Evangeline Marie Hoagland Snyderwine

What a life!!!!!!!!!!!

Childhood on a farm, not just a subsistence farm but an agribusiness. Her grandfather Jesse did it all, from dealing in cattle to honey bees.

Early years were spent living in the same house as her paternal grandparents. They were rich. But knew how to squeeze a buck. Being the 1st child she was the leader. She was an avid learner. From catching and dressing chickens to gardening. She was close to her grandmother Sarah , who taught her needlework and flowers When Halley’s comet came by in 1912, her parents woke up all the kids to see the show. Mother said you could read a newspaper by the light. Surprisingly, she saw the comet again in 1987 on a cold night on top of a hill south of Erie.

Jesse major, her dad went into the millwork business. Making moldings, sashes and such. She wanted to be a teacher. But jesse major needed someone he could trust to run the office. So he sent her to Sharon Commericial College. She was attending on November 11, 1918 when the wwl armistice was announced.

This mill was a public place for farmers, home builders and others to trade, so she was the first contact a person would meet. There was also a public scale and a railroad siding. So she learned early on about gross, tare and net weights.

Meeting and greeting people came naturally to her and was a great advantage for her for all of her life.

One of her friends talked her into a blind date with handsome athletic looking Leo Snyderwine. At the end of the date she told me that she probably wouldn’t hear from him again. But the romance started.

Well, when her father found out she was seeing a CATHOLIC DUTCHMAN he was deeply upset. The Hoaglands were in the area since the early 1800’s and looked down on immigrants that couldn’t speak English and had strange Papist ways.

So you see he had two immense problems. He was about to lose his ace and to a foreigner.
A side bar, Jesse Major’s buddies would come in to the mill and sit around the stove and visit. On man was CB Allen a neighbor. When he learned about the impending wedding he approached and said “vangie, if you give up this guy I’ll buy you a new Hudson automobile”. She got huffy and said no way!!!!!

Opened in 1934 by Leo Snyderwine and Rudolph Stuppy. Rudy was married to Leo's sister Gertrude. They built on the southwest corner of State and Spencer on land leased from Tom Scraggs. How bold, this was in the dark days of the great depression. All the mills closed. High unemployment. Somehow they gathered capital to build the stand and buy an Icehouse. Most people had iceboxes. They sold ice and stored fruits and vegetables.
The structure of the store was basic, featuring drop down panels for display. On closing, all merchandise had to be brought in and panels closed.

The emphasis was on fresh fruit and produce. They bought materials directly from farmers, wholesalers and from a wholesale market in Youngstown Ohio. I'm positive that the combination of freshness and low prices made for success.
I was there when the icehouse was delivered. It came on a flat bed truck on a crib of timbers. I said to myself it looks top heavy. Bobbys riggers were on hand and using street car jacks they jacked it up and pulled out the crib timbers. When they got to the level of the foundation they used wooden rollers to roll it onto the foundation. Wow, I was impressed as any 9 year old boy would be.
The store prospered.

In the summer of 1936 my mother Van said to Leo, why don't you take Bobie to the Youngtown Market on Pyatt St. Up until that time I spent my summers playing sandlot baseball and just hanging out with my friends.

So he took me, I was thrilled! The market opened at 1:pm and buyers were lined up and when the siren sounded there was a mad dash to get the best parking spots. I would walk with Leo as he walked through the market. When he bought things my job was to load them on the truck. What a thrill! I was working with Dad. I loved it. On return to the market I helped unload the truck. I have a memory of Dad giving me a basket of fresh lima beans and several pint baskets. He said shell the beans and ut them in the basket. I said "that will take all day", he smiled and said just sit there and get started, and I did. It was a lesson on patience that I carried all my life.
So, my business life began. I started hanging around the Market and Dad would give me jobs. A distasteful job was using a vinegar rag to clean each egg. And they were dirty! as I cleaned them I put them in boxes of a dozen. Then carried them upstairs to put on the shelf (not refrigerated).

Youngest of Robert & Maryann Snyderwine Sr., having much gratitude for the love, support throughout my life.

Grandma Snyderwine would tell me, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.".

Dad told me early the story of opportunity. A young boy arrived at a local farm, looking for work. The farmer said "There's no work here son.". The boy persisted, "There must be something I can do !". So the farmer says, "See that stall, here's a pitchfork, clean that out and I'll give you a nickle.". So, the boy takes the pitchfork, looks in the stall and exclaims "Look at all that ! There must be a pony in there somewhere !". That's what the Marine Corps felt like.

Three best fishermen, Dad, Grandma & Uncle Tom. Why Uncle Tom? He jerks the bait away from the fish exclaiming "Get off the line !" Actually he is one of the best because he teaches "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime."

Grandma and I had some of the best times together fishing, cooking, and playing cards while listening to Pirates' games on the radio.

A few days before graduation at Parris Island, called home to let family know I was graduating early to get back to Gannon. Grandma answers the phone at 3006, ( I'm shocked fearing trouble) I ask for Mom & Dad. Grandma answers in sheer delight to hear my voice and says in a coying voice, "There not here, they are on their way to see you!".
I didn't know when they would arrive. That sunday morning I walked to the chapel, spotting a motorhome with Pennsylvania registration. I walked in to see Mom & Dad. There were at least 200 recruits at mass. We shook the roof with Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Our Father and God bless America. Dad tells me he can remember that.

Sometimes Dad would drop me off at the foot of Sommerheim Pumping Station to go ice fishing.

I would fish my heart out, climb the hill and walk to St. Joseph's apartment, auger, sled, salamander, gear& bucket of perch. Grandma would clean & cook the perch.

Dad would let me take the Sea Nymph out alone before I had a drivers license !
One day in spring I was casting persistently along the stretch from the yacht club to Sommerhiem during a building Nor Easter.
Confidence wasn't high, believing conditions were not favorable.
The strike came by surprise, yet I could feel the muskie shake his head. I knew I was in for a fight ! I tired him out, and netted him.
Realizing not only was I late meeting Dad, the East wind was pushing me into less than two feet of water. The paddle wasn't enough to overcome a submerged pier. I mustered all my strength shoving off to safer depth.
All along, the muskie was causing a ruckuss on the deck. Finally, able to lower & fire up the 40 horse mercury, I quartered the 3'-4' waves back to meet Dad at the sand ramp. Dad saw me heading in and backed down the ramp. The waves were too rough to paddle on the trailer, so I jumped out and wrestled the boat to the trailer. Still excited, I told Dad about my first muskie ! Dad replies, "You aren't going to keep that thing are you?". My hands were cut and bleeding from his gill plates. I had hand to hand combat with that fish, no way was I going to release him ! Dad said so, so be it. The muskie was pretty worn out, after carefull coaching, while standing in that cold water he took off to fight another day...

Charles and Elizabeth (Knapp) Sneidewin on their wedding day in 1889. This is the only picture of a young Elizabeth I know of. To me she looks almost child like.

They were a prominent catholic family in what is now Sharon and Hickoory Twp. Mercer County Pa.

They and nine other families pledged $1,000 towards the founding of St. Joseph Church.

They had a strong sense of family and were very social. For years they hosted 10 - 15 family members for Sunday dinner.

Charles was born in Hickory Twp. in 1863. His parents Michael and Margaret emigrated from Kraisdorf Bavaria in 1860. Elizabeth's father is John Knapp and they lived almost next door from the Sneidewin's.

Elizabeth worked for a wealthy local family as a maid and cook before marriage. She learned a lot and was a fantastic cook and baker. When Charles brother Michael's wife died unexpectedly she made bread for his family. She related that the bread came out the best when she baked for someone else. They had their own cow and made a lot of related dishes including cottage cheese (schmerkasse). I remember Charles grinding horseradish root in the driveway in the spring. In the fall they woud make apple butter in a big iron pot over a wood burning fire outside. Like every one in those days, they were avid hunter gatherers. Early spring they would go out and find dandelions for a wilted dish of them along with onions,bacon and vinegar. They also gathered nuts and berries, even mushrooms.

Charles had a shoe repair stand and kit that he used to maintain family shoes.

They lived at 212 Wengler Ave in Sharon.

Marti Snyderwine, grand daughter of Evangeline Hoagland Snyderwine wrote on the passing of Evangeline:
It is mind boggling to me to imagine living to 104. So many cultural and technological changes have occurred since 1902. Does anyone remember the typewriter, do kids really know where bread comes from or how it is made? I remember grandma's home made bread and cinnamon rolls. She also liked to bake cake with a meringue icing that could withstand a category 3 hurricane. Certainly her formidable will helped her navigate the great depression, the food business, and the Boy Scouts of America, and life. I often wonder how people learn things especially the motivation to earn a living and eat well. I don't remember any formal classes on this, however the school of hard knocks is always open. Somewhow I find a way to accomplish both, to usually land on my feet. Well, maybe some of my skills originated with my namesake. I love learning and playing with numbers. Trying to estimate how much money I need to earn and save to live until 125 is both challenging and fun for me. Being able to take anger and resentment and create opportunities, I imagine Evangeline did this consistently.
Many other people in my life, such as you and Mom, also modeled a love of learning and service to others period. I hope you find some comfort in celebrating Evangeline's life. When I see flowers, Coho Salmon, and fresh vegetables, I remember grandma. Love Marti

Click on the image to see detail.

Evangeline Hoagland Snyderwine

First born child of Jesse Major and Minnie Spory Hoagland. Early years lived with her parents and Grandparents Jesse and Sara Blanck Hoagland at Keel Ridge, about five miles east of Sharon on what is now US Highway 62. It was called Keel Ridge because the farm sat on top of a rock formation that suggested an upside boat. Evangeline learned many things from her Grandmother Sara, especially flower gardening. Van loved gardening.She new names of countless flowers and trees which she relentlessly passed on to her children.

Her father Jesse Major owned a shop that made wood parts, like window sashs and door frames. His business also operated a feed and farm materials. It prospered before and after World War I. When Evangeline finished eight grades of public school, she wanted to be a school teacher. Her father would have none of it. He sent her to Sharon Commercial where she learned bookkeeping, office skills such as typing, shorthand, filing. When she graduated she went to work for her father and soon developed into being a bookkeeper, office manager,cashier.A friend talked her into a double date,and met Leo Snyderwine.Then developed a romance and marriage. When her father learned of this he hit the roof. At that time he was a member of the Ku Klux Clan. He and his peers hated Jews, Catholics, African Americans. Leo told of his driving out to pick up Van for a date and the Klan blocked the road and tried to jump up onto the running board. Leo could see what was happening and gunned his car and plowed through. When Leo and Van became engaged there was an effort to thwart the marriage. In the front of the mill there was a woodburing stove and neighbors gathered around and gossiped. One of them C B Allen, a prominent land owner said to Van "i'll give you a new Huppmobile if you dont marry that dutchman"

Van wasn't buying. You have to realize that she was an outcast in her family. On July 23 1924 she left home (I'm sure Leo picked her up) she went to stay the night with her brother and sister in law Martin and Dorothy Hess. The next day they were married on the back steps of th rectory by pastor August Hoeing.

I'll pause here and expound on the relationship with her family after the marriage. There was absolutely no contact for about 13 years. She had 7 siblings, she was the oldest and a surrogate mother. Not one of those siblings came to see her or contact her. She was a key member of the family. During this time her father sold the business to his brother in law Mr. Gaugh and moved to Conneaut Lake fifty miles away. It's interesting to note that when Leo and Van went to buy a new house for about $4000 Van contributed over $2000

About 1937 Van called her mother with a desire to visit. She and her family, Leo,Bob and Peggy travelled to Conneaut Lake. Her father was frosty. Minnie and the children were hospitable. This began a long series of visits, reumions that lasted into the 1950's. I give Leo and Van especially lots of credit for not being bitter.

In the mid 1920's all of Mercer County prospered. Leo had a good a good job working for Armco a steel mill making sheet steel for cars and appliances.

Van became a great cook and housekeeper. Bob was born in 1925 and Peggy in 1926.Van's favorite newspaper was the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. They ran recipe contests and she one at least one prize.

There was a problem with steel making in Sharon centered on the Shenago River. Steelmaking requires vast amounts of water and the source was the river. In the summer it tended to dry up. In winter and spring it flooded. Armco started looking for a better site. They picked Gary Indiana, on the shore of Lake Michigan. This solved the water problem and saved on transportation. They no longer had to carry the ore to Conneaut and Ashtabula, unload into trains and climb the escarpment and then on to Sharon.

Then in 1929 the country went into a deep economic depression. Mills closed. Most families lost their jobs and homes.

Leo asked Van "what do we do now"?. She said "let's start a little business".

They hit on the idea of Leo going out into the country with chicken crates and buying live chickens. They then butchered the chickens, dressed them perfectly and Leo would sell them door to door. I can still smell the wet chicken feathers.One summer Leo borrowed a truck and went to Marietta Ohio to buy tomatoes. When they got back to Sharon the tomatoes were ripe. so ripe the only thing to do was to sell them door to door. This went well enough to prompt them to enter into a partnership with Leo's sister Gertrude and her husband Rudy.

They leased a corner lot at State and Spencer from Mr. Scraggs and built a fruit stand. The typical design, no windows, just drop down panels. They did well and took steps to make it a year round building. They also bought an ice house. I remember when the ice house arrived on a flat bed truck. I thought "how are they going to get it off the truck and onto the foundation.?" I marvelled at how a crew from Bobby's Riggers used railroad jacks and timbers to do the job.
More about the store in other posts.

Robert Snyderwine military experience in WWII

My military occupation was influenced by being a Boy Scout where I learned Morse code and Semaphore (flags). Further influenced by a Sharon High School Morse code class in 1942.

In July of 1943 I received my "Greetings" letter from President Roosevelt. I was with a group of draftees that were bussed to the National Guard Armory in Erie, Pennsylvania for physical examinations. The last step was with a Navy Petty Officer who asked me "Do you want Army or Navy." I replied "Navy."

Within days we were placed on a bus to Pittsburgh. On arriving in Pittsburgh we encountered our first experience of "hurry up and wait". We were sworn in for the second time. About 12 hours after leaving home we boarded a train for somewhere. After an all night trip we arrived at Bainbridge Naval Center for eight weeks of boot camp. At that time Bainbridge was newly constructed. After a day and night of doing nothing we were given a cardboard box and told to pack up everything and put our home address on the box. Then, stark naked, we went through a clothing line and were outfitted with every thing we needed, including a sea bag, mattress and hammock. We had to pack up in military fashion and march with our new belongings to our barracks which were in the far reaches of the camp. I was recovering from a bad cold and when we arrived at the barracks I was exhausted. I stored my stuff and made my bed and laid down and went to sleep until reveille the next morning.

It was a custom then, as it probably is now, to begin the day with a formation and roll call. The person doing the roll was a southerner and not familiar with Polish, German and other complex names. Very often men couldn't tell what names were being called. After roll there was a workout and then breakfast. After that we were assembled on the parade ground and given shots and vaccinations. During this we had to stand at attention and wait our turn. Since it was a hot, humid, sunny day, after a half hour guys started to faint in place. This became contagious and even more fainted. Some guys fainted on being stuck on both arms. The next day we were outfitted with boxing gloves and paired off to box. With sore arms from the day before it was tough.

Then began the daily routine of marching, workouts, including obstacle courses. Often after noon day mess we were assembled into dark classrooms for enemy ship recognition. Guys fell asleep in droves. Early on we were interviewed by someone whose job it was to see what skills a recruit had. On looking at my form he saw my Morse code record and smiled at me and said "You're going to be a Signalman." The food was average. You had to watch that they didn't load too much on your tray because when you turned in your tray somenone was there to see if you ate all your food. If you didn't you had to return to a table and finish. Some men hated the food and relied on food sent from home. After a week or so I got a box from my Mother. On opening it there was a beautiful iced layer cake packed in popcorn. It was consumed in a few minutes and well appreciated. One of the challenging experiences of boot camp was swimming and jumping feet first from a 20 foot platform, when I hit the water I kept going down, down, finally I was able to swim up to the surface and climb up a cargo net back up to the tower.

After graduating from boot camp we were on leave for a week and then returned to Bainbridge. After about a week got orders to board a train which took us up the Lehigh Valley and into New York State to Sampson. Sampson is on the shore of lake Seneca.

I then started training to be a signalman. I'll always remember marching in formation and singing the old marching songs to and from the classrooms. It was a great way to begin the day. It was a 16 week school.

After signal school some of us were sent to Convoy communication school in Noroton Heights Connecticut. We trained a lot out of doors with aldis lamps and flag hoists. Our instructors were signalmen recovering from attacks at sea. It was sobering, they were recovering physically and mentally.

When training was over we were physically examined and I was declared color blind. I couldn't believe it. I said "You put up any flag hoist you want to and I'll read it". And they did it and I read it. I was approved for sea duty.

We boarded a train for Norfolk VA and went to a waiting facility where we just loafed. After about a week we were told to pack up and get ready to ship out. We were put aboard a harbor patrol craft and headed out to Hampton Roads. It was a long ride and rough weather. We came up to the Liberty Ship John N. Robins. Ship's company deployed a cargo net and a boom connected to a steam winch. They lowered a cargo net and we put in our sea bags. We then had to scramble up the cargo net which was difficult because of the 6 foot waves buffeting the patrol craft. We had to wait until we got to the top of a wave, grab onto the net and scramble aboard. It was late afternoon.

By the time we were settled and had our first meal we learned from the Merchant Marine crew that we were carrying ammunition to Naples, Italy. We were terrified. After a week we stopped being terrified.

On the first day at sea we joined other ships in a convoy. It was a pleasant day and I was intrigued with the wave action that the bow of the ship made. This was a mistake, towards the end of the day we encountered large sea swells. I got seasick, bad.

Because we were carrying ammo our captain lagged back, not maintaining proper station.

The next day I reported to the fly bridge for signal duty, a British frigate was close in to our port side and sending a message. Our signalman couldn't get the first word. The Brit signalman was frustrated and kept sending the first word over and over. Finally I screamed out "EXPEDITE." Every head on the bridge swung to look at me. The message was "expedite closing up".

After about 10 days we made landfall at the straits of Gibraltor. We passed through the straits on Easter Sunday 1944. We then deployed torpedo nets along both sides and headed east off the coast of North Africa. Within a few days we were awakened in the middle of the night with General Quarters. All hands went to battle stations. On arriving I saw a large flare in the sky that lit up the whole convoy. We were under attack from dive bombers and torpedo bombers. My battle station was 3rd loader for 3"-5o in the stern. We loaded a shell and the pointer pulled the trigger. No one warned me to close my eyes. The blast from the shell blinded me. I had difficulty in regaining my eye sight. The German attackers came out of France. We were close to Oran, North Africa. We arrived off the southern coast of Sicily where we anchored. The sight of Mt Aetna was beautiful. Bum boats came out to our ship selling stuff. I remember small oranges that were super sweet. The weather was fine, sunny, warm. So we decided to go swimming. While getting ready a crew member told us to be careful, the water temp was 57 degrees, we laughed him off and proceeded to jump in. I jumped in and it was so cold I lost my breath. I swam back as fast as I could. Then we got orders to weigh anchor and proceed north through the straits of Messina, a very narrow body of water separating sicily from Italy. I had the use of a 30" long telescope and greatly enjoyed viewing people and sights on both sides of the strait. As we passed north along the west coast of Italy we saw volcanoes, including Stromboli at night. We could see flames and smoke.

As we came near Naples we went by the Isle of Capri, and many small birds landed on the ship. Then the scenery was dominated by Mt Vesuvios. Still smoking and showing burn damage from an eruption a few years before.

Then Naples. What devastation !!!!

We were directed to an isolated dock for unloading of our cargo. We were given Liberty. As we walked to central city we were mobbed by people holding tin cans and begging for food and trying to sell Cameos. I was interested in a cameo but all I could find were crudely made. People were dressed in rags and looked poorly.

One evening we were served lamb chops. Some did'nt like them and one wise guy threw one onto the dock. People jumped for it. So others were pitched onto the dock. In three minutes we had a mob. How sad.

Every evening after dark German planes came overhead. Gun batteries ashore shot at them with 40mm guns that fired in rapid order. I'm sure they had proximity fuses because the shrapnel from their shells landed on our deck. We were told to stay under cover. We could hear the shrapnel hit the deck. The next morning we collected the fragments.

At that time our troops were engaging the Germans at Anzio and then Monte Casino. Fighting was very heavy with thousands of casualties.,

We had an uneventful trip back to Jersey City, except for a humorus incident. To set the stage, I was on the fly bridge a good percentage of the time and there was a steering station. In addition there was a closed in wheel house. The Merchant Marine officers knew that I took a strong interest in manning the wheel. One day the duty officer said to me "now's your chance to steer" I was thrilled, the compass showed that we were drifting off course. I turned the wheel to correct, taking care not to over correct. I started to panic. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the duty officer laughing his head off. I then realized that they had disconnected the steering station and were purposely drifting off course from the wheel house. I got razzed heavily by the whole crew. Most of the days transitting west word to the Atlantic were sunny, serene. The Med was a pleasing shade of green and no storms.

After leave I was assigned to M/S Svealand, a bauxite (aluminum ore)carrier operating between New York and Port of Spain Trinidad. We sailed independently to Port of Spain. I was intrigued by the lack of twilight and the beauty of the sea at night. The crew wasn't used to non Swedish guests. We got along very well. On the return trip riding low in the water one of the crew constantly teased me and starting to talk about flying fish. I teased back saying there was no such thing. Then a day or two later I saw flying fish flying onto the ship. We were travelling in convoy, normally the Svealand travelled solo. The main communication with the convoy commodore was via radio. Turned out I was the main man for radio operations.

After returning to New York we went on liberty.

On returning to the Armed Guard Center in Brooklyn I was assigned to the Daniel Willard. They were loading trucks, tanks and locomotives bound for northern Russia. When loaded we joined a convoy bound for Scotland. Our first landfall was Ireland. After two weeks at sea it was a thrill to see the bright green hills of Ireland. In this transit between Ireland and Scotland our escorts dropped numerous depth charges. When the charges detonated it created a huge bang on the hull. We arrived at the Clydebank (where the Clyde River meets the ocean). We anchored in Loch Long. Then liberty at Greenock and Glasgow I was surprised to see so many horse drawn wagons.

We then joined a convoy that carried us north past the Orkney, Shetlands and Faroes Islands. This is the area where the German super battleship Bismarck on May 23,1941sunk the British battlesip Hood on the first salvo. When hit the Hood exploded, broke in half and sunk in minutes. No survivors, 10,000 lives lost. A stunning blow to the British. We then went up the western coast of Norway. As we proceeded north I could see the north star rising higher in the sky. One day we came under attack by German torpedo bombers. Our gunners fired their 20 mm Oerlikons and they jammed. After the engagement we all turned to and emptied the magazines, wiped off the grease and reapplied a lighter grade. As we went further north we experienced heavy seas, so heavy that we took green water waves over the bow. Bow watch had to be recalled. Daily,the turnbuckles holding the locomotives had to be retightened.The Germans had the battleship Scharnhost in northern Norway, to cope with this we went further north crossing the arctic circle and passed to the east between Bear Island and Spitsbergen. The radioman found a german radio station that was playing classical music, A woman would break in something like Axis Sally and spout some propaganda. At this point the North star appears directly overhead and we were close to latitude 80 degrees north. The convoy passed northern Lapland and then southeastern past the arctic circle and into the Barents Sea.When we entered the Barents or White sea I felt secure and was tired from the heavy stress. I took a shower and went to bed. My buddies were impressed by my ability to sleep through a heavy depth charge barrage. Then on to Molotovsk to unload the deck cargo. I was on the fly bridge when I saw a small Russian freighter coming in and heading to a heavily built timber dock.I watched as the ship like a slow motion movie plowed through and ripped up 150ft of dock.Then south on the Dvina river to Archangelsk. I was on the fly bridge with the Captain and the watch officer when we were approached by a tug.

I put a glass on the tug and noticed someone in the bow dressed in rags, as we got closer it was a woman handling bow lines. Wow!. The pilot brought us in to a dock. A pause her to explain that one of the factors to consider is the supply of clean fresh water. The Daniel Willard had a still to convert sea water to fresh.

As soon as the gangway was in place it was guarded by two big Mongolians. When leaving the ship if you were carrying anything they inspected it. If it was a magazine they took it. These guys looked mean, were in uniform and carrying rifles and side arms. We were encouraged to travel in pairs when ashore. Sometimes we were followed. The surroundings were dismal. We saw a huge church bell, most likely bronze, many embellishments were cast into it. We wanted hair cuts and were directed to a barber shop manned by women barbers. Shaving the back of your head was done without any lather. There were few men. We saw German prisoners of war being marched in a group, dressed in rags and lookly very poor.

There were no bars or lounges to go to. Instead there was a facility called Intourist.

Think of a very small restaurant, no bar, sparsely outfitted. The only thing available was vodka and hot tea, the vodka so strong some guys used it to fuel cigarette lighters. It was served with hot tea,One wise guy took a spoon of sugar and put a few drops of vodka on it, it burned with a blue flame. I tried it but it was too strong for me. The Russians would beg to come aboard to get our potato peels plus whatever they could scrounge

Eventually it was time to go back to the States. An empty Liberty Ship needs ballast. Our ballast was dimension lumber, loaded by women.

As we got underway it was November, ice on the river, made a grinding sound as we broke through it. The return to Scotland was a bit easier, no northern headwind to buck.

We arrived back in New York in December a stormy time to be on the North Atlantic.

I went on liberty back home to Sharon and huge snow storm. Had a nice Christmas and returned as Signalman 3d Class. Big deal.

On returning to the Armed Guard Center we were shocked to hear that we were going back to Russia. On learning of this most of the merchant marine crew walked off. Replacements were inexperienced. It is now January 1945. We sailed in convoy without much happening until we entered the Irish Sea. There were a lot of sunken hulls. Destroyers and Frigates took no chances and dropped depth charges which made a huge bang against the ship. It was about supper time. The green replacements stampeded to the life boats. I was amazed, obviously these people had no experience being on a Liberty ship on the North Atlantic. While anchored one of the Armed Guard crew offered to make spaghetti and meat balls. This was a treat for us. I got sick. As soon as possible the next day I got on the liberty boat and to Greenock where I sought treatment. A lot of waiting, then on a bus to a hospital. On a day when Scotland was having a major snow storm. I arrived at the improvised hospital in the late afternoon very sick. I was examined by a doctor, after which I was on bed rest for a week.

Returning to Greenock to get transportation to the ship. I saw the Captain along with other Captains ready to cast off. I just made it. What a relief. At this time allied armies were preparing to cross the Rhine and they needed signalmen. Some signalmen were pulled off armed guard crews and sent to Germany.

This convoy to Murmansk was well protected. We were escorted by a unit of the British Home Fleet including a carrier, a pocket battle ship, and frigates. We saw them launch planes to meet the Germans and could see signs of engagement on the horizon. Taking off and landing was risky. As they left the flight deck the planes would drop some before getting enough power to climb out. Landing was even more risky. Can you imagine landing on a heaving deck? Many times they aborted the landing and went around for another try. Murmansk is on the Kola peninsula, and close to Lapland. A lot of trees but all small and spindly. During that time of year, december, january the sun barely rises and it is cold. I experenced minus 50 fahrenheit. It wasn't that bad if the wind was not blowing. Someone brought out a football for tossing around. Russians tryed to join in but with no experience it wasn't much fun. They did enjoy trying.

We left Murmansk in the middle of the night showing no lights. It was cold!!!
I sent a flashing light message with a hand held lamp,(weak, highly directional,
I tried using my glove, couldn't do it. Took my glove off and sent the message. In those few minutes I got frost bite. We made an uneventful transit back until we neared the norther coast of Scotland. We broke off and waited in a small port to wait for a pilot to come up from Glasgow. He took us along an inside passage towards the Clydebank. He was friendly and pointed out and identified old castles and land features. We felt safe.

We arrived at the mouth of the Clyde River on the morning of April 1, 1945.
There was a dense fog. We held our position because the river is so narrow at this point that only one ship at a time could transit. So we waited. Imagine sailors away from normal settings for a month, and anxious to go ashore to get away from fellow sailors who they were tired of coping with. Finally we went up the river, full speed ahead. Horrors, a ship was coming downstream. We went to engines full astern, the sudden change made the screw bounce the fantail. And here came the ship, we either go aground or face scraping port sides of each ship. We endured the collision. Such a wild high pitched screaming of steel plates against each other.
Crews of both ships were on deck to watch this bow to stern scraping. Most were laughing and skylarking execept for the Captains and Pilots. We finally made it to our dock. I got a newspaper. The headline said that as of today April 1. US Marines invaded Okinawa. Little did I know that in four months I would be on Okinawa.

We joined a convoy to New York shortly. We had been at sea a long time through heavy storms, huge waves and swells. We lost so many dishes that we were drinking coffee out of soup bowls. On April 12, 1945, an unusually calm sea and heavy gray clouds we got word of the death of Franklin Roosevelt. A somber sea for a somber event.

From the time of the collision we saw very little of the Captain. There were indications that the stress of command and the arduos conditions made him sick.

We arrived New York early May. On May 8 Germany surrended. And that ended my experience with the Armed Guard. Went on leave and on return found that I was assigned to a LST. In early June we sailed south towards the Panama Canal. The weather was fair, no worrying about hostile aircraft and submarines. We stopped at the Atlantic side for a few days. I remember going swimming in salt water as warm as bath water. Then we got orders to begin our transit of the Panama Canal. It was close to sundown and the canal was bordered by deep jungle. Birds and perhaps other animals set up a fierce frightening racket. This was my first and only transit of a canal. I had to be on deck as much as I could and watch everything. Pitch dark except for ship lights and canal works. During the night our baker made fresh bread. What a treat.

Sailing the Pacific was such a pleasure, balmy weather, lot of sun, no subs and few storms. I couldn't have felt better on a paid cruise.

We sailed North and West for Oahu. After all the dismal scenery in Russia it was a thrill to see Diamond Head. We disembarked and trucked to temporary housing up in the hills. It rained every afternoon for 10 minutes. After a week or so we were trucked to near Bishop's Point (an airfield). We languished there for a month, wondering what was going to happen. Eventually we were sent to an outfitting facility and told to pack up all of our clothes and send them home. We were then fitted out with green fatigues. Seemed ominous because the next logical move was to invade Japan.

We manned signal towers and practiced by exchanging messages with other towers. Boring. We also attended classes on survival techniques. More ominous.

Then news of the Nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then on August 17 came the word of the unconditional surrender by the Japanese. What a relief. If we invaded Japan there was a high probablity that I wouldn't be writing this.

After celebrating for a few days we resumed our training routine. Then we got orders to board a truck bound for the Honolulu airport. First a round of shots. We had no idea where we were going. Someone said we were going to Navy P O 964. No idea where it was. After this flurry of "hurry up" of course we had to wait.

We boarded a B 24 Liberator and headed west. First stop was Johnson Island a desolate piece of rock where we refueled. Proceeded south and west for a long flight to Enewetok. During this flight we experienced some turbulence, I looked out the window and saw the wings shaking. I thought to myself the wings are going to fall off. I was terrorized!!!. On our descent we noticed the color of the sea changed from blue to green and it became warm inside the B24. This was a long, long trip that ended on Guam just south of Okinawa. We slept near the airfield and couldn't sleep because of the B29's landing and taking off. Next morning we flew to Okinawa.

We landed on a dirt/steel segment strip. As we debarked someone said they saw Gen Mac Arthur. It was a dismal scene, mud everywhere, trees shredded. They put us in a tent with a cot. Not too bad but tent and cot were on uneven ground. During the night we could hear gunfire. Japanese were in caves and hard to remove.We more or less wandered about. I asked for directions to the mess hall, as I approached I smelt a pig sty. Unbelieveable! I said to myself no thanks. Had some k rations and climbed a hill overlooking the ocean, wind was on shore thankfully. As I'm sitting there I recalled what I had been through the past year or so. What a contrast from the frigid hostile environment above the Arctic Ocean to the warm balmy south pacific. Then I was thirsty. I was directed to the reservoir. I approached and all I could see was a big mud puddle and a lister bag standing nearby. I asked someone where the reservoir was and he looked at me with disdain and said "you're looking at it. I had to have water, so I drew some into my canteen and was met with a heavy chlorine smell and taste.

We boarded a ship, not knowing where we were going, but in a northerly direction.
Someone finally told us Navy #964 was Jinsen Korea, now known as Inchon. As we came in eyesight of the beach we were surprised to see many boats of different sizes sitting on the mud. We soon learned that some of the highest tides of the world were at this area. This was the first week of September 1945. There were signs that the Japanese left just a few days before we arrived. Living conditions were what you would expect from a country long exploited by the Japanese. Being a small Port Director staff we had trouble with billeting. We bounced from ship to ship including the USS Ajax, a repair ship. They could fix almost anything. One day I answered a call from a signal searchlight. I gave him a "K" meaning go ahead. He replied INT SNYDERWINE!!!. Blew me out of the water. Turns out it was Joe Donnelly, a year behind me at St. Joe's in Sharon. We had a good visit.

Going ashore was different than any of us had ever experienced. Worse than Naples Italy. We were walking along a street and a tank wagon full of human excrement pulled by an ox approached us. When it came to smells I thought I was a tough guy. The smell was overcoming. Had to get out of the way. They used the waste for fertilizer for their crops.

Some of us went walking along some of the streets and saw barrels of small dried fish. Others were returning from the country side with giant piles of sticks and brush on their backs. This was fuel. Another source was coal dust. They would mix the coal with something most likely water and form balls like baseballs and set them out to dry. Many lived in huts with a vent hole at the peak. They cooked over a small pit in the floor.

Sometime in November we were housed ashore in a primitive foundry. Living conditions were poor. No steady water or electric supply. Our only source of heat were sheet metal pot bellie stoves fueled by kerosene. Dangerous. Our duty station was in downtown Inchon, a 7 floor office building. Our signal tower was on the roof. We marveled at the small garden there. One of the notable tasks was to send "all ships messages. To do this we fired up the 24 inch carbon arc searchlight. I would point the light skyward and send "AA" (all ships) until they answered back with a K. I then sent the message,ships would acknowledge.
Going from the foundry to downtown in a personnel carrier was strange. Streets were dirt and crowded with pedestrians. Beeping the horn had no effect. One thing that worked was to shift into neutral and race the engine. Then they scattered.
Around Christmas time the civilians began protesting our presence. Carrying torches, firing weapons. This was potentially dangerous, especially the threat of fire. We were issued 30cal carbines. They were coated with cosmoline. Took a gasoline soaked rag to remove it. Our unit was further bolstered with a construction unit. This entailed unloading a lot of crates of materials and equipment. Civilian stevedores were engaged. They were awesome, carrying huge crates on their backs with a cloth strap around their forehead. While they unloaded they put their boxes of rice on a pot belly stove. Not a big box 5"W,4" front to back, and 3" deep. That's it. Wow!!
They were young, strong, healthy and happy.

The winter was bitterly cold, north winds were tough. That part of Korea is at about the same degree of latitude as Washington DC. The weather started to break in late January.

Now we started to hear about a point system for discharge. We talked about golden gate in '48. Points seemed way out of my score. Just about every week the required number of points were reduced. Then surprisingly about February 10 I was getting close. The guys were all comparing points. One of the guys thought he should have more points than I because he was married. But I had much more time at sea.
I often remember the poverty,the children smiling while they played teeter top standing. They would scrounge an eight foot plank, put a sack of coal dust under the middle of the board and take turns jumping on their end of the board, sending the other child up into the air and back. They did this for hours and were smiling all the time. Despite their hardships they smiled.

February 20, 1946 I boarded a small craft and was taken to a large Navy transport ship, most likely and APA. We were told that we could take a shower any time we wanted. So I went to the shower and found a first class shower facility. I was jubilant. And the towels, huge piles of beautiful white towels. In Korea we had to wash and dry our towels. This was undoubtedly the best shower I had since leaving Oahu back in July. In drying myself I noticed large amounts of dead skin were sloughing off.

Because of my rank I was not assigned to any duty. Furthermore I slept on a wide bunk with a 4" mattress. I felt like I was on vacation. No storms, spent a lot of time topside. No subs or aircraft to worry about. After about ten days we were greeted by small craft loaded with pretty girls all waving hello. Upon landing, getting in line I noticed a lot of firearms, binoculars etc. Turns out our luggage was scanned for metal. Guys were not taking a chance to be delayed, they dumped their booty. Later that day I called my family in Sharon PA. My parents weren't home but my sister Peg answered. She was thrilled. The next day we began processing. Blood and urine samples and physical exams. Then told to pack up our duds and send them home. They then issued new uniforms.

We were trucked to a rail yard and loaded in box cars fitted out with bunks. They were called Jeep sleepers. We then traversed east across the northern states. On memorable stop was Roundup Wyoming in the middle of the night. Near our car there was a middle aged big belly police officer wearing a Sam Brown outfit complete with ammo belt across his shoulder. He was so fat he could never run down anyone. Another stop was in the corn fields of either North or South Dakota. Last year's corn stubble held hundreds of Pheasants.

Soon after we started travelling southeast to Chicago. On the way one of the wheels on our car started making threatening sounds. Upon arrival in Chicago we were loaded on to Pullman Cars. What a change! Now we headed east on the Great Lakes Special, carrying across Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and to New York at Sampson Naval Station. The same base I spent 16 weeks at Signalman School. I was tired. Instead of putting us in a barracks, they had us sleep on the Gym floor. Ever try that?

Next day we began final processing, one of the stops was a recruter inviting me to sign up for the Naval Reserve. After sleeping on a gym floor I wasn't in the mood. Besides I had enough Navy.