It Was Our World War Too

Come Fly with Me

As winter turned into spring, our relationship began to take off. Come fly with me, I suggested, to eternity.

Somewhere during this period we passed right through the “best friends” relationship and went into being comfortable with exchanging confidential information. We began to spend several evenings a week sitting on her porch swing, discussing our social life and our problems. There was no romance yet.

I started to plan my departures from home to coincide with hers, and I became part of the group that walked to high school together, mostly girls. There was Anita, Nellie and Alvera Cunningham, Alice Hanvey, Roberta Tosh, and Millie Stack. It wasn’t long before Anita and I would fall back from the crowd and were walking together.

Once I offered to carry her books. She let me. Our hands touched as we transferred the books. A few steps farther, we both reached out and held hands. What an experience that was! I was holding her books and mine with my right hand and holding her right hand with my left hand.

Then one night it happened, just like they said it would. Skyrockets, bells, and whistles. We had been riding with a group of boys and girls in Alvera’s oldest brother Art’s car. He parked in his garage and everyone got out except Anita and me. We decided to stay and talk for a while. There wasn’t much talking. We had our first kiss, and that was when our friendship was supplemented by love and passion.

It wasn’t long before we both decided we had better get out of the car. I stayed on her front porch and we talked through the screen door.

We had our goodnight kiss through the screen.

A week earlier, Roberta Tosh asked me to go to a skating party with her and I had accepted. But things were different now, and I told Roberta I couldn’t go with her as Anita and I were going to start going steady.

The word spread quickly that we were a twosome, and we spent an awful lot of time together. That “awful” translates into “full of awe.”

One morning, Mr. Love, the boys’ dean, called me into his office. Anita was working for the Love family as a babysitter and helping with cooking and housework. I phoned her there a number of times, and I was sure I was in some kind of trouble because of those sometimes lengthy conversations.

But it wasn’t that at all. The Edwardsville National Bank had asked Mr. Love to recommend someone to operate their elevator after school and on Saturday if needed.

Mr. Love thought I was capable and could do the job now football season was over. I was thrilled and went about preparing myself for the interview.

When they agreed to hire me, I immediately went to the newsstand and resigned my job as a newspaper boy. My new job at the bank was such an advancement.

There were plenty of young boys wanting to pass papers, including younger brothers John, who was now twelve, and Roy, who was willing to help if asked, even though he was only eight. Mr. Love knew Anita and I were seeing a lot of each other. Possibly that was why he thought of me.

I was very happy to have such a great opportunity. They had a full-time man during the day and on Saturday. On occasion he would want time off and I would work Saturdays. I could not be excused from school to work.

Anita would come to the bank and we would talk in the lobby, or she would ride up and down with me. I started at 4:00 in the afternoon, after school. From four until five, things were very busy. After the offices closed, most of the riders were either going to or coming from Dr. Wall’s office, which was on the fourth floor. Dr. Wall was a general practitioner.

In addition to Mr. Love, others at school knew of Anita’s and my relationship. Mr. Utechtt, from Mt. Nebo, was a janitor. He knew my mom and dad and Anita’s mom and dad. We asked if we could eat lunch in the custodian’s room. He invited us in. There were several times that we went there without his being around to serve as a chaperone. Coach Smith cautioned me on one occasion about getting too serious with Anita. All Verna Mae and Verna May could say was, “We saw it coming for years.”

Anita was taking chemistry and I was assigned to her class as student lab assistant. She was having trouble getting her lab assignment completed and asked me for help. With only a few days remaining to get it finished, we had some serious work ahead of us. Her original project was to make soap.

For some reason it didn’t turn out. I suggested a new approach. Instead of making soap, let’s concentrate on the presentation of how soap is made. We selected Ivory Soap as the example: no color, no smell, just soap.

I provided the chemicals that went into making soap and she arranged the display. I provided the containers and I made the signs that explained the process. We thought it looked good. So did her teacher. Anita was happy, I was happy, and her teacher was happy. Anita told me “we” got an A.

I too had a project that I had to complete. Mine was in art class. The assignment was for a term paper.

I asked if I could do something different. My instructor agreed. I prepared a book, Great Artists of World Recognition. It contained three pages on each of twenty-seven different artists. They included pictures, facts about the picture, the artist, and my critique. I received an A for my effort at my first attempt to produce a book, along with a complimentary note concerning my creativity. I still have the 80-page book.

Charles Rizzoli was a fellow football player and a good friend. He and several others from the camera club were making a movie for their project. It appeared everyone had an assignment to finish before finals.

A scene that Charlie wanted me to see and help with was filmed on a Sunday afternoon at the shale pit, an abandoned lake made by a manufacturer of bricks. I didn’t have an acting part. I was part of the work crew. I never saw the movie but was told it was very well done and interesting.

On a much sadder note, a few weeks later, a group of seniors cut class and went for a swim at the shale pit.

It was reported that none of the boys were good swimmers. Classmate Charles Ohm drowned that day.

After the senior high school dropouts, failures, and those that died, there were 201 listed on the class roll. Glenn Ackerman was first, I was just before Judy Kubicek, and Paul Yenne was listed last as he had been since the first grade.

Our yearbook had comments about the seniors in its Class Will and Class Prophecy sections. My will said, “I, Thomas Kolesa, leave to find a new substitute for whitewash.” My prophecy for 1952 stated, “Ed Agles and Tom Kolesa are still playing football. I just saw them lose in the Orange Bowl in New Orleans.”

Graduation day was the 5th of June, 1942. It was hot in the gym. Mom and Dad sat in the parents’ section and Anita sat with the students. I went from one to the other as soon as it was over. Mom and Dad rode home together, and Anita and I walked and talked our way home.

Several months later I prepared a large cartoon of our activities. Included in the area devoted to graduation was the notation that I had lipstick on the collar of my Arrow shirt. This memory page provided me with a lot of information concerning the next several months of our relationship.

While working at the bank I had access to scrap material that the offices threw away for various reasons, either obsolete or damaged. I used an old counter check and wrote a check to “Miss Nita Rogers” for one thousand kisses. She kept it. It was dated July 3, 1942.

Anita said she “cashed” it long before we got married. I used business stationery to write her love notes.

One impressive document, an abstract of title, gave her complete ownership of me “…until taken from this world by an Act of God.” She signed it, Nita J. Rogers, in pencil.

My job provided me with enough spending money for Anita and me to occasionally stop at Rusty’s for hamburgers and Cokes on our way home.

Rusty’s is located in Lower Town, across J Street from the Kolesa Market. Rusty’s was the first brick building in the area, built in 1819 as a trading post and store for the Pogue brothers, who came to Illinois to trade with the Indians.

Later it became the area’s first post office and housed the Edwardsville Land Office.

Mom and Dad took us boys to Rusty’s on special occasions to enjoy a hamburger. I guess that is why I felt comfortable taking Anita there.

What a hamburger it was! We could hardly hold it together while we ate it. They were on a large bun, loaded with pickles, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, with an olive on top. A full bottle of catsup was always sitting on the table. I consumed a lot of it on my hamburgers. Rusty’s hamburgers were the standard by which all other so-called hamburgers were judged. In those days they cost a dime.

Have you noticed that a lot of things cost a dime? Rusty’s hamburgers, the show, malts. Candy bars were three for a dime; popcorn was two for a dime. Bridge fare and numerous other items were a dime. Some gas stations actually sold a half gallon of gasoline for a dime.

A few people did have a dime to spare. That’s how the popular panhandler phrase became so common: “Mister, can you spare a dime?”

Anita took a job at the malt shop on Main Street near the center of town. She made a great chocolate malted milk. The shop had a good reputation for quality and quantity. I spent quite a few dimes there for malts.

On one of the days that we both had off, I talked her into climbing the water tower in Leclaire. We had no trouble during our trip up, but once we were on the walkway around the top she became frightened. She was too scared to enjoy the view. We weren’t sure we would be able to make it down, but we did. We shared each step together as we descended, Anita between me and the ladder. It was a memorable day that we talked about often and wondered why we did such a thing. Many boys climbed water towers, but never girls.

On a recent trip to Edwardsville earlier this year I went to the water tower, looked up, and with tears in my eyes gave thanks for getting us down safely.

While all of this personal activity was going on in our lives, President Roosevelt and his staff had some tough decisions to make. Among them was Lt. Colonel James Doolittle’s request for a strike against Japan immediately. He wanted the Army Air Corps to make an air strike as soon as possible, citing two reasons for his request.

First, it would show the Japanese that we had the capability to invade their air space and their naval defenses. Secondly, it would be a great morale booster for our military and all Americans.

The Navy objected on the grounds that they needed the aircraft carriers and other support ships that would be required for other operations being considered, and there would be a great risk in invading Japanese territory this early in the war. Also cited was the realistic fact that the damage inflicted would be minimal.

Colonel Doolittle and the Air Corps prevailed. Preparations for the raid on Japan began. Doolittle was a veteran of World War I, after which he became chief of experimental flying.

On April 18, 1942, he led as many specially prepared B-25 Mitchell bombers as they could safely position on the aircraft carrier Hornet on the mission.

The carrier moved to within 800 miles of Tokyo before the planes took off. They hit their targets—Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kobe—and continued on to China, another 800 miles away.

For his leadership he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and promoted to general. There was no doubt that it was a strategic morale booster.

He commanded the Eighth Air Force, which saw action in Europe and on Okinawa.

I registered with the Selective Service office on July 20, 1942, my 18th birthday, at the county courthouse in Edwardsville.

Anita gave me a very special birthday card and treated me to a special dinner at Tony’s on Broadway in St. Louis. Tony’s became our most favorite and memorable restaurant. We saved it for special occasions.

The subject of our involvement in the war was acknowledged, but we didn’t grasp its reality yet.

When Commander-in-Chief President Roosevelt assigned General MacArthur to head the United States troops in the Pacific, they both knew it was going to be a difficult assignment.

By the time MacArthur got his staff together, 64,000 troops from Australia, India, and England, defenders of Singapore, had surrendered, along with the Allied force in the Philippines.

General MacArthur decided to use the Marines as his primary assault force against the Japanese infantry on Guadalcanal. It would result in more than ten infantry battles over a six-month period.

The first few days were a disaster for the Marines that landed at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. Our Navy was supporting the invasion when the Japanese navy attacked, sinking four cruisers and a destroyer, forcing our Navy to withdraw, leaving 17,000 Marines on Guadalcanal without supplies.

Four months later, with 6,000 Marine reinforcements on their way and 13,000 Japanese troops nearing the area, a naval battle began. The Japanese reinforcements were turned away.

Two weeks later the Japanese made another attempt to land reinforcements. This was also thwarted by our Navy, but not without a price.

We lost the cruiser Northampton and had major damage to the cruisers New Orleans and Minneapolis.

Neither Mom nor Dad swore at home or anyplace we boys were. I knew all the words because all of the neighborhood boys swore. Anita’s family was the same as ours, so we had no trouble deciding we didn’t want it to be a habit among us or our children.

Smoking? Both sides of our families had some heavy smokers. Other than an experimental puff, neither Anita nor I picked up the habit.

Drinking? Maybe a social occasion called for a sip of wine or a beer, but nothing that caused either of us any problems. For those common traits we were grateful.

One day Anita was wearing a very attractive form-fitting dress, and we were lounging under a plum tree on the lot adjacent to her house. It started to rain. It rained so hard that we were both soaked by the time we got to the porch. It was only then that we discovered how transparent her wet dress was.

We did a lot of sitting on her swing under the linden tree. The swing was moved from the porch to under the tree several times a year, depending on the season.

Because her initials were A-J-R and mine were T-J-K, we combined them into a set, using one J for both of us. I don’t know whose idea it was, but I carved our initials in the back of the swing that way. I don’t believe anyone got mad at us for doing it. We were not a destructive couple.

Another dress story involved a trip to the hills along Cahokia Creek below Liberty Street, State Route 112. We were sitting under a mulberry tree on the grass and talking when she saw a mulberry stain on her skirt. It only took a few seconds to discover there were many.

On one of our many trips to the canal we walked about a mile upstream to a secluded place where we spent hours talking. I recall this trip as having been a special one. I recited poetry as we lay close together in the grass. We spent a lot of quality time snuggling up together.

We also did strenuous activity. One hot day we decided to ride our bicycles to Wood River, seven miles away. We made it there and were on our return trip before we realized it was more than we should have undertaken.

It was not a good idea, although she said she still loved me. Love and affection continued to blossom at a serious and steady pace. Her mom and dad didn’t express dissatisfaction with us spending time together, at least to me.

It may have been a coincidence, but someone planned a vacation for Anita in St. Louis at her sister Nell’s house for several weeks. I wrote to her and she wrote to me while she was away. If they were trying to break us up, it didn’t work. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Mom and Dad, mostly Mom, did make some comments about how much time I was spending with Anita, but there was no strong objection raised as to how much time or who I was spending it with.

I was working at the bank and Anita was working at the malt shop. This would soon change as our life began to move forward at a quick pace. I went to our local employment office and they found a job for me in Granite City at the National Enameling and Stamping Co., NESCO plant.

It was shift work: one week on days, one week on afternoons, and one week on nights. The pay was $30 a week. I was able to ride the streetcar to Granite City, get a transfer, and get off at the plant door. I was trained to work on a production line, assembling garbage cans for the Army. It was easy work and I learned to do it quickly and efficiently. The union steward told me several times to slow down and not work so fast. The union was requesting a raise and the company was going to do a time study to determine the cost of each operation.

Anita and I found time to be together. We made a number of trips to St. Louis to the show, to eat, and went to a midget-car race track several times.

For her birthday I bought her two gifts. The presentation didn’t go well. I borrowed Dad’s car and we were on our way to Tony’s.

While I drove, she began to tell me she wasn’t totally pleased with receiving clothing as a gift. She thought clothes were too personal, and her mom and dad didn’t think it was proper. I gave her a London Fog raincoat.

I agreed and suggested she put her hand in the left pocket. She did and pulled out her special gift. It was a heart-shaped gold locket with white-gold inlay. When opened, it had two small photographs of Anita and Thom. Happiness returned. The photographs were changed quite a few times, but the locket is still perfect.

A few weeks later, I made a trip to the jewelry store and picked out a rather small but attractively set diamond ring. Borrowing Dad’s car again, we went driving and ended up at the shale pit.

We got out of the car and walked. Then I did it all wrong. Anita asked me to do it over again, the proper way. I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said, “Yes,” amid laughter and tears of joy from both of us.

I gave Anita another sentimental gift that she was impressed with and kept forever. It was a nickel, all packaged up in a box complete with a ribbon. It wasn’t a special nickel, but it became special through the years. She kept it among her cherished collectibles with the locket and ring.

I borrowed Frank’s car so Anita and I could go swimming at Wood River. No more long bicycle rides. The trip there was uneventful. On the way back we began to have car trouble. The engine started to make a knocking noise and I was really concerned. We drove home at a very slow speed, which kept the noise level down.

When I took the car back to Frank and explained what happened, he didn’t seem too upset. He put the car up on jacks, took the oil pan off, tightened something, put the oil back in, and started the engine. It sounded good to me, and he had me drive it around the block. I was really thankful that nothing terrible had happened to his 1933 Plymouth.

Anita and I discussed many subjects during our visits together. These included work, school, religion, recreation, astronomy, our future, the war, and intimacy.

Anita went to church on a regular basis. My early church attendance was with Mom when we went to Sawyerville to visit Grandmother Zivic, who was very religious.

Dad attended on special occasions. My more frequent attendance was with Frank after delivering Sunday papers. He contributed. I kept my whole quarter.

Anita’s mother was quite religious, having come from a background that included a grandfather who was a minister. Anita’s dad’s church of choice was the outdoors, where he spent a lot of time.

After Anita moved to Arcadia and we were in high school, she attended the Eden Evangelical and Reformed Church with Betty Fletcher. I attended a funeral and several Sunday church services with them. The pastor of the church was Reverend Bredehoeft.

Reverend Bredehoeft conducted my grandfather Kolesa’s funeral service in 1927. Our children would start their church experience there. Anita and I didn’t have any disagreement regarding religion. We both believed in God and knew we would go with our children to Sunday school and church. She liked the Eden Church and so did I. We knew we couldn’t afford a church wedding, so we tabled our religious plans.

Frank received his “Greetings” from the draft board in September and immediately made arrangements to see if he could join the Navy. He met with the enlistment officer and had a physical but was turned down because of his mastoid operation when he was a baby. I often wondered if the reason Frank wanted to join the Navy had anything to do with Mom having made sailor suits for us when we were boys in the mid-1920s. I don’t know if I ever asked her why she made them, and if I did, I don’t remember her answer. She did tell me she made them from memory, no pattern.

Anita and I had not set a date for our marriage, but we and everyone else knew we soon would. Anita and I were both talking about it every chance we had but didn’t have a clue as to when it might be.

One day while Anita was working at the malt shop and I was there having my “Anita Special,” Frank came in and asked me to leave because he had something to talk to Anita about. I made no effort to acknowledge his request. He then proceeded to direct his comments to Anita. I do not believe anyone else was in the shop. He told her she couldn’t marry me. Anita told him very politely that he didn’t have anything to say about the matter and we were going to get married. Anita and I stayed calm and continued doing what we were doing when Frank came in to talk to her.

Frank left, and Anita and I both agreed that he must have decided our minds were made up and he had best leave things to work themselves out. We both admired him for making that decision.

On October 15th, Dad finally decided to leave his job in Edwardsville and take a job at Shell Oil Company in Wood River. Dad worked as a maintenance machinist, having learned his trade working on and maintaining machinery at the mill.

As the war progressed, we began to feel some of its hardships. Rationing had started immediately. It took only three weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor to limit the purchases of sugar and gasoline.

Every member of a household had allotment books and was limited in their sugar consumption.

The book contained 28 stamps, each good for a week’s allotment of a half pound of sugar. Each week, Mom could buy three pounds of sugar. She used it sparingly during meals so she would have some left for baking and canning.

Because Dad and Frank had jobs working in vital defense positions, they had C stickers that allowed them to buy enough gas to get to and from work, Dad to Wood River, Frank to Granite City. In addition, they received three gallons a week for personal use. Most people in Edwardsville had a black A sticker that allowed them three gallons a week.

It was time to make the major decision that would change our lives and everything surrounding them. We both agreed that we should set a date for our marriage.

We chose October for several reasons. First of all it was because we were convinced we were right for each other and we knew it was destined to be, so let’s do it.

Second, both of our parents were married in October and had enjoyed long and successful marriages. How could they object? We chose Sunday, October 25th, because it fit in with my work schedule and Anita had just started her senior year in high school. She would take a sabbatical until we knew how the war would affect us.

Here is the plan that Anita and I put together. I would work the night shift at NESCO and would be getting off work at seven in the morning. That would give me plenty of time to shower and clean up at work. I would meet Anita at the station in Granite City for our trip to St. Louis.

Then we would take the bus to St. Charles, Missouri, a little more than an hour away, and get married.

All we had to do was get Anita to the Edwardsville station to catch her ride to Granite City. Dad was the answer. He would be more than willing to take her so she could meet me as long as he didn’t know the real reason. All we told Dad and Mom was that we were going to spend the day in St. Louis.

On the morning of October 25, 1942, things went smoothly. We met in Granite City, went on to St. Louis, and took the bus to St. Charles. When we arrived it was raining. We had to dash from cover to cover as we worked our way to the courthouse to get our license. Several other couples were doing the same thing. Finally it was our turn.

After asking each of us several questions, the clerk turned to me and asked, “And how old are you, young man, nineteen?” I replied, “No sir, I’m twenty-one!”

That was all there was: no proof or any other questions. We received our license and were directed to a private marriage parlor which was open on Sunday.

It was still raining and we ducked into another doorway, looked into each other’s eyes, and began to talk. Anita got tears in her eyes. I asked the hard question, “Do you want to get married?” She said, “Yes, I sure do, let’s go.” The rain slowed down and it looked as if the sun would shine. In a few minutes it did. We had been directed to Mrs. K. Wiggins’s marriage parlor. It was located at 204 N. Second Street in St. Charles. They furnished the witnesses and all the trimmings. It was quick.

The license cost $2, the justice of the peace was $2, and Mrs. Wiggins got $5. We ate a chicken dinner in St. Charles while we waited for the bus to take us to St. Louis. Upon arriving, we saw a nearby hotel, the Bon-Del. We registered as Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kolesa. The hotel was located at 9th and Delmar. With very little luggage, we were assigned to room 115.

Within what seemed like a few seconds, there was a knock at the door. It was the house detective and a police officer, probably a member of the vice squad. They asked to see our identification. Ours were, of course, different. Anita had a different name and address from mine. We had a chance to use our license for the first and I believe for the only time to prove that we were married. They offered their congratulations and good wishes and left.

We continued on our “Come fly with me” journey to eternity. Anita and I were alone at last. We spent memorable hours together as husband and wife.

We spent the night at the Bon-Del and checked out Monday morning. We decided to stay away 24 hours and consummate the marriage so it couldn’t be annulled.

I was off work until Tuesday. We took the streetcar to Granite City and went to the Press Record office, the local newspaper. We asked about rooms for rent. They gave us a list of four places that were within walking distance. One was located at 2410 Cleveland, one at 2522 Madison, another at 2429 State, and one at 2444 Iowa. We looked at all of them before deciding that the place on Iowa, owned by Mrs. Hanon, was for us. All facilities were acceptable. It was Mrs. Hanon we liked.

Anita had written “Ours” across Mrs. Hanon’s listing. We paid our rent weekly and had a very pleasant stay. We phoned Edwardsville to let everyone know we were OK and where we were living.

Neither Mom nor Dad were very happy about the development. Dad felt used, and it took him much longer than Mom to accept our being married.

Anita took on the role of being a wife while I took on the role of being a husband and returned to work. She cooked and kept house, adjusting to my irregular shift-work schedule. One meal that was discussed many times concerned her cooking one of my many favorite meals: lima beans, ham hocks, and cornbread.

She said she burnt the beans. I said they were well done. I ate most of them, but she wouldn’t let me finish. She threw the remaining ones away.

This address would be the first of four places where we lived in Granite City, covering thirty years, so it seems proper to describe the city’s early years in a few paragraphs.

In 1802, two Eastern families arrived by flatboat and claimed land in the immediate area. In 1817 a group from Pennsylvania settled in sand-prairie land about six miles from the Mississippi River, which became known as Six Mile Prairie. Mr. Calvin Kinder became a successful farmer and he had a train station on his farm. The area became Kinder Station.

In 1882, Wm. F. Niedringhaus, a successful businessman from St. Louis, purchased 3,500 acres of land from Mr. Kinder and hired an engineer to lay out a city.

With the establishment of a steel mill, steel foundry, stamping works, and other plants, it was time for a more descriptive name. Granite City was chosen. On March 9, 1896, Granite City was incorporated.

By the early 1900s Granite City was a thriving metropolis for merchants, capitalists, craftsmen, laborers, educators, and office workers. The mill ran 24 hours a day, and Granite City Steel money jingled in every Granite City resident’s pocket.

In 1904, the year of the St. Louis World’s Fair, Commonwealth was added to the list of industries in Granite City. A recently issued patent allowed for the economical production of steel castings for the rapidly expanding railroad industry.

Schools and churches were built, along with homes, offices, business parks, and additional industrial plants. Granite City provided war material for World War I and became known as the Pittsburgh of the West.

The last week in October 1942, Mom wrote in her notebook, “Buster and Nita ran off and got married on Sunday.” That’s all she had to say.

Later that week we went to Edwardsville to pick up clothing and other things we needed. I don’t remember who furnished transportation or who helped us move our things. Aunt Dorothy Kolesa was a big supporter of our marriage. She was my aunt and she was a close friend of the Rogers family.

They lived across the street from where Anita was born. Aunt Dorothy’s mother, Emma Mullane, had helped Doctor Barnsback with the delivery of my future wife. Aunt Dorothy told me many times, “If you and Nita ever need food or a place to stay, just let Uncle Bill and me know.”

Uncle Bill and Aunt Dorothy had a daughter, Carol Marie, born on October 29th. Mom and Dave Henry took Carol to St. Mary’s Church to be baptized. Uncle Bill was serving with the Seabees in the Pacific. Dave and Uncle Bill played baseball together with the Depression Stars.

The Seabees were a group of heroes that didn’t always get their deserved recognition. As soon as a beachhead was established, the Seabees were right behind them, filling bomb craters, leveling an area, and planning for roads or preparing the land for an airstrip. Their code name, Seabees, came from their original designation, Construction Battalion, or C.B.

On November 2nd, Frank entered the Army and left for induction. Before being assigned to his base in Wisconsin, he received a furlough and sold us his Plymouth for $25. That’s 250 dimes.

We were now able to make trips back and forth to Edwardsville. Frank was assigned to the 97th Quartermaster Railhead Co., Barracks 1624, Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.

As an extra activity, he played football with the camp team.

After Anita and I were married I changed my official address from 425 Hanser Street in Edwardsville to 2444 Iowa Street in Granite City. That is where I received my notice to appear for my preliminary examination for military service.

Mom wrote about a snowstorm that arrived in mid-December. Her notes read: “On Friday, December 14, Edwardsville was hit by a very heavy snow and very cold temperatures. Junior is in Wisconsin, Buster is in Granite City, John and Roy are passing papers.” Mom was always concerned about her family. I’m surprised she didn’t include comments about her brothers in the Army. The year ended with us having our first Christmas tree.

It wasn’t very big, but we decorated it the best we could. We went home for Christmas and Mom welcomed us with open arms. Dad was still a little cool toward us.

Anita’s mom and dad were happy to see us as usual, and we had an enjoyable first Christmas together. Verna Mae’s mom and dad had us over for a meal. The boys, Edward and Richard, called me Uncle Tom. Their dad didn’t call me anything. Their mom called me Tomás, and Verna Mae just called me Tom.

Because of needs for the war effort, President Roosevelt asked everyone to turn in all their scrap metal, rubber, and other items that they could spare. The Civilian Conservation Corps was disbanded due to lack of funds and participants. Men of that age were all able to find jobs in industry or with the military. The average income had climbed to $2,500. A new Ford cost over $800, if you could find one. A gallon of gas cost twenty cents if you had the right ration card, and a loaf of bread was nine cents.

President Roosevelt set up a retreat at Camp David for war-related planning. He named it Shangri-La. The Alcan Highway was planned. It was started and completed in eight months.

Mom and Dad had a Victory Garden. Everyone was encouraged to start one. Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas.”

Just after the first of the year, Anita, who almost always had a job, decided she would like to work at a defense plant.

The Granite City high school was holding classes in various trades to train workers to replace the men that were going into the military. She signed up for a class in welding.

It wasn’t long before they found a job for her in St. Louis, and she began working for Laister-Kauffman. It was Anita’s first defense job. She helped build gliders for use in the European Theater to transport troops and cargo during the D-Day invasion.

The gliders she worked on used a metal framework to support lightweight wooden wings and tail structures covered with fabric. They were towed airborne as they had no engine.

My pride was sort of depressed. Here I was making garbage cans for the Army and Anita was helping build gliders for the invasion of German-occupied France.

I got my taste of how it felt to be home alone. When we both worked days we were able to find time to be together for breakfast and supper. When I worked afternoons it was just breakfast. When I worked nights it was supper.

We did have a lot of scheduling problems, but then it also gave us a lot of welcome-home moments.

Even though we had a car, Anita rode the streetcar to St. Louis.

On bad days I took the local streetcar to work, but on good days I walked. It was about ten blocks.

We made good use of our car until we had a really bad cold spell; the temperature dropped below zero for days.

Anita and I decided to go shopping.

The car started and we almost got as far as Madison Avenue when it quit running. We tried everything we could to get it going and finally decided the gas line must be frozen.

Lucky for us we were still close to home. We walked back. It stayed cold, then got colder. I checked the car on my way to work. The first thing I noticed was the radiator had burst. Even with antifreeze it had frozen solid.

A check of the engine revealed the freeze plugs had all burst open, and the battery, which I had run down trying to get it started, was split open.

A few days later, a ticket appeared on the windshield. Then they towed it away.

When I found out how much it would cost to pay the fine and the towing charges, combined with the tremendous cost of a new radiator, battery, and maybe a new engine, we decided they could keep the car. Even though we had paid Frank for the car and it was ours, we knew he would be disappointed. Mom wrote and told him what had happened. He wrote back and said he was sorry that we were having all that trouble but not to worry because he was planning to buy a new car.

For Valentine’s Day I bought Anita a card that had a mushy verse which I liked. I also added a verse of my own. I didn’t like the envelope so I dressed it up with my own design.

I addressed it to “Pretty Girl,” 2444 Iowa Avenue, Granite City, Illinois. The mailman delivered it. Mrs. Hanon guessed it was for Anita and gave it to her. We kept the envelope, and Anita took it out of storage every Valentine’s Day and we enjoyed it each time.

Anita’s mom and dad also sent us a Valentine card. It read, “To Anita and Tom,” and was signed, “Pop and Mom.” It was sent to our Granite City apartment. My mom and dad always sent us cards on holidays and special occasions, as we did to both of our parents.

I was always one for doing things a little out of the ordinary, but this next activity bordered close to the edge. I liked to dress casual and developed a flair for colorful shirts. Mom agreed to make me several shirts if I would pick out the material and buy it. I picked several colorful designs that were created for women’s dresses. They had big, bold, and bright colors and designs on them. Mom kept her word and made me two shirts that were really wild. I wore them quite often as Anita liked them. She often wore one when she needed a light cover. We were really something when we each had one on.

We were able to start a savings account because both of us were working, and we felt good about that. Anita was able to continue to help her parents.

As the new year progressed, both Anita and I felt the tension mount about our coming participation in the war. We found that we were having long periods of quiet time together. We also took pictures, some of which found their way around the country and halfway around the world. I carried two of them with me constantly.

One was what I called my pin-up photo. She was lying on a bench in her backyard. Anita had imprinted a kiss, complete with red lipstick, on the backside. I looked at the front and back of that picture thousands of times in the next three years. Anita also carried a picture of me to show to her friends.

We both carried a copy of the one used on the cover of this book. It was taken of the three of us when Anita was pregnant with Leslie. The pictures weren’t professional, but they represented the way we remembered each other.

While enjoying our togetherness, we took advantage of everything St. Louis had to offer, including shows, eating, walking along the Mississippi River, going on the steamship Admiral, visiting the zoo, the art museum, and window-shopping the big department stores.

We did spend more time with our parents. Anita’s mom and dad weren’t able to keep up with us because of their health and financial condition, but we adjusted to their lifestyle. My mom and dad always had us over. She got upset because we didn’t spend all of our time with them. By this time Dad had warmed up to the fact that we were married. He admitted he liked Anita, and it wouldn’t be long before he was bragging about her. She always greeted him individually and personally with, “Hi, Dad.” She called my mom “Mom.” Anita and her brothers and sisters called her parents “Pop” and “Mom.”

Both John and Roy were always glad to have Anita come over and visit. They liked having a big sister. They both loved her. She liked having little brothers.

Grandmother Zivic heard that Uncle Tony and Uncle Rudy were at the same Army camp in California and were able to visit each other. Mr. and Mrs. Barth received word that their two sons, Elwood and Bruce, had met in the Philippines. Mrs. Barth was Betty Fletcher’s mother’s sister. Mom received word that Frank was in England and receiving more training. He was also playing English football on weekends.

Anita and I had sent Mom and Dad roses for their wedding anniversary. Mom said they were still looking fresh weeks later.

Dad told his friends at Rusty’s about my drawing ability. One day when Anita was with her parents and I was having lunch with Dad, he got me to promise to make a sign professing the patrons’ love for the St. Louis Browns baseball team.

I made a sketch of a poster using the slogan “Keep ’em flying.” They liked the idea. I made a poster. Rusty kept it above his bar until the war was over. We won the war and the Browns kept on flying, winning the pennant that year.

The timeline is now 1943. The war clouds that covered most of the world now covered us.

During late February they settled over 2444 Iowa, where I received my notification to report for my preliminary examination. The clouds were thick, dark, heavy, and very close.

It wasn’t a very happy time for two just-married teenagers. We had so much to look forward to. We asked ourselves, “Did we have to be separated?”

We agreed that Anita would move as close as she could to where I was stationed and get a job so we could be together.

We would accept limited togetherness if we had to, but would not accept total separation if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.