plymouth.  But somehow, in the fall/winter of 1951, he scraped together the twelve bucks for a Lionel 2026 set (with Sunoco tank car, NYC gondola and a plain-Jane 6017 caboose) for Santa to deliver.  I will never know how he managed that.

 

The 2026 and its accompanying cars are still running and looking as good as new, though Dad's been gone for eleven years, now.  And I thank him for that and many other things through the years.

Same exact story with my Dad, except he was with an infantry division. He also never spoke of it. He went to his grave still with a hatred of the Japanese.

 

It was the 2046 Hudson set around the Christmas tree each year that hooked me. He turned the train duties over to me when he saw this. Of course, that engine, Sunoco tank car, Western Pacific box car, etc still runs at my house.

 

(Have to give props to my Mom, too. A very young Army nurse during the war .... thats how my parents met. She loved the train thing, too.)

 

Jim

My Dad was a veteran of WWII as well. He was in the 727 Railroad Battalion. He worked for the Southern Railroad before the war as an Conductor and did that during the war and then worked with them until he retired. Even my Grandfather retired from the Southern Railroad. I crew up with trains everywhere and my dad always had a Lionel layout and got me started when I was born 66 years ago. Great memories and I miss them both alot but I have my trains which brings back alot of great memories.

My father also was a WWII veteran. he served in the 6th Armored Division as a tank commander. He saw plenty of action in Normandy, Northern France and was wounded in action in the Rhineland. He bought my first train as a birthday/Christmas gift in 1949. He didn't have a job at the time but the owner of the local hardware store convinced him to buy it on credit. It's a great set with a 671 engine and 2671W tender along with the operating log car, milk car, and cattle car a LV hopper and a lighted SP caboose. Quite a set! We would set it up every year at Christmas and add a car or accessory every year. AsI got older I would take charge of setting it up and getting everything to run properly. This ultimately led to a career in electronics and computers for me. And as you would expect the engine and cars still run great today.

I would also like to mention my father in-law who also served in Italy and eventually Germany after the wars end. He and my Dad very rarely spoke about the war. In fact we only learned that my father in-law was awarded two bronze stars after he passed away.

Thanks to Dad (Joe) and Dad (John) for your service.

My dad was a WWII veteran.  When the war started he was  a fireman for the PRR.  They quickly made him an engineer and he spent the war in Europe.  At war's end he returned home to resume working for the PRR and he remained an engineer with them until his early passing in the 6o's.   He always gave us the feeling that serving was just not a big deal for him (any many others).  It was just the right thing to do.  When my time came for Vietnam it also was not a big decision.  It was just something we were told needed to be done.  My brother did the same.

 

But I think I can match your "didn't have 2 sticks to rub together".  There were 6 kids, one of which required many years of medical attention.   I believe the best things we learned from him was that you just did what ever you needed to do to take care of your responsibilities and obligations, without complaining.

 

But one of the really cooler things about my dad was that I doubt you would ever find a bigger Lionel guy in the world.   We managed to always have a layout setup in my uncle's printing shop basement.  We always wondered where he got the money for trains for the 3 boys.  We came to find out it came from working 2nd jobs and doing jobs for folks in the neighborhood.  Of course we didn't realize that as kids.  We were too busy with kid stuff.

 

I am proud of my dad and the countless things he did for us.  I am also proud of that whole generation that went thru a lot of hardships and sacrifices making our lives so much better.  

 

Memorial Day is a wonderful yet sobering time for me to remember folks like my dad, folks that I served with that did not make it and the young folks serving today.  We are a very lucky country to have these kinds of folks protecting then and now.

 

Ed

My dad has been gone 2 1/2 years. I miss him today as much as the first day he left. He was a Korean War veteran in the United States Army and proud of it. He is the entire reason I am in trains today 53 years later. This past week I have been off from work and decided to reconstruct my HO trains on a layout. The very first train I got from my Dad was in 1961 a Lionel souther pacific "0635lt." I recently got the entire set back from the local hobby shop fully cleaned up, fully restored, and fully operational. The now sit on a 4 x 8 next to my o-gauge layout and Im having fun running them. He would be happy to see them fixed up and running again. I also have the lionel 1961 catalogue they were in. Back then they ran $49.95 for the set.  Back then we recently moved to Jersey from Johnstown Pa because he was layed off from the steel mill. Him and my Mom didnt have one penny not to mention two to rub together. For them back then it was a boat load of money. Today I enjoy the very first train he ever bought me.. Fully operational and running on a layout 51 years later. thanks Dad.

Just listen......he was more than just a father

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkML_DVj7ak


R.I.P. Dad

My Father was a Korean Vet in the Navy. Baker on a hospital Ship.

We tried one of the recipes from his book once. Filled the house with cakes!!!

 

He managed to put a Lionel Scout set under the Christmas Tree when we were young, and added something nearly every year for a long time.  Funny thing, He could never make it run but my brother and I could hook it up in a couple minutes.

He never did understand electrical things but he loved watching us play with them.

By the time we were in Junior High (Middle School) we could lay track around the outside of the house and still have a small yard. The Transformer was powerful enough to run the train around as long as the slight uphill grade was on the side of the house where the transformer was.

I left all the trains with my younger siblings when I joined the Air Force. Never saw them again.

My father joined the USMC in 1940. He was seriously wounded on the island of Enewetok in the Marshall islands where he became a double amputee. Never talked about the war.

 

My uncle gave me my first set a Boston & maine alco from 1959 when I was 6. Still have it. The one thing I will always remember is that my father thought the B unit was the mail car.

I have family that was in the ww2.My grandmother was about 12 years old while this was going on.She would tell me about seeing doubleheader troupr trains and freight trains.One of her brothers was in the armywent to europe.And on my grand dad side 2 of his brothers went one in the navey the other in the army.The one in the navey would tell stories.He served the officers and captain but when the ship came under fire.He maned a antiaircraft gun.He would load it another person would fire.In my home town there were alot of ww2 vets.But you would never know it.They would not talk about the war.Maybe they saw it as there duty.Heck I can rember being with my grand dad.He would talk to some guys at the gas station.I bet some were war vets.But my grand dad would never bring that up.They gave alot  for this country and world.To all vets I think you are heroes.Even thou you don,t see youselfs that way.

I just lost my Uncle who was like a father to me last week. He was 86. He served in WW2 as a Frog Man on US Navy subs. His commander was killed in a raid on harbored ships I believe near Jakarta. He was then re-deployed as navy recon. in the invasion of Iwo Jima, almost died in a storm that came up before the attack.

Jack taught me everything I new about repairing cars, electric trains, carpentry, and was a great mentor... always had a great story, loved kids, and will always be missed.

 

My dad enlisted in the Army in 1940 and was with a Coast Artillery outfit at Fort McKinley in Casco Bay Maine. One of my favorite memories as an adult was touring the island with him. In Jan of 42 he was transferred to Pearl Harbor, then to a Chemical Motor Batt. attached to the 77th Division. He never told me what the CMB did, my mother did, he used a flame thrower and never spoke of his experience. He went to his grave suffering from PTSD over it and he harbored a hatred of the Japanese.

His brother, Dominic was killed in France in Sept of 44. He was with the 29th Division.

 

Money was tight like everyone else. My dad worked in construction and my mom was a nurse. She stopped working when I made my entry. Christmas of 62 I found a circle of track and a train set they put together for me.

 

My parents are gone 20+ years and went way to early. I still have the train set that has its own 0-27 loop on the layout and at Christmas it is front and center on the layout.

 

They taught me so many lessons about life and how to be a good person, I pray to them everyday for help to pass the lessons on to my son.

 

Didn't mean to ramble.