Armistice Day

November 11th, 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Today I will join my mother and her brothers and other relatives in the Charlestown Navy Yard for a presentation by the Charlestown Historical Society (why don't I already belong to this, it's soooo my cup of tea!).

The event is "Charlestown WWII Veterans' History Day".
"In an effort to share the ongoing research, a WWII Living History Day will be held on Veterans' Day November 11th at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Bldg 5, Preble Room. The event will display numerous exhibits and artifacts and WWII veterans will be on hand. The event will also show several short film clips relating to men from Charlestown and WWII re-enactors will show off various WWII uniforms and equipment. It's a great opportunity to learn about the untold story of the men and women from Charlestown who served in WWII."

My family will be well represented. My mother's father was one of nine, seven of whom served. My grandfather's brothers rarely spoke of the war. When they did it was in terms of the honor of the two brothers who died, one on Iwo Jima and the other in the Coconut Grove fire. I remember many summer evenings, sitting on the front step listening to their stories. Those stories took a long time to get. My uncles were men of few words and long pauses (when they thought about the parts they were not prepared to discuss with their young niece). Eventually I began going to the BPL to piece together the parts they were leaving out.

So I will honor that in the Preble Room. Hey SouthieBoy.....we know who Preble was, huh?