We`ve done a lot of traveling in the army.Traveling in the army wasn`t too easy. My husband generally went ahead & me & the kids would follow. The one trip we`ll remember the most was when my husband had to leave for the Korean War. He went with the troops & our 3 kids & me started across country I`d only been driving for a couple months and had no idea what the West was like. My family had moved to California right before world war 2 broke out. So I dropped them a card saying hold on to your chair we`re on our way.

We traveled the old route 66 At that time most of it was a two lane road. In Texas we stopped at a diner & had our first Texas hamburg. We never seen anything so big & good.New Mexico has some beautiful scenery.

We were making good time so decided to go see the Grand Canyon. We heard a lot about it & didn`t know if we`d get back this way again.On the way there we heard a funny noise & figured it was the echo from the canyon so kept going until we got there when we stopped steam was pouring out of the engine we broke a fan belt that was our funny noise.We got it fix & enjoyed the view of the canyon it sure is big & beautiful.

This is what we saw & it was well worth going out of our way to see. We then continued on.

Things went fine until we hit Needles. We were never so scared in our life.It was a 2 lane road with curves and no guard rails. We thought there was no top to the Mt. We could see a building at the top I figured if we made it there we`d be ok It was a cafe & gas station so we had a sandwich & something to drink & when we came out we had a flat tire lucky for us it happened here so we got that fixed & got gas & rested awhile not knowing what it was going to be like going down the other side of this mt.It`s a wonder the brakes did`nt wear out for I had My foot on the brakes the all way down. Before we started this trip everyone back east told us we should travel across the desert at night because it would be too hot during the day. They had no idea how desolate the desert is.

We were lucky we made it as far as Barstow where we stop for gas & when I tried to start the car it wouldn`t start the attendant didn`t know anything about fixing cars. He said he could call San Bernardino and have us towed there or we could wait in the car till morning when a machanic would be in. We opt for that & slept in the car.There were no motels here. We got the car fix & were on our way again. By the time we got to San Bernardino the fog started to roll in, we could hardly seen the front of the car I think we were the only crazy fools on the road lucky for us. We made it to my mother`s all she had to say was you crazy fool.I agree with her.

We lived in California until the war ended I got a job working in a ball point pen factory in North Hollywood. It was interesting seeing how they are made.

My sister,my kids and me went to see the Rose Parade. We had to get up at 3 in the morning so we could get a place to park and a front row. It was well worth it. I was getting used to driving the freeways so on Easter we went to the Hollywood Bowl for Sunrise Service that was great. We went to drive in movies a lot at one of them we were watching the war news.We all yelled at once there`s dad it was just a instant glance so we couldn`t be sure.

The Sgt made it home safe & it was back to army life again for us but this time he did the driving. We went up rte 89(which is now I-15) thru Las Vagas & spent the night there. At that time it had a 2 lane road going thru town called the strip from there we went up to rte 30 known then as the Lincoln Highway times sure have changed since then. Except in California the only 4 lane road at that time was the Pennsylvania Turnpike with about 8 tunnels to go thru.

My husband was stationed at Indian town gap. There were no quarters available on Post so we had to find a place off the base. We found a place but had to wait on our household goods being shipped from Cal.which took about a month.

We didn`t stay there long. We had to move to West Virginia where my husband was connected to a ROTC outfit I didn`t understand what he had to do. The kids were in school the boys in grade school & my daughter in highschool. I had time on my hands & we were low on money so I got a job Checking in merchandise for a large department store. I`ll soon be a Jane of all trades & master of none.

Things were going too good when my husband came home and said he had orders for overseas again. For the boys it was another adventure but my Daughter was in her last year in high school & said no way was she going back over there. I was between a rock & a hard place.My husband had his orders & had to go. He left saying he would arrange for us to follow. So that gave me a little time for me to work something out. My sister said my daughter could stay with her. Also her grandma said she could stay with her.

I had my travel orders & had to apply for our passport which I did for the boys and myself. That fouled things up because my husband had put in papers for myself and the 3 kids. I was hoping my orders would be delayed until my daughter graduated. No suck luck our orders came thru a Month before she was to graduate. My sister seen her graduate & took her home with her.

My daughter was lucky & got A job in a office of The Gulf Oil Co. The boys & I were lucky too because of my foul up & delay we got to fly over seas. That was exciting because we never been on a plane.Before we left we were told our 1st stop would be Ireland.We ran into a terrible storm we were pretty scared except my youngest son he said put another dime in & lets do it over again.

We landed to refuel & to get something to eat. But the people sure didn`t sound like there were speaking Irish. We were told we landed on the Azores I never heard of the place,I thought Oh boy the army done got us lost. The next stop was Paris France.It was after dark so we didn`t get to see much but we could always say we were in Paris.

We finnally landed in Frankfort Germany where my husband was to meet us but with all the delays he was told to get a hotel room & they would bring us there by bus. He got 2 rooms & went to sleep in one & told the desk clerk to wake him when we got in but the clerk went off duty. When we got there the bell hop took us to the other room. We were so tired from the trip that all I wanted was some sleep. We had a great reunion the next morning. This time we had nice quarter. The boys had to go to school in another city. They stay in a dorm & came home on weekends.

I learn to play bridge & joined a bridge club. My husband`s outfit was a tank outfit & went on alerts a lot so when we`d hear the tanks roll out we`d get together & play bridge until we`d hear the tanks roll back in then we`d all scatter for home & act like bored housewives.

The visa on our passport had to to be renewed that meant a train ride to Munic while we were there we went to Garmish a R&R place we also went to Overamagal where the Passion Play is played every 10 yrs. We also had a tour of one of Mad King Ludwick`s Castle. The one son that was so scared on the plane got mad at me because I wouldn`t let him ride a ski lift up the Mt & ski down. It was a great vacation for us.

Time was passing pretty fast but not fast enough for me. My daughter had gotten married & was expecting our 1st grandchild I missed her graduation,her wedding & now the birth of her first child. On my birthday she sent me a cablegram saying Happy Birthday Mom with a 3 pound baby boy. I just couldn`t picture a baby that small. He was put in a incubator for about a month & he got along fine.Now I wanted to go home more then ever. Our rotation wasn`t until October.

I read in the stars & stripes that the army was starting to rotate whole units for three yrs state side then 3yrs overseas. The first unit was to leave in August. I pestered my husband to get a transfer to that unit & I didn`t let up until he did.

We were going to leave the middle Of August just in time for the boys to start school Traveling like we did sure messed up their schooling but they were getting another kind of education. They were average in school. They were now in high school.

We had a nice trip home until we hit the tail end of a hurricane & everybody got seasick.We would be stationed at Fort Meade Md. We had quarters waiting for us my husband was now 1st Sgt enough rank that I was sure we`d get one of the brick houses that they had on the Post. I was wrong again it was back to converted barracks worse then the ones we had at Ft. Devens.

We got our things out of storage then went to pick up our daughter & her son.

Her husband was in the air corp & was on his way to England.She would stay with us she was pregnant again & couldn`t travel. She had another cute little boy But it was a little crowded in this barracks we called home. My husband could buy a home under the G I bill so that`s what we did.

I went into training to be a L P nurse & when the training was over I had my choice of the children`s ward or the operating room. I chose the operating room. It took a couple of months to learn all the routines but I had a good R N teaching me. The Doctors were patient with me. I really like the work and soon I could scrub for even the grouciest Dr.

Our oldest son had finished highschool & he decided to go into the Airforce & as soon as his brother was old enough he also joined the airforce. They didn`t want any part of the army.

My husband`s three yrs state side was about up. It was decision time again. He had 13 yrs in the Army too many yrs to throw away only 7 yrs to go for retirememt. I wasn`t about to give up our home to go to Europe & then come back to maybe live in barracks again. The boys needed a home to come to when they got leave time & our daughter was stiil living with us. So my husband got an asignment to Korea that would only be for a year with the hope of getting reasigned here.

My daughter`s husband got back & she went with him to Kansas but that didn`t work out. She called & asked if she could come back home & she was pregnent again. I was glad to have her back for this house sure seemed empty. This time she had the sweetest little girl that everyone spoiled. The boys came home on leave often.

My husband`s year would soon be up and he`d be back from Korea but not to Ft Meade but to Ft Carson Colorado. He came home first and we talked over the situation. He went to Colorado and would come home every chance he`d get. It wasn`t easy but we were determined to have a home to retire to when his twenty years were up.

The boys three yrs were up in the airforce & they came home to give civilian life a try. They were home for about 6 months & they were like their Dad they couldn`t fit in civilian life this time they decided to give the navy a try.

The older boy was stationed in the Philippines where he met a girl and got married when his hitch was up they came home he had enough of military life.He got a job with the Post Office they settled down in Colorado. The younger boy stay in the Navy until he retired. My husband had to do another tour in Korea & his twenty years would be up. He had a chance to make Sgt Major if he reenlisted. I said no way I had enough of this crazy way of living.

He got discharged in San Francisco & came home a Civilian. When I look back it doesn`t seem possible that we made it thru the 20 yrs.

In the mean time our daughter got a job for NSA. I quit my job of nurseing and took care of my grand kids until she remarried and went on her own. My husband got a job with the Post Office until we decided to retire to Florida. One thing I can say we sure didnt live a dull life.

Our youngest son retired from the navy lives near us here in Florida,Our daughter is still in Maryland the other son is still in Colorado now retired from the Post Office. We visited them a lot & they come down here.