Vet honored and memories presented

Another veteran is being honored with a special trip — Bob Potter. From May 3 to 10 he will be in Pearl Harbor on an all-expense paid trip sponsored by Forever Young, a nonprofit organization based in Collierville, Tenn. This group works with senior veterans, sponsoring trips and recognition of men and women who fought bravely, especially during World War II and Korea. Bob is a Marine veteran of World War II.

This will be an exciting time for Bob because he will be 92 on May 6 while he is at Pearl Harbor. He joined the Marines in 1942 at the age of 16. “Sixteen?” I asked. He chuckled, saying “That’s quite a story!”

Seems he and his best friend left Bloomington, Ill., to go to Memphis to get a job. In St. Louis they couldn’t find any jobs, but did see a sign “JOIN THE MARINES.” They decided that was a good idea because the country was at war, so they enlisted. Bob wrote he was 17 on the application. Then he had to go home to have his parents sign. They lied and said he was 17 and he was officially a Marine.

Bob wanted to go into the infantry but his friend talked him into taking the aviation test (friend wanted aviation). Bob passed the test; his friend did not. Bob went into the Marine Fighter Squadron, spending his war time in the South Pacific. He was stationed at Guadalcanal and remembers one flying pilot who shot down eight Japanese Zeros in one day (20 altogether). This man, who went from staff sergeant to second lieutenant, was presented the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

After the war, Bob returned to civilian life and married Dorothy. When he couldn’t find a job, he reenlisted, but had to resign in 1956 because of his wife’s ill health. They ended up in Lodi because Dorothy had a friend here. When she visited she decided it was the place to live. Bob had three jobs, two of which ended with layoffs. It was then that he started his trucking business, Potter Enterprise Trucking which he had until retirement.

One part of his Marine career still bothers him. In 1953, he volunteered (when asked) to go to Desert Rock V in Las Vegas as a “guinea pig” for atomic tests. They were to crawl toward the blast’s Point Zero with geiger counters on them. When the count became too high they were called back. They were told to keep this secret. He’s concerned that nothing has ever been told about this incident.

“I’ve had a good life,” says Bob. “Our children have done very good things.” He volunteers to help people in any way he can because “I love reaching out to people and helping them.” Have a good time at Pearl Harbor, Bob.

••• Memories will be remembered next week, this time at the Galt Historical Society meeting on Monday, April 23. Once again I’m talking about your memories and their importance for today. What fun to observe people as they begin to remember all the past that will never return. And they remember it their way, which means everyone sees an event differently. That’s why it is so important to write or tape those memories for posterity. Maybe this writing event needs to be titled “History Your Way!”

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Historical Society meeting place, 550 C Street in downtown Galt right beside the water tower (you can’t miss it). They are happy to have new members and guests attend. The Galt Historical Society is a busy group. It maintains two historical properties plus the old cemeteries within the Galt area. May young people begin to see the value of this history and preserve it as well as these members have.

••• Random thoughts:

• April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The phrase that best describes the goal: “Let us work towards a world where no child is harmed by abuse and neglect. To keep children safe, community-minded individuals across the state are standing up for families. By learning about common signs of abuse and what you can do to intervene, you can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

• A great-aunt, who now is 95, refused a pacemaker recently. She wrote me about the birthday book I gave her. “I’m still reading your lovely book, and enjoying it. I hope I can finish reading it before I die, but I read slow!” She has numerous “pen pals” and sends letters to each of them regularly. I once told her that’s why she’s still around.

Have a joyous week and keep your sense of humor just like my aunt.