Odds and Ends
War is Over – 1945
Heard at the Bar
A Navy veteran from Ohio, Joe Lesh, USN: “I’ve spent 3 years down around the fish pier – near Castle Island. It was my duty for three years – sort of a waste. I want to move on with my life. Go to college – get a trade – anything that moves me forward. Get married, have kids, raise a family…
Ira Gold – Attorney: “It’s a great time or the veterans – well deserved for sure. Or those who are so motivated, this is a great opportunity for the folks who served – the G.I. bill. Go to college – get a profession – doctors, lawyers, business owners. For the Boston labor population before the war, college was out of reach for most workers. But in the future, thousands of workers will use college degrees as launching points into professional activities. Of course the government will have many benefits to offer –buying homes, veteran’s benefits, Civil Service competitive exams will have veteran’s preferences – police, fire, city, state and federal careers. Dorchester will change. I’m sure veterans will spread out north south, east and west to the burbs. Houses will need to be constructed – whole tracts of homes. Roads and railroad tracks will be built. Autos and trains will become a necessity. The world is changing – pay attention – and plan and invest wisely.”
Heard at the Bar
A Navy veteran from Ohio, Joe Lesh, USN: “I’ve spent 3 years down around the fish pier – near Castle Island. It was my duty for three years – sort of a waste. I want to move on with my life. Go to college – get a trade – anything that moves me forward. Get married, have kids, raise a family…
Ira Gold – Attorney: “It’s a great time or the veterans – well deserved for sure. Or those who are so motivated, this is a great opportunity for the folks who served – the G.I. bill. Go to college – get a profession – doctors, lawyers, business owners. For the Boston labor population before the war, college was out of reach for most workers. But in the future, thousands of workers will use college degrees as launching points into professional activities. Of course the government will have many benefits to offer –buying homes, veteran’s benefits, Civil Service competitive exams will have veteran’s preferences – police, fire, city, state and federal careers. Dorchester will change. I’m sure veterans will spread out north south, east and west to the burbs. Houses will need to be constructed – whole tracts of homes. Roads and railroad tracks will be built. Autos and trains will become a necessity. The world is changing – pay attention – and plan and invest wisely.”
20 MINUTE HERO
June 6, 1949
The roofers are acting up – it’s been raining off and on all day. So the boys knocked off work early. Half the crew head to a bar – in this case, Danny’s is the prime destination.
When the boys knock off early in the morning, it will be a rough day all around. As only a bartender can know, where the beer flows, common sense takes a vacation. I’ve seen a dart game start at 10 AM or 11 AM and by 4 PM, the roofers will be chasing one another around the place, using each other as the dart board.
The crew foreman is a veteran of D-Day. Now my curiosity got the best of me, especially where I have a “mildly crushed foot from an elevator accident in Raymond’s Sports Store in downtown Boston. I call to one of the younger fellows who frequent the place, “What’s the story with the limp – roofing is not a trade that is compatible with an unsteady gait.”
“You mean, Mackey? He was in Normandy, 2nd wave, stepped on a land mine and boom! Lost his foot. Trained with his outfit for 2 years and was in combat 20 minutes. Stepped on a mine but he didn’t give up on life. He could outwork the whole union hall. As a foreman, he can be a son of a bitch, but he can do the work and then some.”
Some of his friends call him the “20 minute hero”. Me, I really respect the man. He knows the business.
June 6, 1949
The roofers are acting up – it’s been raining off and on all day. So the boys knocked off work early. Half the crew head to a bar – in this case, Danny’s is the prime destination.
When the boys knock off early in the morning, it will be a rough day all around. As only a bartender can know, where the beer flows, common sense takes a vacation. I’ve seen a dart game start at 10 AM or 11 AM and by 4 PM, the roofers will be chasing one another around the place, using each other as the dart board.
The crew foreman is a veteran of D-Day. Now my curiosity got the best of me, especially where I have a “mildly crushed foot from an elevator accident in Raymond’s Sports Store in downtown Boston. I call to one of the younger fellows who frequent the place, “What’s the story with the limp – roofing is not a trade that is compatible with an unsteady gait.”
“You mean, Mackey? He was in Normandy, 2nd wave, stepped on a land mine and boom! Lost his foot. Trained with his outfit for 2 years and was in combat 20 minutes. Stepped on a mine but he didn’t give up on life. He could outwork the whole union hall. As a foreman, he can be a son of a bitch, but he can do the work and then some.”
Some of his friends call him the “20 minute hero”. Me, I really respect the man. He knows the business.
GOLD STAR
Down at Kane Square there is a small single family home near the trolley stop. The prominent feature of the home was a pennant hanging on the parlor window which indicated a person serving in the military. Of course, there were quite a few pennants in windows throughout the city. Most of them had a Blue Star. A few had a Gold Star, which indicated that this serviceman gave his life for his country. Whenever I rode the trolley to Andrew Square, I would pass that home. I would think about the story behind the Gold Star. How many poor souls are affected? The mothers, the fathers, a curse to have an offspring die before you do. And to the mates and children, a star to define words of grief. And the brothers and sisters. No benefits, that’s for sure.
Down at Kane Square there is a small single family home near the trolley stop. The prominent feature of the home was a pennant hanging on the parlor window which indicated a person serving in the military. Of course, there were quite a few pennants in windows throughout the city. Most of them had a Blue Star. A few had a Gold Star, which indicated that this serviceman gave his life for his country. Whenever I rode the trolley to Andrew Square, I would pass that home. I would think about the story behind the Gold Star. How many poor souls are affected? The mothers, the fathers, a curse to have an offspring die before you do. And to the mates and children, a star to define words of grief. And the brothers and sisters. No benefits, that’s for sure.