Why Weren’t We Bored? The Bronx Midway through the 1930s, and on to the 1940s the Great Depression provided the economic setting of our lives. With nothing but dust and unraveled threads in our pockets, and parents trying to sustain a family on meager or absent funds, we found the means to add color to… Continue reading Why Weren’t We Bored?
Benny Hoover Korea 1952
Benny Hoover Korea Uijonbu, Korea July 1952 An awning of blond, edging towards white-wavy hair shaded his pink complexion. From a distance the complexion appeared to be porcelain-pink, but upon approaching, one could see that the pink was composed of arteriole rivulets and their branching tributaries. His fatigue shirt billowed over his pants leaving a… Continue reading Benny Hoover Korea 1952
What Has Motivated Me To Write?
I’m an unremarkable person who has lived an ordinary life with a few odd, but singular moments. I have a beautiful and caring wife, and had three children. We lost a handsome and talented son due to a drug accident. My remaining children are happily married each with a son and a daughter. Until ninth grade… Continue reading What Has Motivated Me To Write?
Charley Korea 1952
Charlie Kaurneckis Chorion Valley, Korea 1952 “Sarah, roll the wallpaper off the walls, we’re moving.” This was Charley. He had a negative comment for every ethnic group. Did he know his own? When I told him that I was Jewish and from New York, he exclaimed, “Oh, a New York Irishman! From now on… Continue reading Charley Korea 1952
What Am I Doing Up Here?
What Am I Doing Up Here? The Bronx Finn!, Finn! You can’t catch me! Mrs. Levine, was our next door neighbor. Pretending to be baffled, she ran after me until this three-year-old settled under her tottering dining room table. I was lost, she pretended, and feigned a call for help from another neighbor. Without children… Continue reading What Am I Doing Up Here?
Attack: Hill 117
Attack:Hill 117 Chorwon Valley Tuesday August 8, 1952 Our front lawn was plated with discarded C-Ration cans, and embedded with Bouncing Betties (land mines). A free lane leading to the valley in front of us assured us that we would never have a date with Betty. Lt. Sidney, our company commander visited our bunkers to… Continue reading Attack: Hill 117
A Day at the Races
A Day At the Races The Bronx 1937 It was 11:00 AM on Sunday. A posse of three-wheelers were spinning around Mrs. Baretz’s candy store 0n Boston Road. Milty was in the lead. Jack, Bernie and I followed. Eight-year-olds were pedaling to the stoop of the New House where Mr. Ross and Mr. Weiner were… Continue reading A Day at the Races
Bob Banker, Mgr.
Bob Banker, mgr. The Bronx 1947 Baseball is and was the National Pastime, but it had to be played on a grass field. Our sport was dedicated to the black surface of our streets or the cement surface of a nearby schoolyard. A pink Spalding, a softball, a baseball glove, a broomstick, a cracked surface of… Continue reading Bob Banker, Mgr.
Porcelain In the Piano
Porcelain In the Piano Ellenville NY 1947 School was over! To the Catskills! To the Catskills! This was an opportunity to exchange polluted city air for pristine mountain air. Many Jewish families in the summer, rented a kochalayn (you do the cooking), which was a spare wooden bungalow with a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms. On the… Continue reading Porcelain In the Piano
Alvin
Alvin The Bronx Late 2940s I first saw him on a Friday afternoon when I was carrying a jar of pickles home from Jake the Pickleman. I was short. I envied his height and his off-white heavy knit, wool sweater. My brother didn’t have one, so there was no legacy for me on the horizon.… Continue reading Alvin