Below the “Z”, near the bottom of the trolley, you can see the tilted shelf our sneakers clung to. Clang-Clang-Clang went the Trolley The Bronx 1940 It was early Sunday morning. Horses, clip-clopping over cobble-stoned Boston Rd. had already pulled their Sheffield Farms milk wagons to their stable. Elderly Black female congregants, hidden under yellow, white,… Continue reading Clang-Clang-Clang Went the Trolley
The Becks Arrive
The Becks Arrive The Bronx 1942 Yankee Stadium was the predominant playing field in the Bronx, but we had our own stadium, Seabury Place. After the steamrollers went over the asphalt, it was as flat as a popsicle. As a result, stickball, hockey, two-hand-touch and off-the-curb left their imprints on its surface. The street was… Continue reading The Becks Arrive
Seabury Place: A Bronx Profile in the 1940s
Seabury Place: A Bronx Profile in the 1940s From the accumulation of snow, sidewalks could not be distinguished from the streets. It was Saturday in the winter of 1948. Mr. Sikora, the janitor of 1426 Seabury Place who accompanied Admiral Byrd on one of his arctic explorations (or so he said) quickly got out of… Continue reading Seabury Place: A Bronx Profile in the 1940s
The Hindenburg
The Hindenburg Nineteen thirty-seven was not a hopeful year, but we didn’t know it. Seven year olds weren’t expected to know it. Neighbors shared two-cent papers, hot water visited us occasionally and heat rose from the basement when a few hammer blows split shards of silver paint off our radiator. Perhaps this would rouse the… Continue reading The Hindenburg
Sgt. Flaherty
Sgt. Flaherty Who was behind that huge auburn mustache that was filtering the grime and dust of the Korean landscape? He trimmed it neatly and wore it proudly. Sgt, Flaherty, like many of the men in Company L, and our future company commander were an airborne paratroopers converted to infantrymen after the ARCT (Airbone Regimental… Continue reading Sgt. Flaherty
Peanuts and Crackerjacks
Peanuts and Crackerjacks The Bronx 1946 “Mom, the Yankees are playing the Cleveland Indians and Bobby Feller is pitching. Can I go?” “Who doesn’t go school, but goes to a ballgame? It’s mishugeh. There will be a ballgame on the weekend. That’s when normal people go to a game.” But this is Bobby Feller. He… Continue reading Peanuts and Crackerjacks
What Happened to Oscar Konnerth?
Oscar Konnerth with Dan on Outpost Mary What Happened to Oscar Konnerth? Chorwon Valley, Korea March 1952 The Zenith Transoceanic (a wet cell battery radio) was turned off as the sun began to sink behind the mountains of Chorwon Valley. Remnants of sunlight faded the stars, but soon they’ll begin to twinkle in the blackened… Continue reading What Happened to Oscar Konnerth?
A Senior Evening
A Senior Evening At Valentino’s, any entree can easily sate two gourmands. The price is right and the food is delicious. Walter, Julie, Sheila (my wife) and I meet once a month at this restaurant in Yonkers. “What would you like to drink?” asked our waiter. Sheila ordered an Apple Tucker, Julie, a Vodka Martini, Walter, a glass… Continue reading A Senior Evening
Stenches in the Trenches
Daniel Wolfe, left Joseph Kolar, right. I am carrying Oscar Konnerth’s M1. He was evacuated to a MASH (hospital). Stenches in the Trenches Chorwon Valley, Korea August 1952 We heated our C-ration cans on Charley’s stove, which he cleverly created from a 50-caliber machine gun canister. A slightly widened part of the Korean trench line… Continue reading Stenches in the Trenches