"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage -
to know who we are and where we come from.
- Alex Haley
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| Telegram from May 1, 1945, when my grandfather was stationed in Manila under General McArthur |
In the months following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, my grandfather, Joseph Sedivy, decided to enlist in the Army; he was sworn in on October 29, 1942. Less than two weeks later--on Armistice Day--he married my grandmother, Ruby Wampler, in LaMoure, ND. My grandpa passed away last January, but I think it is still permissible for me to think of today as their 69th wedding anniversary.
I blogged earlier in the year about my grandfather's death, and also a little bit about the process of my grandparent's lake home being sold. While preparing to put the house on the market, I came across a substantial collection of old photos, letters, newspaper clippings, and my grandpa's scrapbook from his time as a Teletype Operator with the 52nd Signal Battalion during WWII. Between the dates of 5/18/44 and 1/13/46, his service included the campaigns of New Guinea, the Southern Philippines, and Luzon. I have only begun to sift through everything, but I am enjoying all the little discoveries I am making as I love family history.
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| Copy of the message sent from General McArthur to the Emperor of Japan that my grandfather kept and brought home from the war. He said this was one of the rare messages sent in English as most were sent in a 4-letter code, and he had charge of six teletype machines on the floor below McArthur's office. The building had a functional elevator as I remember my grandpa telling me of riding in the elevator with General McArthur on several occasions. |
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Milne Bay, New Guinea
Grandpa Joe is 2nd from the left
(the REALLY TAN one!) |
I have come across many really unique keepsakes (I would consider the image above to be a much bigger deal than just a "unique keepsake,") but what matters most to me are the items that are of no real historical significance--the little journal where he recorded notes, or the tiny black and white photographs of his time in the service. On the back of the photo to the left he had written the names of all the men in the picture along with their home states. He listed them from left to right, and when he got to himself (second from the left) he wrote:
? who -- some native
I couldn't help but laugh at his little joke. I never knew my grandfather to be very talkative, especially about his time in the service. But with this one snapshot, and this little caption, I can feel his sense of humor. The guy next to my grandpa has his arm around him, tucked into his shirt, (undoubtedly squeezing his nipple as only screwball young--and not so young--men can do.) The Sedivy heritage is Czech, and my grandfather always had dark skin, so maybe they teased him about how tan he is, leading to the "some native" self-label. I don't know...but despite having my grandfather in my life for 32 years, I feel like I am seeing him only now.
On my lap is a small leather notebook that he carried with him. Inside he had made two lists, one of money orders he sent home (likely to either my grandma or his own mother,) and another of memorable dates from his time in the service. At first, I felt disoriented reading it. I only knew my grandfather's handwriting after he had a slight case of Parkinson's--the shaky, yet even, script he used to record the daily weather, or their monthly bills, as even late in life his mind was sharp and he liked to make lists. It took me a minute before I smiled and realized, this was the handwriting of my grandpa when he was young! As a calligrapher, I can appreciate his little swashes, or the emotion behind his letters. I can feel the evenness of the first set of "Some dates to remember," which I suspect he wrote in one sitting and not as he went along. I can feel his shock on March 16, 1944, when he arrived in Manila and wrote, "Left Subic Bay, arrived Manila same day. What a sight. Harbor a graveyard of sunken Jap ships. Jap bodies floating around in the bay...(at this point, his pen dies, and he swaps it out for a different one)...Jap bodies floating around in the bay. Dead Japs lying all around the place." I can hear his excitement later that year, on November 18, when he scripts in elated letters, "Transferred into 2nd Co Det 1, 4025th. 52nd Sig busted up going home!"
My gratitude for these little insights into him is overwhelming!
