It's a week now since anyone -- man, woman, boy or girl -- saw fit to post a message here, and I find that troubling. We're dying off at a truly sobering rate, I know, but surely I'm not the only one left. Roy? Al? John? Steve? It may not be so that, as the poet said, "God's in His Heaven and all's right with the world," but surely we have something to say, if only, "Good morning." -- Fran
Re: Silence
Posted by Susan Clack on December 22, 2010, 1:14 am, in reply to "Silence"
I guess I can't say "good morning", Fran, but I can say hello, and I am thrilled to finally get here and check in for a USN Armed Guard veteran. My father-in-law (I'll keep his name private for now, as I don't have permission from him to post it here right now) served in the Armed Guard during WW II. He lives in CA, and is in his late 80's. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a computer, and suffers from Macular Degeneration, so he can't see well enough to read very well at all anymore. So, even if I printed this whole website off and sent it to him, he wouldn't be able to enjoy all your hard work.
My husband has told me that his father never really talked about his experiences very much, so when we were visiting at Thanksgiving, his dad shared the fact that he had some books about the Armed Guard, and it was the first we'd ever heard about them. (An old friend had given him the 2-volume set, "A History of the Armed Guard Veterans of WW II", along with a copy of "The Pointer" from back in the 80's) He ended up sending them home with us, along with his "Ruptured Duck" pin, his dog tags, etc for making a "Shadow Box" to hold all of his Navy memorabilia.
I don't want to drop the ball and just forget about the info he entrusted with us; it would be easy to just shove the books in a book case somewhere and go on with the daily grind, and one day, it will be too late to get him in touch with his old compatriots in the Armed Guard. Perhaps this email is a good first step toward that goal of reconnection. (I'd love to get him to sit down in front of a video camera and do a little talking about his time in the Guard--for the Veterans History Project thru the Library of Congress...)
Thank you all for maintaining this website and for keeping the home fires burning, so to speak, for the veterans who served in such an important branch of our military during this momentous time in history. I just want to let you all know that your work has not gone unnoticed, nor is it unappreciated!
God bless everyone and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Re: Silence
Posted by Ron Carlson on January 26, 2011, 10:18 am, in reply to "Re: Silence"
Susan,
Thank you for your very interesting message, which I discovered only this morning.
I have done a little research and I believe I may have identified your father-in-law. I won't specify his name either but my guess is that his serial number (military ID number) is 378 58 38. Take a look at his dog tags to confirm. If I have the right man, I also have a list of the names of his shipmates from at least one voyage.
Regardless of whether I have the right person, if he, your husband and you are willing, I would be pleased to create an Honor Page on the Armed Guard website to recognize his service. See http://www.armed-guard.com/honorpgs.html for links to other Honor Pages that the original webmaster and I have created over the years. To create an Honor Page I could use as much "then" and "now" information as he has available and is willing to share, including his biography, the names of the ships in which he served, photographs, electronic images of the memorabilia he has shared with you, etc. In this way, as long as there is an Armed Guard website, his service will be remembered and honored.
Additionally, he may be interested in membership in the U.S.N. Armed Guard World War II Veterans Association (membership is free!) that, among other things, regularly publishes "The Pointer" newsletter/magazine, a copy of which he apparently had and gave to you. I realize that with his macular degeneration he would not be able to read it, but perhaps there is someone available who could read it to him. For membership information see http://www.armed-guard.com/association.html.
You are correct that his service, and that of his fellow Armed Guard sailors, needs to be remembered. You and your husband are fortunate that he has finally been willing to talk about his experiences. So many other children, grandchildren and other family members of Armed Guard veterans never had that opportunity, or did not take advantage of it when the opportunity was there.
If you are more comfortable in communicating off-line rather than via this message board, you can reach me at rcarl616@yahoo.com.
Thanks again for writing, and warm greetings to your father-in-law.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Re: Silence
Posted by Susan Clack on January 26, 2011, 11:21 am, in reply to "Re: Silence"
Thanks, Ron, for your reply--actually, those numbers are NOT on my father-in-law's dogtags, so perhaps I will call the folks today and get permission to communicate with you all on his behalf. I will also send you an email to your address you posted above...
Thank you again for keeping up this website for all the men who served in the Armed Guard, and the Merchant Marine, as well...God bless all those who still live on today to tell their stories, and may God give those who gave their lives in that war eternal peace.