On Dec. 9, 1941, two days after Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor, my father’s army unit at Fort Ord in Monterey caravanned to remote areas of northern California to guard railway bridges from similar bombing attacks.
Private First Class Ralph Hall at the Keddie Wye railroad bridge, January 1942
Here he is in Keddie in the Feather River Canyon where his unit was patrolling the Keddie Wye, a railroad junction in the form of a “y” on the Union Pacific Railroad.
He said he was often assigned the night patrol. I later wondered if he volunteered for it. He told me he wasn’t frightened, that it was peaceful and quiet, and that the starry nighttime scenes under clear skies and a full moon were beautiful.
Although he never said so to me, it would have been in stark contrast to his life one year earlier as a gay man caught up in an LAPD sting operation. Until the LA Times exposed the extortion scheme, he was required to hand over his hard-earned Depression dollars to a conversation therapist indefinitely or be jailed.
My dad (1918-2008) was an honorable soldier and man and, after four years of war, an honorable father of four. I miss him.
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My Dad’s Closet: A daughter’s memoir is scheduled to be released in Summer, 2021.
Cayla says
Good to hear from you Laura! I’ve missed reading your monthly thoughts. Not only was it good reading your Veterans Day piece, it’s also great to hear your book is being published. Will you let us know when it is available?
Bin says
I look forward to the release of your book! I will definitely purchase a copy. It’s been years since I began following your blog. I was then in Singapore, and now I live in Vancouver. Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. Your father was a good man.
Laura Hall says
I appreciate you and your sweet comment, Bin. Thank you for following my blog all these years. It’s been quite a journey! Remembrance Day – a fine name for a day honoring fallen troops.