Bob Abate is on a mission to listen to and capture the stories of WW II veterans from New York City and the surrounding area. We discuss Bob's memories of being a small boy when World War II ended and the celebrations that were going on around him that he didn't understand at the time but grew to appreciate as he grew older. Bob and I also talk about his early years going through the Naval Academy and his academic career after leaving the Navy.
Bob started his passion for collecting veteran stories when he noticed that one individual who had been a heck of an athlete before going to Vietnam was not included in Manhattan University's Hall of Fame. That person is Tyrone Pannell. Through the research and induction comments that Bob made, you are going to enjoy hearing the touching story of how Tyrone's daughter got to know her father, who died when she was just a baby.
You will also enjoy hearing about Bob's effort and passion for getting the veterans to tell their stories without editing, polishing, or editorial comments. Their story is THEIR STORY, with all the good and the bad that come from raw memories and places in the heart that only they have known and experienced.
Once you have listened to this conversation, I encourage you to share it with your friends and family who are interested in great stories and who might be interested in learning how to capture the memories of family and friends who have served this country.
Links
Here is Bob's email address should you wish to reach out to him: rpaabate@gmail.com
You can also use this link to hear another great conversation with Bob conducted by the Yonkers Public Library: http://archive.ypl.org/items/show/512.
You can watch Bob's presentation at the Scarsdale Public Library using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J6mUhOSBHk.
Welcome in to the cool grandpa podcast. This is the podcast where we talk to grandfathers, adult grandchildren, and experts in areas of importance to grandfathers. Whether you're a new grandfather, a seasoned pro, or somebody interested in learning about relationships, this is the place for you. So come on in, join us as we learn together, laugh together, and support each other on the cool grandpa podcast. Hi and welcome in to the cool grandpa podcast. I'm excited to have you here this week. I've got a great conversation with Bob Abbott. Bob is somebody who has been passionate really since he was a young boy about learning about the experiences of his neighbors around New York City and their experiences that happened within World War II. So Bob has sat down and he's tracked down as many veterans as he can in that New York City area to really get their perspective, get their stories, maybe some things that they haven't been able to share with family and get those recorded and be able to have those for posterity and then also be able to even I would say help some of those veterans heal some of those wounds that they had during World War II. You're going to really enjoy this conversation. I do want to let you know had a little bit of technical difficulties and there's a couple of spots where there's some echoes but it's not a big deal and this is a great conversation to be having because on Monday this will be Veterans Day and so it's just a natural tie-in for what Bob's doing in Veterans Day. I also want to remind you real quick before we get started that the web store or the book store on my website is up and going and as you can see normally I'm wearing a red polo shirt with the cool grandpa logo and everything on it but I've got the gray one on today. So if you're watching this on YouTube and you like this shirt go over to cool-grandpa.us look at the bookstore check out the polo shirts check out some of the hats some of the mugs some of that merchandise and if you're so inclined and you want a great present for a cool grandpa go ahead and make an order and we'll get that out to you just as soon as we can. So enough Gavin for me let's jump into this awesome conversation with Bob. Hi Bob welcome to the cool grandpa podcast I'm excited to have you on. Good morning this is going to be a fun conversation it's something that's really kind of interesting because I'm down here in North Georgia there's been a big movement going on to capture some of the oral histories of the folks living in Appalachia how those lives have all changed over the years and what you're doing with World War II Veterans is exciting because I think it parallels a little bit. What I'd love for you to do is give us a little bit of an introduction of yourself and then also let us know kind of what prompted you to start recording the stories and histories of World War II Veterans. I'd be happy to I tell people my most vivid salad memory was that the three-year- old pal living in the kitchen floor of my apartment by the Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx playing with the Lincoln logs and my mother and father loaded in the kaleidoscope of emotions hugging, kissing, crying, laughing, dancing, screaming the wars over the wars over the wars over. I had no idea what the words meant as a three-year-old kid but I knew something really stuffed with that thing and that was the end of World War II. We lived in a problem building with 48 tenants and five I think maybe six were returning World War II veterans. One man a good friend of my father was wounded and he was in a veteran's hospital outside now. My father was a New York City fireman we didn't have a car and on several occasions we take the local train down to South Surrey that now a ferry across the Staten Island or a local bus and all I remember to as a four-year-old kid visiting this man with his white-clad nurses pushing all his wounded sailors and soldiers and Marines up a big rushing hole and it had a profound effect on me. When I was ten years old with 1951 the Korean War started and to me it's crazy to me down today there was nothing more desirable or noble than the kill communist you know the name of you know the United States. I eventually went to the neighborhood Academy I was there three and a half years and in my last year I failed two engineering courses and I was commissioned as civilian and at that point I thought my life was over because that was all I ever wanted to do was to serve my country. I eventually got my graduate degree I was a civilian but when I was in high school I was a good student athlete and I once even hadn't slept on the grounds Manhattan College and they were going to be a scholarship to the college which I politely declined to go serve my country. So once I left the nap with I thought let me go back to Manhattan College and see if I can transfer some credits not many that most in military but some and then Dean of admissions looked at me very seriously he said young man we would not be the right school for you and I was kind of a stounder and looked I said brother why is that? He said we offered you a scholarship out of high school you turn this down we don't think we should start you now. I said brother I didn't go to born my own or I went to go serve my country and he said well I understand that but still we don't think we should accept you now. So I ended up going to 14 University and I got my degree in 1966. Years later Manhattan College had a weekend MBA program and it was near my house I can almost walk to it so I went up I went down and snoring up and I would go down on weekends the jog and they're indoor gymnasium the Draddie gymnasium and hanging from the rift is where the names of all these members that have been at in college sports or fame but I recognize most of them that one guy Lenny Remindino was the Olympic captain in 1952 which I'll think in 100 meters. But there was this one name that wasn't there and I thought help come. Now the Draddie gymnasium when I was in high school was not the Draddie gymnasium at Portville in when homecoming parents said they'll be through the returning World War 2 veterans don't even have college on the GI Bill and then years later when it was no need for it they tore it down and built the gymnasium. So I got a cold one there I actually I got an online magazine they were looking for volunteers from the Madden Power Sports Hall of Fame and the call was tearing up I said look that'd be interested but let me be up front I did not get my undergraduate here I got it for them Madden College wouldn't take me so I don't take my qualifying. He said no no he said any degree at all would qualify I said that case tell me and I went down to the Madden College library and got all poor years with him and had in college newspaper to quadrangle that this man Tyrone Pannell is at Madden College. I was a good track athlete he was phenomenal in one year in Madison Square Garden he said two national high school records he was a hurdle it was a broad stop with enhancement he was a high school he was phenomenal and I put together a detailed proposal that 10 to 12 pages presented him for admission to the Madden College Hall of Fame it was not very contentious at times but I was able to get him in I was invited with my wife to the induction ceremony since 1990 and it was started with a Catholic man for in the back of the church you don't know anybody and when man sits over going down the stairs a him or young lady call out Bob Abbott who's Bob Abbott it raised my hand this young lady comes running over and she's wearing a Marine Corps for teens after there's me up there she says I'm like you know what what do you mean if I learn more about my father reading your proposal I have known about him my whole life never do with your color favorite ice cream you're now a member of my family who have to sit with us for dinner so I send it in a lot of what happened was this man Tyrone Pannell graduated from Manhattan College in 1964 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps his daughter was born Memorial Day week 19 he was killed in Vietnam like seven weeks late in '65 so he's growing up family at dinner and halfway through Dennis he looked at me and he says you know the book about Vietnam and my father's in the book I'm a military buff I save all fans in all Terry Smith's right oh I said my book was that he said dear America let us haul from Vietnam it was like he hit me with a prick like my god I said I've had that book in my room for a couple years I didn't read it I sort of brows through it he breaks out in a big smile he said that explains it what do you mean he said my dad was talking to you you didn't hear him but you got the message I went home that night and I got the book here America let us all for Vietnam there's a couple almost 200 letters in the book and he walked up Bernie Edelman North to a Vietnam veteran said probably the most poignant letter in this book is from young second lieutenant I wrote put out who is there for daughter Tracy I'm gonna paraphrase it's crazy like most men I always wanted to suck when I found out I had a daughter who was somewhat disappointed until I saw you and held you and kissed you and I realized I was the luckiest man of the months become men daughters become women but stay daughters for the rest of their life I'm gonna be gone for a while make sure let me keep you how to say hello daddy I love you daddy I missed your daddy and of course never had that conversation but it was three and her react this was 1997 something goes back in my mind clicked because I said I'm a military boss two years prior 1995 a local with just a newspaper had a special pull-out of this and 58 out of history of the end of World War II that's in some men in the military uniforms as young men all the picks today and I thought to myself my God I gotta thank these guys and thank goodness to announce our phones and those days they still are telephone books and I was able to contact virtually every man in the article and thank them on the floor and with one exception every single man said there's nothing to thank me for they just did my duty the only people you want to thank you can't because unfortunately they're over there and the little white horses and I would say sir I understand what to say and can I ask you a question yeah what is it would you consider a man awarded the Medal of Honor to be your hero oh Jesus absolutely I said sir you're absolutely struck me four hundred and thirty five bells a letter born in World War II if those men had not served or if those men had not been born we still would have been victorious I like to use the word win because war is not a game but without the non-metal of honor award he spent like south we would not have been there we wouldn't have the life we have we wouldn't have the country we have we wouldn't have the world with my humble opinion you're a hero I want to thank you but I want to thank you in person anyway basically say well there's no need to you just thank me on phone please say sir I'm not looking to do you a favor I'm asking you to do me a favor and I please come by thank you okay if that's what you want to do okay and I'd go by each man's house we're a little L.A. case I'm not going to do a ring the bell and very early the first question would be by them it I don't know what your problem is but you need a because I've had more to tell you and then I'd say sir can they ask you one question yeah what is it what is your memory of December 7th 1941 and in every single case the name was transposed and where he was I was doing so I got good come on it and after a few minutes they say sir what you're telling me is live in history unfortunately it's not being taught I don't have a great memory I don't take your hand but in my bag here in my adaptation I have tape recorder and I record what you tell me yeah and then very early an hour an hour and a half later I would leave with the main story I would tell a man of a two-finger typist but they go out it's gonna be totally unorthodox I'm not gonna I'm not gonna edit one word you want I'm not gonna think one word one oh I'd go back a few weeks later and give the band transcript and I've done that over the years of what's it that's why all the guys go on but approximately 200 World War II veterans and as you can all appreciate its stories I'm very very powerful and poignant that sounds absolutely an interesting process on how you went through and did that and you gave us a great example but was it the same process for connecting with the other veterans you just you went through called them up and then found their addresses and showed up and asked them everyone of those everyone of those men was in the phone work and as I say would want to maybe two exceptions I contacted each one the other thing that was very propitious and that's just a question of timing is that this was beginning in 1997 going forward and that's one that movie saving private Ryan came out and in my humble opinion it was the most powerful military movie of all time and these World War II veterans in many cases went a ferment will World War II veterans went to these movies and literally had to get up and leave go out into the line and connect and get in with them or if a man didn't actually see the movie he heard about it so I was just lucky to kind of hit them at the right time they were all retired at home they don't maybe have a whole lot of things to keep them busy and they were just thinking about act that you know they're now in their 70s and buddies and it was made it back and I was just lucky and gained evidence very much time in the in your life and I would imagine to that around that time with the 50 years being passed the ones that were still around were maybe in a little bit more of a reflective period of their life because I certainly know just talking in hearing stories about veterans especially coming back from the Pacific but it probably affected everybody is that a lot of people didn't want to talk about it because you couldn't relate and you people just wouldn't understand but I think maybe as that veteran as that generation got older maybe they became a little bit more reflective and maybe wanted to open up a little bit more about those experiences well it's a it's a combination of those factors I originally had these men if they had ever scared their stories with their family loved ones and would rare accepts and the answer was oh no no I don't talk about it and I was a little surprised that once until I scored about it was normally the first question a child's gonna ask a parent who is in the military is see dad what did you do during the war and if you're honest and do it brave and don't maybe thumb it off if you're a combat veteran to tell a lover what you did invariably the next question is my god dad how could you watch that how could you do that because the civilians have no concept of what war war is not eight hours a day it's 24/7 365 and for most of these men World War II was anywhere from 36 to 44 months from December 7 1941 the August of 1945 44 months and in many cases it wasn't that along with 36 one man told me he's dialing up for the dowels he says I don't mean D.O.W. Dow Jones Wall Street I mean D.O.W. duration of war but with me it was almost like they were going to confess because he is a guy they never have to deal with again over Thanksgiving of the holidays there's a military veteran so I don't have to explain every third or fourth words I did it all out and I'm clear and free so I was very lucky from that respect also to get them what I got them had a certain time and yes also as you say as they were older and more in a position to just realize how lucky they were to have survived versus their fellow country men who didn't make it they're probably more likely to want to talk especially at that point to a strain one of the things that I find is interesting and I heard it on another podcast and it's something that that just resonated with me and was this idea of the the moral wounds or the spiritual wounds that go on right because if you think about it we can we take these 18 year olds that might have been boy scouts they're playing baseball doing whatever good kids by general you know standards and then you thrust them into something where they have to do something that's totally against their upbringing right the thou shalt not kill the you know the all those types of things and you have to they're going through that conflict to not just what they they experienced but that morality part of it think is starting to be recognized a little bit more amongst the veterans well that that's really very true I say to people that for a veteran I combat veteran specifically the war is never over between PTSD and survivors killed and physical punishment and maybe lost of limbs that that that's for the veteran the only day the war is completely 100% over is the day here in some cases he died because every single veteran with the rarest of exceptions it goes through combat has got to be affected by it at least like a logically physically emotionally or combination of already a there's no there's no way the human brain is not designed for war killing no matter how religious you walk or how justified you feel you are it'll help to some extent but that that that will never go away that experience and it's very difficult to come home and be a loving father and husband and house and who just kind of put all that to the side and I'd never affect you in a negative way in many cases when you started going through you gave the example of the one man that you went up to and asked him about where he was on December 7th did you find out what that particular question or was there a different question that really led into those conversations where they'd start to open up with you and in virtually every case when I first met the man for the very first time and he was not all that interested me yet talking to me for you there's nothing to talk about I didn't do anything special and I knew I wanted to if I could somehow trigger him to maybe open up a little bit and I thought the most common of charring anybody that a you know I say to people if a man was 18 on December 7th 1941 he was born in 1923 when he was six years old the depression hit that six year old kid had to learn to do whatever you could do it out mommy and daddy put food on a tape washing dishes deliver newspapers fighting shoes working on a farm and for the next 12 years all there is your best and is out lesson and teenage years all he knew it was no such thing as me me me it was all we we we family neighborhood friends of our extension country and I say to people basic training is very important if you had to use your weapon and that's important and nothing more prepared these men are mostly and psychologically to go forward sacrifice the way they did and those 12 years from 1929 to 1941 that there was something more important than themselves bigger than themselves by its sense and I was family friends neighbor and country so yes December 7th was the day of their life nobody at that point it didn't realize and recognize what it was and that was that was sort of a trick a question for them okay that's that's interesting because I think too is we start to collect oral histories from family members or from communities I think it sounds like one of those important things to do is to find that one question that will start that conversation and get them into it because otherwise as you said with that experience I've got nothing to say my story is not important but I also think we have to be very much aware that that is this story to tell if they do the tell it and not to tell if they choose not to tell it the last thing the world you'd want to do would be doing to push somebody because when you push somebody on a topic that's sensitive and that potentially explosive you don't know what the end result is going to be so it's always would you like to talk about it great point because I imagine whether you're talking to veterans or people with some kind of a trauma that they may have gotten to a point where they have finally been able to compartmentalize and if they open up that box there's a lot of issues and things that they're going to have to to face again and it will take them a while again to reach a state of peace give you an example if I may and I don't mean it to be disparaging in any way it or any sense of the word but I use the analogy with with people that the war in Europe and the war in the South Pacific were like two separate universes the reason I say that is when we were fighting in Europe the Italians the Germans most Americans have European ancestors and even though we let's say an Italian American or German American we could relate to a person on the other side even though we were fighting them because their god was not there or their god was not you know the president of Italy Mussolini but in the South Pacific their god in their country will one in the same here he saw their emperor was their god and I use the analogy somewhat maybe a little bit of reverently that the war in Europe was like a fight in the bar and the war in the South Pacific was like a nice fight in it too separate distinctive types of warfare and especially for veterans of the South Pacific as horrible as the war was in Europe it's even more of a mark on these men from the South Pacific I'll keep if I may one example I interviewed a man who was a marine right boy was human marine from the South Pacific he would dream Okinawa he was not a big guy and I in many cases won't use a man's let's name a reference to their family and their privacy but I'll call my first name Joe he was about fight with seven fights where they and he was telling me that basically everything he ate growing up was something he shot the year of venison squirrel and I was the phenomenal marks but I never missed usually one shot in the head I held it I had food for the week and he said today after Pearl Harbor I enlisted the Marine Corps but I realized that he had a young son at that point and I looked at him I said mister solace only with his ears you had a young son you didn't have to enroll in lister more you were better exempt the land right room yeah he just looked right through me he says I used to just I'm gonna wait for those no one suspect moment here help leaping away I'm gonna fill them over there and his was the most vivid graphic interview I had which is on the stairwell from well what film he's seen he landed on he would came in he was fighting an open hour and his all the mean it was rough and tough understandably but on the okay that okay now what a bloody spell of persistence the funniest battle on the island with it now tell me one day he's coming down the road and it's all the meaner change they say you know I come down that road he said I I see this dead woman I see this little it's all gone to her I walked over he said I kept that little sit up held them all way back to the rear to the nurses they gave him fill my exhibit but hey think about that little sit all it's on and one of that little kid remembers me now at that point I belong to a veterans group and new guys can then every once in a while and you tell them what you're doing a new guy came in and I'm telling my interviewing World War II veterans and he says oh God he said there was one guy I interviewed you love to about him he was there he was real tough that's so being married and I said oh I said what name he gives me a name I said I interviewed him I interviewed him I interviewed him he said you got to be kidding me he said my god he says I'm best friends with a son now at this time the man had died so I said to my friend here we told your friend and got a transcript see like a copy I'd be happy to send it to him oh no no all this fun ain't it God he's the one I'm happy to stay for the son I said Danny buried the old man I don't know my god I waited a month or two and I went over to the guy a second time I said look I don't want to be a tiny deck here but you can take your friend might change his mind he says I doubt look here's the phone number you call so I call but not up I said look I probably shouldn't be making this call but I interviewed your father I've got a transcript which I could copy you got a transcript of my father it'll be a famous it's you know what is it burn the bleep but think I said no no I'm not gonna do that me hung the phone up we had a couple of months and this is probably dumb dupe and whatever call the phone back a second to me I just wanted a double trick I'm not gonna burn it but which you maybe want me to send it to you that made up late but then he gives me his mail address I sent it to him but we did a couple of weeks to call him back and he told the meaner on the phone say he said oh my god and said I read that transcript and when I read what he said about the kid a little kid that's not him did I miss it I read to get all he thinks about him all the time hey baby he didn't hate me maybe I didn't hate him he wouldn't you know the war really screwed up up but if he thinks about that little kid all the time he must have thought about me also thought I was not just asking if it's only I said this years ago maybe I could add a different life with my father so you never know the effect at the so it's an experience of these veterans have not only on themselves but they loved one oh yeah yeah for for sure and I think it goes back to the point to where that father couldn't come home from what he experienced in the Pacific and tell anybody nobody's going to understand what it was like the brutality of that the island hopping campaigns and what they faced and you can't share that and then the the you know psychological emotional scarring all that stuff well this man I'm sorry this man said to me he considered himself a failure that I looked at him because he told me he said he before they hadn't reigned to say a job student so he was a company shop he said I never miss one of my targets I always got him in the fence and even if he was in the midst of several civilians I never won't do the civilians but I consider myself a failure I said what do you mean failure he said I only killed 37 and so on so that's a lot of people 37 that it wasn't enough he said I wanted to get one for every star in that flag be at 48 stars I only got 37 the other reason I consider myself a failure is my company commander said to me Joe I'm gonna make sure you get every metal Marine Corps has to give you your service here like help any commander was filled so nobody knows what I did that's right because they're myself a failure Wow I do want you to share another story about the UDT person that had his fins down in the museum and then if you can share that story about how he got reunited with some of that gear and what that meant I'd be happy do I tell people I don't really have a favorite but if you held my seat that a fire and it's they got to pick one it would be this man his name is Ray Hyman I will give his last name Ray was born and raised in the south rocks he was born Jewish but he was never really raised anyone particular religious his father was in the army cavalry in World World One and he was out of minuas with his best friend Mitty in Texas that I say during World World One and one night they got the bright idea to take their ten gallon hot floor fill them with fear to feed them to their horses the horses collapsed on the ground and and his father was put into the brig with his friends Mitty for a couple of days and Ray Hyman would always say to me his favorite movie of all time was place the saddles because every time he's sorry he thought of his dad when he was about six to seven years old he met this young little Irish girl and he said to himself that's the girl I'm gonna marry at the age of thirteen his mother worked in the common industry he was pretty much out and about on his own at the age of thirteen he decided he's going to join the military and he joined some seat transport crew and there's about a month or so he comes before June outside who says to him young man if you come before me again before the age at 16 I'm sending you to as a delinquent to a reform school so Ray waits until he's 16 and he joins the Navy and he's down the south that's that's involved in a bunch of activities he's on the bulletin board they're looking for volunteers for this new type of warfare well underwater demolition to do DTS both naked warriors their whole job was to go in before the marine landing and to ascertain the landing site and to see it clearly it's carefully possible that's where he's from a range to land to minimize it also be as much as possible the only weapon they had was a night they had it so popular to just point out how late he it's for the you know the beach ways for the incoming Marines and Ray was involved in several landings one of which was he was named and it he was named where he went in the second a third wave is all these dead Marines land on the ground I'm saying of it on top of it and we take Ponceo obviously dead Marines off the yelft and on top of that man and races no sir on top of that man I'll have you a court martial their court martial if you will but I'm not gonna want poverty but we'll come back to it a little bit later but he invaded the local now which was April 1st east of Sunday 1945 you 18 men were told to avoid all signs now and make as much noise as possible they would go in the end grenades actual charges or whatever they could handle to make as much noise as possible ideally it didn't do don't I can't get away right now to move as many Japanese from one end of the album to the other and they were very successful one division about 10,000 Japanese went from one end of the island to the other and it's banned its Marines actual teeth were broken down what they were a lot less than they had expected right which stayed me from time to time he considered that the greatest military April fool of all time April 1st 1945 gonna write a story about it never got a chance to write it but I wasn't happy to write it for them I would call in every couple of weeks the month a we talk on the phone and so forth I call them one day and Ray Bob Avenue how are you doing I always am dying I'm dying I said oh my god Ray what what is it he had cancer all iron and he was done that's the way I am to learn no no it's right to the die in the war so it's killing me some guy I'm that so he's got my friend Ray what are you talking about Ray had gotten a phone call really in that week the collector in the West Coast the guy called him up and he said are you Ray Heimann from the U.D.T. name 14 I said yeah who are you I said well I got your friends they got them off the internet I would appreciate it if you would send me a letter or some sort verify it he's a little bit well or too fast Ray on the daily trip to me you know what and I said to ring I said do me a favor but what if we basically have had his phone number and he had to see what he call his mail he is emailing me that and I said if he calls do not talk to him don't call him and I went on the internet but there's email address but it's all number they will find his address they won't get the address or two or three other people not too far from him which was my plan be if we could use it I call the kind of because what happened is Ray would go down every few years to steal me his name and for kids Florida or Union and the modern day still the U.D.T. guys for the forerunners of the baby field but look upon the U.T.T. guys his honorary father's a great father and he had to send in a showcase this one time he let Tommy went down they weren't they when he asked from prior to where I'm like friends I said oh we're renovating they're in a warehouse we'll put him back when we're finished and he ended up reading about it but as I said he gets the call I call a guy up I said look Ray is gonna die he never had children and every dad young Irish girl he ever had children and to him he sends her according to him is your family your children your grandkids are to you you've got to let me know spends at once for eight no longer what to send him I'm not doing that I said let me ask you a question your email is for us reference in LA fireboat what is that all about he says I'm a fire boss an insla fire departments but they're a rhythm drawn so that's what you're upset I can't tell you how happy that makes me my dad was a need a city for her but the only reason then became fireman ought to save life actually why you cannot save life right I specifically asking you the meters let me hear it good if your father in World War II yeah I said where's your father so it was an invasion so where was in the Navy we're about he said to South Pacific so let's think about it your dad and Ray are in the South Pacific in the Navy in the same order I can say amen to me you'll ask your dad what you what he thinks you should do he said I can't he's been dead a few years I'm sorry to hear look I want you to think about our conversation I'm gonna call you back in the morning it's for us let's wait a moment in the morning he says what's your million address and so well that can't tell you I'm here I am let me ask you to what made you change your mind I talked to my dad last night he told me do the right thing well a couple of days later I get to fit I call Ray up I say Ray got good news they got to fit Bob don't be asked me that's no that's no joke I said Ray I've got him right here in my hand Ray says to me Bob I love you like a son don't take this birth so a lot I can't believe you gotta feed him I send no problem and I'm my car I drove up I gave him some Ray also about two or three years prior had received in the mail in a Brown Manila envelope not even when he returned a dress a presidential unit citation from the then secretary of the Navy in 1845 he gets it here in late 1995 talk about male delivery and I and it was his president's unit citation his actions earning invasion you a team of people first 1945 and I thought to myself let me see if I can get summary tie a military guide to make a presentation I thought let me call my Thomas was off so it's a college late he took Kelly I call her office I told rich story and about two days later kala school until he told me up this Bob if you mind it's my personally made the presentation to Ray I was I thought that'd be wonderful my wife my daughter and I were invited to the presentation that we get up there there's all but to do the video outside he makes the presentation to Ray if it's president's a unit citation if they put the other night article and I see the role Nicole and see it's Ryan I walk over and I said excuse me I said it's everything old says that he said oh you see it is yet you know the reason that Brian my uncle was a Marine that he would dream and Ray was telling me how we covered that dead Marine is I know wasn't my uncle but I'd like to think maybe it was but once again you never quite know how one instance to use primes enough that somebody 15 or later so about a week or two later recluse me up it's what the time this bomb I got a problem I got this driveway it's planted my thoughts in the garage I don't think I'm gonna be able to get up the driveway that's going to hustle I don't want to do I said Ray no problem I'm sure I go up and I start to sell this driveway and I run around I see standing down in the driveway in this garage what it's like and it's been Thomas and I yell out I said Ray for crazy go back in you get it wrong and he looked at me and he got a smile so what do you mean I'm moaning he's not gonna be dead in a couple of weeks ago actually you can't argue it right I go back to shoveliness I'm shoveling he see him answer me up the driveway and as for job as I yell at Ray when I let you go it there are no problem I'm just gonna go on a top of the driveway kid my merely goes up he almost a mailbox out his mail he doesn't want any he's on the ground say it but I can't get up at first we asked with the gloves and grab him by his phone but I feel bone no less than I want to do it make anything like grab the front of his pajamas lift him up as I'm lifting him up I'm looking at him and I'm thinking this is the way it's been and he has the band that forced to happen he's in the South Pacific and now he's like a riddick doll in my hooves and within a month or so he was dead and in this task it all the drugs is death or it's been once feet they're always all right out the fence and sent them back to the guy in the west of you know has been a place of honor in the way no one's out so that's that's my reason for that's an awesome story I I've loved to hearing that I don't know you know I think when you start in on doing these these histories and you start getting these connections with people it just it leads in so many different directions and it leads to such a deep connection with some of the folks Bob I do want to ask you though too did you happen to go in and capture any of the stories of people that were working on the home front you know any of the dock workers especially up around New York no they played a very important part on fortunately in the the program I had from the the new state with all the Texas is off what they were all basically military people but clearly the people on the whole front without the home front I mean literally we were the manufacturing capital of the world and the ladies working but in many many cases ladies work and rented a riveted and and and all of their all of their similar people I interviewed some ladies who were not on the whole front they were actually over in battle conditions but they were not in actual comp I interviewed a lady who was the first African-American woman in the US Coast Guard I interviewed a woman who was in the Red Cross in the South Pacific with a number of stories of foreign ministry to the wounded veterans I interviewed a lady who was with Eisenhower and his staff on the mainland in England and on on to the mainland of Europe after the invasion of D-Day but no nobody actually that was not involved in a combat area just didn't have the time to do all of them. One thing I've got to ask you too is that I'm curious and we'll start to wrap things up here soon but you know where are those tapes that you used for these interviews. They're all in my room up there I'm in the process now very slowly of getting somebody's trans or these tapes transcribed but I find there's not a whole lot of interest I don't want to get involved there but they're in my house I've got you know roughly 200 plus hours of eight and I'm in the process as I say it's slowly getting them transcribed and not in great physical condition. I have all the transcripts of all the men I wrote a book it was never published they called ordinary heroes in their own words from Pro-Abba to D-Day to Tokyo Bay and with the exception of a pre-friend deduction every word in the book is in their wording but I find that there's a lot of this interest in people these days. If I as crazy as the sales when one of my guys dies and I get it was obituary and enable a contact and next to Ken and I'll tell them I interviewed you for all the way. I've got a transcript which I could copy more times than not the answer is well I don't know or let me think about it. I'll end for their phone up and I'll wait a month or two and I'll call them back a second time and I'll say you know I just want to check out the interview with your father was like a transcript invariably it's gonna be all right off and I believe in baseball three strikes are out I'll never call the person a third time. Families are complicated I don't understand it but I accept it and as I say it happens to me more times than not and I'll go one step further I will offer especially around Memorial Day and Veterans Day I'll contact local military organizations the F.W.s. American regions volunteering to come in and see a similar story and with rare exception there's no reason well I can't explain it. Wow well yeah I was just I was curious if there were any plans working with the like the Yonkers public library or anybody to get these things digitized. Well I'm working right now as I say slowly with the Yonkers public library a young one of the young man there who we've been helping me but as I say it's you know it's a long period for us. I would like to ask you too is what advice would you have for anybody that would like to start capturing oral histories whether it's veterans family members you know whoever. I would basically say I understand as based I understand as well as a non-participant and what you've been through. Real like by saying that I have no real concept of all of what you best do except it's got to be phenomenally you know emotional and psychological the last thing I want to do is to have you visit someplace you don't want to visit so I'm here to listen I'm not here to answer I'm here to listen you want to tell me that's wonderful if you don't I understand I'm here to listen not that and I thank you with his hands your time and you consider that's good advice. Now Bob where can people find you where can people learn more about the histories that you've worked on. I am more than happy to contact people who wave through email and send my whole phone. My whole phone number is area code 914-968-0914 let me repeat that phone number is 914-968-0914 email with R P T A A B A T E at email.com let me repeat that correctly R P A A B A T E at email.com. Okay perfect I've got that and Bob I'll be sure to put those into the show notes and everything that's going to be on the website so that people can make sure if they want to reach out to you for any other information or anything that they've got that accurate information that they can do that. Wonderful. So Bob was there anything about capturing oral histories or the work that you've done with the World War II veterans that you'd like to bring up that maybe I haven't asked you. Well I just made a people that to me there is no such day as Memorial Day one day a year or veterans one day a year because there's one of my Z-Day survivors said to me we gave all of our tomorrow's for all of your today's and to me every day is Memorial Day and every day is Veterans Day because every one of us reached the benefit of this sacrifice and service every day of our life and without this sacrifice and service we wouldn't have our life our family our friends the lives we live so to me every day is Veterans Day and every day is Memorial Day and it's been be for every one of us. Oh that's that's great wisdom there and really appreciate it and Bob thank you so much for being on the Cool Grandpa podcast I really have enjoyed this conversation with you. Well I've enjoyed the opportunity or my thank you when you listen it. I appreciate Bob taking time out of his day to sit down with me on the Cool Grandpa podcast to talk about his experience with capturing the oral histories of these World War II vets. It was incredible to hear some of these stories that he was sharing with us and also too it was really interesting to learn about Bob's journey and in his career path and how some of those changes actually led him into a place where he could begin capturing those histories and be able to sit down and work with those veterans and just the time and the love that he had for the people in his community that went off and served in World War II. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. I know this is coming out over the weekend of Veterans Day holiday weekend so do me a favor if you enjoyed this conversation if it touched you a little bit please forward this over share it with somebody that would also enjoy learning about Bob's history in his passion for capturing some of these stories. So until next time remember to stay cool. Thank you for listening to the Cool Grandpa podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode please do me a favor and share it with a friend. That's the best way you can help us to expand our community as well as get the news out about how valuable grandpas are in the lives of those kids. If you'd like to leave me a comment or shoot me a potential topic for this podcast please go to www.cool-grandpa.us look for the comments tab fill it out hit submit it's as easy as that. Until next time remember to stay cool. [Music]
