Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
Partners in Crime
A Father’s Legacy
My dad was bigger than life!
He was a Chief Gunner’s Mate serving in the U.S. Navy from January 10, 1936, until he retired on August 10, 1955. During his service, he was an eyewitness to the sinkings of three U.S. aircraft carriers, The Lexington, Yorktown, and Hornet. He participated in most of the naval actions in the far reaches of the Pacific and was awarded several commendations and awards during his active duty.
However this story is not about his legacy as a Navy Chief, it is about his legacy as my father.
I had always been told that my dad wanted a boy, but when I was born on June 30, 1949, he became a daddy again to another girl.
Surprisingly this worked to my advantage as I became his pal and partner in crime. He was a great girl dad and I was a great tomboy!
One of our earliest misadventures happened when I was 5 years old.
Early one Sunday Morning my dad woke me up and said, “Tell your mom you are sick, so we don’t have to go to church”. He was so much fun, and I was an obedient little girl, so I coughed and hacked, and groaned and moaned until my mom relented. She fell for my act, but warned my conniving father, “You better promise to take good care of her.” I’m sure he grinned mischievously and vowed that I would get the care I needed.
The minute my mom and sister left for church, the fun began. With big band music playing on the radio, he cooked up some oatmeal and read Snuffy Smith with an exaggerated accent from the Sunday funnies section of the newspaper. He made me laugh, as always.
He seemed to get a kick out of me, and I got a kick out of him too. He was my entertainment and protector, except for the time he abandoned me on the kindergarten playground.
He was a naval officer, and we were living on a military base in Quantico Virginia. School was over for the day, and everyone was gone, even the teachers. I was so little, but I still remember sitting on the merry-go-round alone, waiting for him to pick me up. Although I was bundled up in my pink, boiled wool coat, trimmed in black with a matching hat, I was cold.
