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

Public Service

April 29, 2012

This is from Richard on Historic Railroad Avenue.   Peg asked “How did you get involved in politics Dad?”   Well, I was sitting there listening to the radio and was listening to John Kennedy.   He was the president and he was giving a speech, it was his inaugural speech I guess.    He inspired me.    He said ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”.   So I thought I would go down to Carrigan to the caucus there and someone nominated me for supervisor.    I think I was the first Democrat elected from Carrigan township since 1932.  

(Carrigan township hall in 2007)

Carrigan township had a small population.  We had a road commissioner and 3 officers and a clerk and had a meeting once a month.   I was the township supervisor and served as a county supervisor.   They have since changed the county supervisors  somewhat as they wanted the  to  representation to be aligned to the  population.   So now it can’t be just one from each township as there wasn't enough representation for the larger townships.   I served as supervisor for 11 years, until we moved to Arizona. 

(Marion County Court House in Salem Illinois were the County Board of Supervisors met.)  

In Arizona, I was on the city council for a bit.     My family got so involved with the police that I had to get on the council to find out what was going on.    Leona said they followed our daughter every time she left the driveway.  They were picking on my kids.    They stopped my kids 15 times one year.    Half the police department had to go.   

(City Hall in the old train depot in Willcox, Arizona 2012) 

I got a Facebook note from one of the folks that served in WW2 in the first chemical mortar company with me in Okinawa.   He  was from Streator Illinois.   I haven’t seen him for a couple of years.   Last time I was in Illinois I was busy at the anniversary party  in Northern Illinois and I stopped in to see the farm and relatives in southern Illinois so didn't see him.   He tries to keep us all together as far as the mortar company is concerned.      It would be good to see him again as so many of my world war two folks are gone already.   

(Sandoval Veterans Memorial in 2007  with Richard, Leona and Daughter Patty)

(Richard's block at the Memorial)

I would like go out to see if my farm is as good as last year .   But the first thing I have to do is go to California to help my oldest grand daughter to get married in May.  We are usually here at the oldest store in Arizona but we will be stepping out for that happy event.   

Oh and Happy Birthday Megan!  

This is Dick Seidel on historic railroad avenue

  

Work

April 15, 2012

Congratulations to Dan for getting all the corn planted.   So quick and so early.   You should make a bumper crop.      

(picture of 2011 corn field)

(Immature corn from that field in July 2011.)

When I was a youngster there was a farmer that had a peach orchard on the other side of the tracks from our farm.    I worked for three days for him picking peaches one fall and then I quit.   I quit to go to the county fair where I took my livestock .    (I was younger than in this picture.)

I remember this short job because he paid me for 3 days work and I think that is the only time I ever worked for anybody else.   All my other work has been for myself or for the farm or on commission.    All I can remember is the 3 days of work in my lifetime of so many years.   

(Farming involves a broad base of skills.) 

(Starting them early on the farm.)

(At the historic cash register in the Willcox Commercial)

(January 2012 at the store.)

It’s all okay with Richard on Historic Railroad Avenue 

April Fools Day Easter Party

April 1, 2012

This is Richard.   We are having an Easter dinner here.   Everyone is here including Patty and Drew,  Marty and Dan, John and Loretta, Leona and I and 5 grand children that seem like 20 kids.    We had our traditional egg hunt for Easter eggs.   It’s usually held on the patio at the back of the store.  There is usually lots of eggs outdoors and lots of places to hide.      

 

The grandkids charged out in the yard to get the Easter eggs.     There was nothing there.    It dawned on them that it was April Fools day.  April Fools!!!   So they went inside to the store and their eggs were found in the store.    That was the joke of the day.   

It hasn’t been a bad week except I was sick most all the week.    That was my unsavory feeling…….    Like my brother in law said,  I was pooped out.   So I didn’t do much all week but I am feeling better.     Now I am ready for a new week.  

 

This is Dick Seidel on historic Railroad Avenue  

Big Guys invest in Willcox, just like me

 

March 11, 2012

This time we will talk about Warren Buffet.     I am his mentor.   Every time I do something he does the same thing.    I haven’t been around Warren Buffet before but I admire him.    I meant he is my mentor… someday I will be a billionaire if I live long enough.   I think he is one of the top 3 richest persons in America or the world.    I think somebody in Mexico is richer than him.   But he still has a few extra dollars.     His son is helping to use some of his money.   They are buying a track of land south of Willcox.   And he is trying to farm in the desert without the water.   Better be good if he can, then he could take that whole dry lake  ….  60 square miles of it and farm it.     That would even be better than Dan in Central America even.      That would be a good thing to spend his dad’s money on.    

Like Dan I like to make something out of nothing too.     I am proud of family and my grandkids and I am also proud of my farm that I used to run back in Illinois.   I remember when I was a kid it wouldn’t grow anything but ticklegrass   but now, thanks to Dan it is the best farm in the county.     (picture from 2008)

I  mostly proud of the second thing I have done….   Historic Railroad Avenue.     When I first got on Historic Railroad Avenue they had a brochure telling what tourists could do in Arizona (30 – 40 years ago).   The back of the pamphlet it said that Willcox has a Historic Distinct  but it was filled drugs and derelicts .    This Week I read in the Arizona Range News…   a candidate before the city council said he was making historic downtown a priority  “without a doubt railroad park is unique and singular, beautiful, historic, patriotic, momentous, traditional, enduring, and much too small”.    They don’t call me mayor for nothing around here.   

This is Dick Seidel the honorary Mayor of Historic Railroad Avenue.