A story of survival as a forced laborer and the subsequent assimilation to American life. My dad was taken by German soldiers as they invaded his homeland in 1939. He escaped after many tough years as a forced laborer and was rescued by American troops.
Post World War II, dad relocated to Belgium. He responded to an ad seeking applicants for service in the U.S. Army. He took a train to Germany for vetting and six weeks later received orders to Fort Devins, Massachusetts for English language school. In his fourth year of service, Dad obtained U.S. Citizenship.
My father married my German mother and they had three kids. Dad served in the Army for twenty years. My mother, brother, sister, and I obtained U.S. citizenship in 1971.
After graduation from high school, I joined the U.S. Navy. I spent 15 years as an enlisted man then received a commission and served 12 years as an officer.
My 27 years of naval service gave me a myriad of experience, education, travel and other opportunities. My tenure in the Navy had disappointments, challenges, success and interesting duty assignments. The details are in various chapters.