A World War II Draftee—70 Years Ago
Seventy years ago today, my grandparents and newly married parents faced a foreboding task, one that was shared by just about everyone in America with a young man of draft age in the family.
Seventy years ago today, my grandparents and newly married parents faced a foreboding task, one that was shared by just about everyone in America with a young man of draft age in the family.
North Ave. Beach 8/27/1941 Fred (my dad) sent this amusing “scientific analysis” of two “aquatic species,” probably based on a photo (he says “illustration” but I think that’s part of the joke) that was enclosed with the letter. [...]
Der Prozess, The Trial by Franz Kafka The last two posts have detailed the anti-German bigotry my father faced in his work at the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant in La Porte, Indiana, where he had begun work on March [...]
Munitions are processed at Kingsbury Ordnance Plant during World War II. Photocourtesy of LaPorte County Historical Society Museum In last week’s post, “War and Bigotry” I shared a letter from Fred Gartz (my dad) to his mother detailing [...]
La Porte, IN Courthousepostcard Fred sent to his family In the post, Explosive News, we heard that my dad, Fred, a chemist, quit his job with Lanteen to make almost double the salary as a blasting powder blender [...]