Memorial Day

May 27, 2012

This is from Richard.     This is for my next 67 years.     This is a story of 67 years.    I had a close shave on Memorial Day back then and thank goodness for some reason or other I survived.    So thankfully for my grandkids and my kids I lived.   

 (Picture is missing 2 of my grand kids but the rest are here.)

 

 The 67 years have been productive.   I have a nice family and nice grandkids and I have been moderately successful.   I thank my stars on Memorial Day in 1945…   my story is too old.   It’s a good 67 years.    I was 20 when I was on Okinawa.  

But I am home and alive and I have had a good life so I am grateful.   

We have been home alone this week.     Everyone had a great time at Peggy’s but everyone is back home except for Patty and Drew (who is really Mark but there are too many Marks so we call him Drew).  

Had some activity yesterday on Railroad Avenue because of a car show.   Wasn’t real big as it seems like everybody left town for the weekend except me and Leona and we are happy to be here.    We have just put our feet up and took it easy.          We watched Memorial Day activities in Washington DC on TV till they called it off because of a storm there and just re-ran last year's show.  

This is Richard Seidel on historic Railroad Avenue.  

This is the old story gleaned from past writings……

Memorial Day memories…..  

We used to call it Decoration Day and it was on May 30th. I can remember mom picking up flowers to take to the cemetery. She went to Heinrich’s yard; they had lots of flags (iris) and lots of other perennials which old houses were noted for.

         (Richard's grandparents, Sebastian and Friedericka Seidel's grave in the old Sandoval cemetery.)

What I remember most is Decoration Day, May 30, 1945 on Okinawa.   When I had last been home, it was obvious that my mom was pregnant.    I hadn’t heard anything yet though it was past time for the baby to come. 

 (Thelma Seidel, mother of Richard, Emma Lou, Jean, Sue, Joe and Dan.)

 This day is still hard to write about or talk about even now.   It took me 40 years to tell it for the first time. When I thought of it the tears would always come in the eyes and it was impossible to talk about.  It was an hour of danger, horror and spiritual guidance, the love of two men, death and above all life which came in a letter from mom.

I was in the ‘chemical mortar company’ in the army but we were stationed with the Marines.  We were doing good. We were extending our firing range from one fourth to one half mile. Our observer said we had accounted for 14 nips and 3 gun emplacements.

A man named Patsy showed up. He was being transferred from the first squad though that was a little odd. Most of the men knew him as they had been in a couple campaigns before Okinawa. I also thought Patsy was unusual for a man’s name. He was also a little different. He didn't wear his steel helmet. He said liked to feel the wind in his hair.

I was keeping a supply of shells prepared for our mortars and when I wasn't busy I sat in the doorway of the house that was only a few feet to the right of my mortar. I heard incoming enemy artillery. As if by instinct I hit the dirt. The shell exploded on the hill in front of us. I looked up as I saw Patsy dropped another round into the mortar.

He shouted "You fellows be careful where you put those things".
A second shell wined in and explode 100 yards to our left. Patsy said "Now that's not nice".

I picked myself off the ground the second time. My legs were tingling and I felt an undeniable pressure I must move, I felt I was being motivated by an unseen force toward the open tomb. I crawled inside and sat one the one side of the 2 by 3 foot entrance.

Another shell came tearing through the air. Whoom--a shaft of dust and air shot into tomb through the 2 by 3 foot entrance. I looked out. The cottage where I had been sitting was a two foot high pile of red tile roofing. Our mortar was out of action. Patsy's body lay just in front of the entrance of the tomb. A thick mixture of blood and brains puddled out of his head.

Tony who was Patsy's best friend (and lover) from the first squad was the first to arrive. He said "What happened? Oh my god."   He threw his face on Patsy's heaving chest and sobbed uncontrollably. It took forever for Patsy to quit twitching and stop breathing. His shirt became wet with Tony’s tears. Patsy finally lay still. Tony was able to recite some prayers.   

The profound love and prayers I observed between these two men was something I had not seen before or even thought about until that moment.  Tony then stepped aside for the company commander who came from the rear headquarters to report on the death of Patsy. . "Here Seidel is a letter for you. The captain brought some mail when he came".    He handed it to me where I was still confined in the tomb by Patsy's lifeless body. Patsy was a brave man. He was still pumping shells in our mortar until the enemy artillery shell landed on it.    

I squinted as I held the letter to the shaft of light coming through the tomb entrance. It was a new letter--only 10 days old--and it was from mom. It hadn't been chased all over Hawaii, Siapan and Okinawa trying to find a G.I. in a Marine outfit.  It had passed over some older letters that hadn’t caught up with me yet.    Wow--now I will find out what happened. My trembling fingers opened the envelope.

Dear Richard
We haven't heard from you in over a week. We hope everything is going ok. We are all busy. Sue is studying for final exams school will be out on Friday.
Yes mom but what happened.

Your white face cow had a nice heifer calf. We put them out on pasture last week.
Yes mom but what happened?

Dad got some corn ground plowed but we got another big rain so it be awhile before gets it planted.
Yes mom but what happened?

Evelyn got your new address yesterday so you should be getting a letter from her soon.
Yes mom but what happened?

I will write more later as I must sign off now. Your brother is a little wet on the bottom.

Love

Mom

 

(Father Bill,  Mother Thelma and probably Joe who was announced to me on Memorial Day. )

So much for Memorial Day memories
 
 Brother Richard

Wedding

May 20, 2012 Sunday

This is from Richard.    From Woodland CA.   It has been a fantastic week for most of us.    It was my middle granddaughter's 12th birthday.    We generally make a lot of noise on birthdays and we did but it was sort of anti climatic because  she was a brides maid at my oldest granddaughter Megan (and Jason’s) wedding on her birthday.      

 

The wedding was at Peggy and Mark’s house and they were super duper duper hosts.   

 

Jason is the new grand son and   I am proud to be his grandfather.   He is a splendid man.    

I will soon be home on Railroad Avenue in historic Willcox Arizona.

Richard   

Leona 's wedding report.....   It was just a beautiful garden wedding with lovely wonderful people.    

Lots and lots and lots of good food.  

  

Miles officiated and he did such a good job that a dear uncle who had been married for 25 years re-did his vows with his wife right there.   

The dining area was festooned with hand made string lanterns,   (made by Megan with her artist friends)     and   clear sparkly lights.     

And Peggy’s calla lilies, some 4 foot tall were beautiful and  geraniums and lots of succulents.   

 

Richard says not to for get the eclipse of the sun that we witnessed Sunday afternoon....    oh and did i mention the food?  

 (Eclipsed sun reflected on the house from a mirror.)

 (Megan made the cakes too!   Yum!)

Wonderful vacation with so many wonderful people.    We roomed next to my sister Grace and we called my sister Vera on her 80th birthday.    

Leona 

Getting Old

May 6, 2012

Sunday

This is from Richard.   We are talking about getting old.    Leona took about an hour to read all the obits from around Sandoval and Willcox.    Some of the deceased were older than me and some of them I knew.   http://www.wjbdradio.com/index.php?f=obits 

We read about Harold Joyce.    He was a banker in Sandoval.   He was a good one to have.   I missed him when I moved to Willcox.   I would tell the people here in Willcox that I missed my Sandoval banker more than anything else when I moved.     Before I went to Arizona I had a pad of blank notes from him at the bank and he told me that you could put the amount here and date it and sign it and he will take care of me.   He always said that if I wanted to buy some machinery or some cattle,   just to write a check and when I came to town we would take care of it.   He would hold it till I could come to town.  (He knew I was a good customer.)   

  (Sandoval National Bank 1960s~)

In my early years in Willcox, I was trying to work with my big banker here.  He was giving me a hard time. I told him about my pad from the Sandoval Bank.  He couldn't believe me.   I should have told him that all he had to do was give me a pad of notes like Sandoval did for me.   And we would take care of it.      The banker came to the store a few days later and said he wanted to see that pad of notes I had so I had to pull it out of the drawer to show him.   

(Picture of the store as it looked like when we acquired it. Filming a movie named "Dalton" on Railroad Ave.  )

John and his family went up to the Chirichua Mountains today and tonight for a picnic so we were by ourselves.    

 (Chirichua Mountains October 2011)

 

Well Dan, I hope you have some soybeans sowed though I am not pushing you cause it is still early.   

 (Soybean field July 2011)

This is Dick Seidel on historic Railroad Avenue