It Was Our World War Too

The Author’s Apology

It Was Our World War Too! is not a blood-and-guts, shoot-’em-up novel. If that is what you are looking for, this isn’t it.

The title, with emphasis on the word Too, was selected this way:

All branches of the military—the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Seabees, and the Merchant Marine—performed above and beyond their call of duty.

They, along with all of the defense plants that provided ordnance, ships, aircraft, and land-based vehicles, did an excellent job.

Likewise, all the civilian organizations—the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Red Cross, Salvation Army, USO, Travelers Aid, Family Service, United Way, and Volunteers of America, along with many other groups—emphasized with pride their part in helping win the war.

It truly was a joint effort on the part of all of these organizations.

We certainly should never overlook the importance of the individual who served in the military; their mother, father, spouse, children, and other family members; defense workers; those who bought War Bonds; those who collected scrap metal and other needed material for the war effort; those who planted Victory Gardens; those who provided entertainment; and, most importantly, the letter writers.

To them we say, “Thank you.”

A special thank you to those of you who had a Silver Star displayed in your window, indicating you had a loved one in the service—with extra concern if it was accompanied by a Purple Heart.

Our heartfelt thanks, with love of the best kind, and our deepest appreciation and sympathy, go to those of you who had the Silver Star turn to Gold, indicating that the individual made the supreme sacrifice.

Anita and I worked hard trying to do our part. I, by serving as a Marine; Anita, by working for two military aircraft builders—one as a welder helping build gliders that were to be used in the European Theater, and the other as a Rosie the Riveter, helping build the B-24 Liberator bombers used extensively against both Japan and Germany.

Both of us were doing our best to get the war over quickly so we could get on with our lives. Of course we exchanged letters. She was almost always able to get one off to me every day, and I tried my best to do the same.

Anita’s were filled with personal things about us, our daughter Leslie, and other family members and friends. Mine were similar, but you have to remember that many of mine were censored.

I often thought about how we both handled these difficult times doing our part. It was our world war also. Wow! What a title that would be for my world war memoir: It Was Our World War Too!

This is our story, about two young individuals, very much in love at seventeen and eighteen years old, who had our heads in the sky, yet kept both feet firmly planted on the ground.

Before Anita and Thom, there were many generations. Before these generations there were many more. Each of these generations made an infinite number of decisions that placed us together on the chronological timeline that allowed us to become friends, then lovers and partners for life.

We can only speculate as to the number of decisions that went into placing us on the same side of the Atlantic Ocean, on the same continent, in the same nation, same state, same county, same city, and in the same neighborhood at the right point in time that started us on our life together.

For all of their decisions and ours, I will always be grateful. Knowing that a change in any one of these decisions could have resulted in our never finding each other is scary!

Out of respect for our grandparents we referred to them as Grandfather and Grandmother. Likewise our parents were referred to as Mother and Father, but soon became Mom and Dad.

Unlike some individuals who can recall events that took place when they were quite young—some as young as infants and others several years old—I wrote in the foreword of my 1995 memoir that I have no recollection of any actual activities that I was involved in prior to my starting school.

Keeping with that premise, I have no recollection of my Grandfather Zivic, who died when I was two, or my Grandfather Kolesa, who died when I was three.

Mother often said she raised five boys. She was, of course, referring to her four sons and her husband. She and my father were married in 1920 and were great role models for me and my three brothers. Frank Junior, born in 1922, was here two years before I came in 1924. John (also known as Babe) arrived in 1930, when I was almost six, and Roy in 1934, ten years after me. Anita was born in 1925, fitting into the family perfectly!

There isn’t any event, battle, or theater of operations that is more important than any other in World War II. Every incident is the most important one to the individuals involved, who carried their share of the burden and their share of the victory that brought World War II to its successful conclusion.

Because our involvement was primarily centered around the Pacific theater, most of this story revolves around events with which we are most familiar. Thank you for your understanding.

I have tried my best to present this compilation of our story, It Was Our World War Too!, in an easy-to-read scenario.

However, please keep in mind that I am 92 years old, and some of the dialogue, grammar, punctuation, and spelling may be dated.

All reported information is verifiable except that which is attributed to oral tradition and Anita’s and my memory.