I was in my first year of college when Pearl Harbor was attacked. By the end of the following summer, I was drafted. My name is Harry is this is my story. I grew up in the south suburbs of Minneapolis with my younger sister and parents. I was still living at home when I was in college and going to boot camp was the first time that I had been away from my hometown. Boot camp was tough but I did enjoy being in a warmer climate during wintertime than being in Minnesota. Boot camp had ended and I was waiting for my next assignment when my staff sergeant called me into his office. He handed me a telegram and told me that I had granted two weeks leave.
My mother had unexpectedly died and I was to come home for the funeral. Being granted leave for any reason was unheard of during wartime but I assumed my father's cousin who was influential in Minnesota politics pulled a string for us. That afternoon I was on the first train back to Minneapolis.
The train pulled into our union station almost 48 hours later. I was tired from the journey and sad from the journey's purpose. I was walking off the platform with my duffel bag when I saw my father waving to me. I waved back to him and to my sister who were waiting for me. I now remembered why my sister, Faith, reminded me of Carole Lombard. Faith has tall, thin, fair skin, pale blue eyes, natural blond hair that slightly curled at her shoulders, and wore almost no makeup except for lipstick. I dropped my duffel bag as Faith hugged me. My father, Frank, shook my hand in his usual stoic manner and welcomed me home. It was nice to be home after months of being with only the guys and the sparse military living.
"I'm so glad that you were able to come home" smiled Faith, "We really missed you. Mom and I were so happy to get a letter from you and see how you were doing."
"Glad to have you home, son." said my father, "I am glad the service let you come home for the funeral."
I could see that my father had pulled some strings in his slight smile. I asked, "What happened to Mom? She seemed to be in good health when I left."
Frank said sadly, "She seemed to be in good health, never complained about feeling bad, wasn't sick, although she worried about you. Sunday afternoon, I found her on the kitchen floor. Doctor said it was her heart that stopped"
Faith and I were quiet as my father drove us home. Faith occasional had to wipe a tear away. As my father talked, I began to realize how their lives had changed since I had been away. Food, cigarettes, tires and gasoline were being rationed and what I used to take for granted was now scarce. On the bright side, my father took a new job at the local defense plant and was making better money than he ever had during the depression. My sister had graduated high school and was debating whether to go to college or make the good money at the plant. Our car pulled into the asphalt driveway of our white frame house. I thought how nice it was to be home again as I carried my duffle to my old room. It had been a long couple of days and I immediately fell asleep in my old bed.
I woke up the next morning, dressed in my uniform, and joined my father and sister. We drove to the funeral home. I got to spend some time thinking about my mother as I sat next to her casket. The funeral home had done a very good job and she looked happy surrounded by baskets of flowers. Soon our friends and relatives arrived and most of the conversations were about how sorry they were and catching up with each other's lives. I lost count of talking about how military life was treating me. After a few hours, our pastor came in for a small speech and then we walked to the churchyard nearby where my mother was buried. It was sad for us and I could see that it was real hard on my sister. I put my arm around her shoulder as we walked back to where our car was parked. It was a very long and silent ride back home.
We drove home and my uncle and his wife were already there waiting for us. They were going to fix dinner for us so that we could relax the rest of the day. My father went into the living room and propped open the lid of the console radio. The radio buzzed softly after being turned on and after Frank adjusted the station dial to his favorite program, he sat in his easy chair. Faith had changed into a blouse and slacks. She was going to help in the kitchen but our aunt told her to relax and wait for dinner. I could see that she didn't know what to do and I was getting bored just standing around too.
"You want to throw the baseball around like we used to?" I asked
"I'd love to play catch" smiled Faith, "Wait here and I'll get the ball and gloves!"
I watched as she went up the stairs. She really did look like Lombard, especially in those slacks. She threw my glove down the stairway which I caught and then I followed her into the backyard. It was like old times as we threw the baseball back and forth. I could see that the day's events were fading from her mind as she began to smile and talk. Playing catch was good for me also. It seemed like the ball passed between our hands for hours when our aunt yelled out the back door and told us it was dinner time. The family sat down for a chicken dinner and later my father thanked our aunt for using her sugar and coffee rations when dessert was served. It was starting to get late when our relatives left and the three of us went to bed. It had been a long day but as I was falling asleep, I was thinking how much fun I had tossing the ball with Faith.
The next day was Sunday and the day our family always went to church. Since my father worked long evening hours, we went to the noon meeting and we did get to sleep in late. I awoke around eleven, cleaned up and dressed in my dress uniform. As I walked down the stairway, I could smell the coffee and baked biscuits coming from the kitchen. My father was already dressed in his suit eating at the table. Faith had made the breakfast and was already dressed for church. She was beautiful as ever with a floral dress with white dress shoes to match. She and I sat with my father and ate a quick breakfast. I helped Faith clean up and we left for church. In church, Faith sat between me and my father. I was distracted by the perfume she had on and all during the church service thought how nice she smelled.
After service, we chatted for an hour with the other church members then went home. At home, we snacked on yesterday's leftovers and talked. Soon my father was getting ready for work and he came into the kitchen to wish us a good evening. After he left, Faith and I sat on the swing on the front porch. We chatted about what she was going to do after school and what the military was like. After about an hour, I went back into the living room and and turned on the radio. The NBC Red network was playing some local big band music from the local affiliate. I turned up the sound to where we could hear it on the porch. Then I went to the fridge and grabbed two cold Grain Belt beer bottles. I sat back on the swing with Faith and handed her one.
"Like old times" Faith grinned, "Still sneaking Dad's beer for us to drink."
"I think that I have better excuses now" I chuckled, "I know he still doesn't know you drink beer once in awhile. He will think that I drank them both and I don't think he will care. Dad has more respect for me since I'm in the service and thinks I'm a man now."
"I know" said my sister, "He says that a lot when you are not around. To me, you are still my brother who likes to be with me. I think of you as still a kid like me."
We just sat on the swing for awhile and enjoyed the music as the sun and our beer was going down. It had started to get dark when these sirens in the neighbor went off. I looked at my sister and yelled to her over the sirens, "What is this all about?"
Faith cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled to me, "It the air raid sirens and it's a blackout. We need to go inside!" I looked confused and I didn't understand what was going on and followed her inside.
Inside the sirens whined in the background but we could speak in a normal voice. "What is it all about?" I asked.
