London, 1940. The Luftwaffe was reducing the city to rubble. Flames escaped from the windows of hollow apartment buildings. Streets were littered with shattered walls, ceilings, bricks and glass. In subway bomb shelters, the city’s population trembled to the shriek of Goering’s bombers. London’s air raid wardens, volunteers from its aging population, carried on like frontline… Continue reading There’s a War On, Moron.
Hill 117
Hill 117 On August 8, 1952, Company L gathered at twilight. Massey, our armorer, distributed bandoleers for the M1 rifles and cartridges for my carbine. The chaplain was waiting under a grove of trees. He launched us off to our jon boats with the 23 Psalm. Hill 117 was waiting. Hill One-One-Seven was only a… Continue reading Hill 117
A Monsey Experience
“Do you need a job?” “I could use one, but I walk the picket line in the morning.” My neighbor, Steven called to say, “I just left my afternoon job at a yeshiva in Monsey. If you want it, here’s the number.” It was early September, 1968. The United Federation of Teachers in New York… Continue reading A Monsey Experience
Boots and Caps in the 1930s
Should I wear moccasins with jeans or my Nikes? I better ask my wife Sheila before I get a tutorial on style. The assortment of shoes in my closet carried me back to the 1930s when I was attending P.S. 61 in the Bronx. My collection consisted of the shoes I was wearing, and the… Continue reading Boots and Caps in the 1930s
The Vanity Boot Shop
Why am I writing about shoes? In his meager salary during the Great Depression, I couldn’t understand why my father made sure the family had a good quality shoe. All shoes were leather I thought, and were the same style whether they cost $5.00 or $15.00 In the winter of 1942, when I came home… Continue reading The Vanity Boot Shop
What is a Bunker Bomb?
During a reading of Cold Ground’s Been My Bed in Manhattan, an active question and answer period followed. A senior stood up and asked, “What are you talking about? I was in the infantry in WWII and I never heard of it. What is a bunker bomb?” Not many people knew of its existence I… Continue reading What is a Bunker Bomb?
A Winter’s Tale
I was hanging by my feet from the top of the frozen monkey bars in Crotona Park playground. My corduroy knickers provided insulation for the backs of my knees as I swung like a pendulum. How many nine-year-olds can do this, I muttered to myself. Suspended from the top of the bars I had an inverted view of… Continue reading A Winter’s Tale
Col. Sid As We Knew Him
Colonel “Sid” As We Knew Him In Section 66, Site 5912, Arlington National Cemetery rests Lt. W. A. Sidney (Col. Ret.), airborne paratrooper and multi-decorated commander of Company L, 15th Regt. 3rd Infantry Division in Korea (1952). Interred with him was his gifted military foresight. Unfortunately, the details of this man who saved numerous lives in… Continue reading Col. Sid As We Knew Him
Pop Myer’s
It was a store whose ambiance and irascible tenant could never be replicated. There never will, and cannot ever be another Pop Myer’s. His tiny store stood on the northwest side of Crotona Avenue just off Tremont in the Bronx. Overwhelmed by its prosperous commercial neighbors on Tremont Avenue, it seemed to have dissolved into… Continue reading Pop Myer’s
My Corduroy Knickers
A manufacturer produces a corduroy fabric. Machines roll them into bolts of cloth then are shipped to their merchants. What becomes of the fabric can become an adventure that its creator could have never imagined. A fractional bolt of brown corduroy cloth ended up at a mini-store in the East Bronx, then this tale… Continue reading My Corduroy Knickers