Uncle Eddy died last night, this is his story from WWII

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Sun Jun 9, 2013, 06:39 PM - Edit history (2)

The late 50's and early 60's of my childhood were filled with magic. Our house was located on the corner of the block. The house to the West was Aunt Edie and my cousin Butch. The first house to the South was Uncle Eddy, Aunt Julie, and my cousins Nancy and Leo. The next house to the South was my maternal grandparents. We knew all the non-family neighbors by name. Many were close family friends. Aunt Gracie was about 10 blocks away. My mom's adopted sister Aunt Lori, Uncle Charlie, and my cousin Richard were about a mile away.

Our family all attended the same school and church for many years. Church socials were more of a family get together than church function. We cousins were all very close in age. We had the run of the back yards to play in. The massive tree house in Grandpa's back yard. If we scrapped a knee while riding a bike, grandma would sing "blow the man down' to make us laugh while she applied the germ killer that stung so much. Her dinning room, living room, and kitchen would squeeze us all in for Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. When your a kid, you think it will always be just like this forever.

Then Uncle Eddy moved away for a larger home when my cousin Danny was on the way. Not far enough to keep Leo (and later Danny) from getting together on summer vacation. It was a bit distant for winter cold.

Aunt Edie and Butch were the next to move farther away. The mountain started to crack. It would never be the same again.

While Eddy was growing up, grandma wanted him to be a minister. My mom was learning Japanese and planned on being a missionary in Japan. She could still sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" in Japanese when she died. Pearl Harbor kept mom from going.

Uncle Eddy was a Navy Veteran of WWII. He was in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the surrender of Japan. I think he was on the Gasganade. The same name is on the local Corp of Engineers work boat on the Missouri River.

It was an experience Eddy had during the war that forever kept him from becoming a minister. I heard grandma repeat the story over and over in my childhood. It was nighttime in the South Pacific. Eddy awoke to the sound of an explosion. Next was the order "ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS". Grabbing his helmet and life jacket he reported to his assigned gun. He was a gunners mate. I don't remember what class. After exchanges of shells one rocked Eddi's gun platform. Eddy bent down to apply first aid to his best friend. An officer yelled out "Eminger fire on the enemy" He left his friend to bleed to death. He remembered the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". He turned his back on the lord and fired with the intent to kill. It was that moment that took the calling out of Eddy. Grandma's version rarely changed by even a few words.

As we lose thousands of WWII vets nowadays, I thought I'd share his story. Eddy had a hard time talking about his time in the service, just like my dad.

I'll be kind of quiet for a few days. Please understand if IOU an email etc.

Omaha Steve over and out.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Man Steve... I am SO sorry!!!

I was the youngest in all of my cousins, so almost all of my aunts and uncles are gone. I know how you feel, man.

Cross gently Eddy.

[malaise]

2. Thanks for sharing

Deepest sympathy

[life long demo]

3. So sorry Steve

Keep those memories, but tell them often to new generations so they become their memories also. RIP Uncle Eddy

[Freddie]

4. So sorry for your loss

I too have very warm memories of holidays and vacations with aunts, uncles and cousins; only one aunt left of the older generation. Last week we buried my Mom and had a reunion of the cousins. No one said this but we all know that the next time we get together will be for another funeral. Just like there's no WWI vets left, soon enough the WWII vets, like my Dad, will be gone.

[Worried senior]

5. You have some wonderful memories

to carry you thru this awful time.

Your family sounds like the kind we all wish we had.

[90-percent]

6. Steve and I seem to be approximately the same age

I was born in 1954 and can remember certain stuff from back in the 50's quite clearly. I have only recently realized how old I really am and how so many people are younger than me.

I read thru a DU link that the height of post War middle class shared prosperity was 1965, and it's been slowly going down here ever since.

Those of my generation have a CIVIC DUTY to teach people about the America we were taught about in our youth - especially the ideals of our Country best embodied in our Constitution. There have been so many generations after that have had no experience or memory of the prosperous times Steve and I got to enjoy as children and young adults. I find it ironic that the decline of both middle class prosperity and our Constitutional Rights can both be pinpointed exactly in history - 1980 when Ron Reagan first got elected. Coincidentally, this was the same year I got my first post College "professional" job/career.

Today's young people know only of corporate serfdom. They know little of a fair workplace, job security, financial security, and hope for a better future. They do not know that in the post War 20th Century, there was roughly thirty years of shared prosperity and happiness, which I pin at about 1955 to 1985.

Those thirty years may prove to have been the most democratic years in the history of our country. I fear we are right in the middle of the most totalitarian police state years America has seen in well over a century. I just hope the historical pendulum swings back towards democracy instead of the current arc towards an utterly corrupt war driven oligarchy.

-90% Jimmy

[renate]

7. I'm sorry... but also glad that he's a part of such wonderful memories for you

Thanks for sharing his story. I'm very sorry for your loss.

[Omaha Steve]

8. I was asked to add a little info to the beginning about where I was

The area I grew up in was distant North Omaha. It had been the town of Florence when it was annexed by the City of Omaha in 1917. I was in kindergarten when mid year we moved from the original Florence School (it was past it's time and was a fire trap to boot etc.) to the NEW Florence School. To save money on shipping costs, the students marched from the old school carrying books with them. Florence was where the Mormon's crossed the Missouri River and made their winter camp. 359 Mormons are in the cemetery from that bad time.

The monument of a pair of parents mourning the loss of their child was erected in 1936:

You can't go back to those times. I can't either.