MORE WORLD WAR TWO STUFF

AFTER THE BOYS LEFT AND I WAS GONE MOM HELPED WITH THE OUTSIDE CHORES MILKING ETC. I HAD BOUGHT A LITTLE CAMERA AND WENT HOME TO VISIT. I SAW MOM COME OUT OF THE BARN IN HER OVERALLS AND SHIRT. I GRABBED THE CAMERA TO TAKE HER PICTURE JUST AS SHE HEARD A CAR COMING AND SHE STARTED TO RUN FOR THE HOUSE. I SNAPPED THE PICTURE AND I THINK IT IS IN MOMS STORY. SHE HADN'T WANTED ANYONE TO SEE HER AT WORK IN THOSE CLOTHS.

JIM JOINED THE NAVY SO RUTH AND KEITH AND JUDY MOVED HOME FROM BISBEE. AZ. THEY STAYED WITH THE FOLKS AND LATER THEY WENT TO TEXAS TO JIM'S FAMILY. I THINK BECAUSE HE WAS COMING HOME. CHESTER WAS ON STRIKE WITH THE COPPER MINES AND AFTER DARLEEN AND HER CHILDREN RUN OUT OF FOOD THE FOLKS HELPED THEM MOVE HOME. THE KIDS ALL HAD FUN ON THE FARM.

IT WAS BEFORE DARLEEN CAME HOME THAT A FRIEND IN SALT LAKE WANTED ME TO GO WITH HER AND WORK OUR WAY AROUND THE COUNTRY WE'D VISIT ALL THE STATES. WE'D START IN WASHINGTON WORK FOR A WHILE THEN MOVE ON TO OREGON ETC. I MOVED MY STUFF HOME VIA GREYHOUND BUS AND WHEN I TOLD MOM WHAT I WAS DOING SHE PUT HER FOOT DOWN. I THINK I SCARED HER WITH ME THINKING MY IDEA WAS SO GREAT. I STAYED IN ST. ANTHONY AND GOT A JOB AT THE FIRST SECURITY BANK. IT WAS WHILE WORKING THERE THAT I MET HELEN. HER STEP DAD WAS A SUPER VISOR OVER THE YOUNG BOYS AT THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL WEST OF ST. ANTHONY. YOUNG FOLKS THAT WERE IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW FROM ALL OVER IDAHO WAS SENT THERE. HIS DORM WAS THE CARE OF THE YOUNGEST BOYS. IT WAS ALWAYS FUN TO TELL PEOPLE I WAS GOING TO THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL. SOME GAVE ME STRANGE LOOKS AND I'D SAY NOT TO LIVE THERE.

HELENS MOM WOULD DRIVE US INTO TOWN AND LATER TAKE ME HOME WE'D SPEND SAT. EVENING SITTING ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE STAR CAFE WATCHING THE PEOPLE COME AND GO AND THOSE WHO WENT IN THE BAR AND CAME OUT SLIGHTLY ENIBRIATED OR EVEN MORE THAN SLIGHTLY. IT WAS CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT. IF THERE WAS A GOOD MOVIE WE'D GO SEE THAT.

NOV. 1944 SOME OF THE FELLOWS WHO WENT INTO THE NATIONAL GUARD STARTED RETURNING HOME. HELEN AND HAROLD MARRIED SHORTLY AFTER HE GOT HOME THEN THEY STARTED WANTING TO PAIR ME UP WITH SOME ONE THEY KNEW. I WENT WITH A RETURNING MARINE AND TOLD HELEN NO MORE BLIND DATES AFTER THAT ONE. ONE DATE AND HE THOUGHT HE OWNED ME.

A FEW DAYS LATER SHE MET ME AT LUNCH AND SAID THERE IS A REALLY CUTE GUY COMING HOME AND WE WANT YOU TO MEET HIM. SHE TOLD ME HIS NAME WHICH DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING AND I SAID NO I TOLD YOU NO MORE BLIND DATES. WELL SHE SAID I'LL CALL YOU TONITE BEFORE WE LEAVE TO COME OUT THERE. WE HAD JUST FINISHED DINNER AND WAS CLEANING UP THE DISHES AND THE PHONE RANG IT WAS FOR ME. HELEN'S MOM SAID THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT FOR YOU AND YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU DON'T GO WITH VERELAN HE IS SO CUTE. WHEN THEY GOT THERE HE CAME IN WITH HELEN AND MET THE FAMILY AND MOM LET ME KNOW SHE APPROVED SO I WENT AND THE REST IS OUR JENSEN FAMILY HISTORY.

I CONTINUED WORKING AT THE BANK AND HELEN STAYED ON AT THE DRESS SHOP WHERE SHE WORKED. THE GUY'S WERE ALL SENT FOR A MONTH OF REST AND REHAB. OR R&R AS IT WAS REFERED TO THEN. VERELAN AND I DID SOMETHING EVERY DAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS FURLOUGH. DEWARD LET HIM USE HIS MILK TRUCK IF HE WAS AT PLANO OR IF IN TOWN SOME ONE HE KNEW HAD A CAR.
WE WENT TO A DANCE ARE TWO, MOVIES AND VISITED WITH THOSE FELLOWS AND THEIR GIRL FRIENDS ARE WIVES WHO WAS HOME ARE COME HOME A LITTLE LATER. HAD THANKSGIVING DINNER THAT YEAR WITH HIM AT DEWARD AND VELDA'S. HIS DAD HAD MOVED HOME TO LIVE WITH THEM SO IT WAS A FAMILY GATHERING. IT WAS THAT DAY HE HAD AN ATTACK WITH HIS MALARIA. VELDA AND I WOULD LOAD QUILTS ON HIM FOR THE SHIVERS THEN TAKE THEM OFF WHEN HIS TEMP. WENT UP. I DON'T KNOW WHEN I WAS MORE SCARED AND WORRIED THAN THEN NOT EVER HAVING SEEN A MALARIA ATTACK. I THINK DEWARD AND HIS DAD TOOK ME HOME THAT EVENING THEN VERELAN WAS UP AND GOING THE NEXT DAY. HE WEIGHED ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY LBS. WHEN I FIRST MET HIM. NEW GUIENIA TOOK LBS. OFF LOTS OF THE GUY'S.

WHEN HIS MONTHS LEAVE WAS OVER HE ASK ME TO WRITE AND ASK IF I'D WAIT FOR HIM. AT THAT TIME THERE WASN'T ANYONE ELSE SO I SAID YES. HE CAUGHT THE GREYHOUND BUS FOR SALT LAKE AND FORT DOUGLAS, UT. FROM THERE HE WENT TO SANTA BARBARA,CA. WHERE THE GOVENMENT HAD TAKEN OVER SOME OF THE FINEST HOTELS OF THAT TIME AND PLACE. HE WAS THERE A MONTH HAD MORE MALARIA AND THEN WAS SENT TO FORT LEWIS, WASHINGTON. WE WROTE A FEW TIMES HE WASN'T A WRITER OF LETTERS. HAROLD HAD BEEN SENT TO FORT LEWIS AS WAS DIP GARDNER AND MANY OTHERS THAT LEFT WITH THEIR CO.

HELEN AND CRYSTAL WAS GOING TO SEE THEIR HUSBANDS IN THE SPRING AND ASK IF I'D GO WITH THEM. I ASK WHAT I'D DO IF VERELAN AND I DIDN'T THINK MY BEING THERE WOULD BE THE THING TO DO. HELEN SAID YOU CAN GO SEE BAKER. HE WAS AT BANGOR AND OF COURSE DIDN'T HAVE A PLACE FOR ME IF I'D GONE. WELL MOM DIDN'T SAY NO SO I BOARDED THE GREYHOUND BUS WITH THE OTHER GIRLS AND WE
ARRIVED IN TACOMA EARLY FRI. AM. THE GUYS HAD RENTED ROOMS IN A CHEAP HOTEL AND WE CHECKED IN. VERELAN HAD TO GO BACK TO CAMP TO WORK THAT DAY AND ON HIS ARRIVAL FOUND HE WAS RESTRICTED TO CAMP DUE TO ONE SOLDIER LEAVING HIS BUNK IN A MESS WHEN HE WENT ON FURLOUGH. HE CALLED AND TOLD ME SO DIP AND CRYSTAL HELEN AND HAROLD AND I WENT TO FORT LEWIS TO THE NON COMS HALL. WE SPENT THE EVENING THERE EATING AND VISITING WITH THE GUY'S TELLING WAR STORIES. ABOUT ELEVEN THE LAST BUS WAS LEAVING FOR TACOMA SO WE ALL LEFT VERELAN AND WENT BACK TO TOWN.
SOME TIME IN THERE VERELAN DID PROPOSE TO ME AND OF COURSE I SAID YES. IT WAS MOTHERS DAY WEEK END AND THE PHONE LINES STAYED BUSY ALL SAT. AND SUN. MONDAY WE LADIES WENT DRESS SHOPPING FOR A NEW DRESS. I FOUND A DRESS WITH WHITE TOP AND LIGHT BLUE BOTTOM THAT I BOUGHT AS THAT WAS THE BEST I COULD DO.

ONE OF THE GUY'S TOLD VERELAN WE COULD CALL THE COURT HOUSE IN TACOMA AND THE JUDGE WOULD COME DOWN AND ISSUE A LICENSE LATE AT NIGHT. SO WE DID THAT AND HE MET US THEN SAID :MY WIFE SAID "YOUR MOTHER WOULD NOT LIKE YOU GETTING MARRIED IN THE COURT HOUSE SO WE'RE GOING TO MY PLACE AND WE'LL HAVE THE CEREMONY THERE". HE LOADED ALL SIX OF US IN HIS VEHICLE TOOK US TO HIS HIGH RISE APT. AND HIS WIFE QUESTIONED ME TO BE SURE I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING I THINK. SHE ASK IF MY MOTHER KNEW AND I CRIED AND TOLD HER HOW I'D TRIED ALL WEEK END AND ALL DAY MON. TO CALL AND THE LINES STAYED BUSY. ANYWAY SHE DID LET US GO AHEAD AND GET MARRIED IN THEIR HOME. I REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS MORE THAN JUST SAY I DO IN THE COLD COURT HOUSE.
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