Al didn’t personally experience racism until his basic training in Alabama before his service during WWII. After the war, Al decided baseball was a good choice for him and joined Chicago’s Negro League team called the Chicago American Giants.
Paul Kessler was born at the start of WWII. When he was five years old, he awoke to screaming. He and his mother ran into the forest and hid there for weeks.
As WWII raged on, Charlie joined the navy and ended up on a ship in the Pacific theater as the U.S. continued to fight Japan. He was also present when Japan signed the peace treaty that ended the war.
Ron’s family moved many times, and as a boy during the Great Depression he
worked at polishing shoes, being a paperboy, helping at a grocery store and having
a small newsstand, all to contribute to the family income. After Ron’s father left, he
became the main support for his family.
Dick was drafted and stationed in the Pacific during WWII. He worked with weather equipment sending important information to the Allies that would determine attacks against the Japanese. It was lonely on that island except for one little friend: a friendly monkey who became his pet.
During battle in Germany, Henry Wood and his unit hid in foxholes to avoid gunfire. Unfortunately, Henry was shot in the arm by a German sniper. After three operations, he was sent home to Illinois with an honorable discharge.
In 1942, a simple little note of thanks to Bob’s mother from a woman she helped escape from Germany led to her arrest by the Gestapo. Bob and his parent’s lives were changed forever when they were sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp.
Dean Urick joined the Navy as an officer candidate, and his first assignment was on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There Dean suffered injuries from an explosion, but he was not permitted to give details to any of his family and friends. Decades later, the sailors who lived through this second Pearl Harbor disaster would be allowed to tell their stories.
During WWII, at the young age of 17, Ray Fayhee left small-town life to join the
Merchant Marines. From the Merchant Marines to the Army to the National Guard, Ray faithfully served his country for the next eight years.
