This family story is a tale I heard in bits and pieces when I was growing up. Only the people themselves know the truth of any of it. They have all passed on. In this version of the story my father John, not his real name, was born in 1917 and grew up on a small farm. He had two brothers and two sisters. One older brother died about age five from a burst appendix. The other siblings grew to adulthood, married and had families. None of them served in the military.
Dad loved horses as a kid. The family farmed with horses. He and his other brother drive their horse and buckboard in this photo.
His father Noel never had luck as a farmer or was not much of a farmer. The description varied depending on the storyteller. It was agreed that their farmland was sandy and produced poor crops. John’s mother, Mae, was a seamstress and took in sewing for other people to earn money to help support the family. John lived at home until he graduated from high school.
He fell in love
Dad and this unnamed girl went to high school together. He shared his feelings with her, but she jilted him. Brokenhearted, he moved to Idaho for a fresh start, took a job as a ranch hand and fell in love again, this time with the rancher’s daughter. This gal jilted John too.
Pearl Harbor was attacked. The U.S. entered WWII. John came home and joined the Army. These events occurred more or less in that order and were undoubtedly more complex behind the scenes, but let’s leave the details of events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor to historians.
After basic training, John traveled back to see his folks, and met Dot at a church picnic. He asked her if she wanted to write to him while he was away. she agreed.
Service
John served in the military from 1941 to1945. John was stationed in the states during the first two years, then shipped out to India for the duration. John contracted malaria while in India. The aftermath of the disease haunted him for years after the war.
He sent money home to his parents from his Army pay and asked them to save it for him. He planned to buy a farm when he returned.
My grandparents Noel and Mae faced financial tough times before and during the war years. Their bank repossessed their farm. They moved across the county to another place near a rural cemetery. Noel became a grave digger to augment his farm income. His mother spent John’s money to make ends meet, aiming to pay it back but never did. John’s dream of owning a farm died in the war.
Courtship
The only thing that panned out for Dad was a blossoming relationship with Dot through letters back and forth. While some veterans flew home after peace treaties were signed, John and his pals returned by ship later in the fall. John and Dot met in Omaha when he returned, found a justice of the peace to marry them in November 1945.
Family
John and Dot had five children. I am the middle child between brothers, two older and two younger. The folks farmed their entire life on rented land, sharing crops with landlords. Three of my brothers joined the military and served in branches that supported those in combat.
My parents with the three oldest children. I’m the baby in this photo.
LLZ Ranch 