And so it begins
“Okay, young ladies. Anyone who can get the shy young lieutenant over there to dance wins five dollars,” announced the USO Dance Master of Ceremonies.
It was 1943 and World War II was raging in Europe and the South Seas. This event happened to be in Washington D.C. and the USO was a service organization that presented entertainment for service personnel.
This dance on this night began the long-time love story of Stan and Joanne Evelyn Emert. Stan was the 5th child of 11 children of George and Bessie Emert from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Joanne Evelyn was the youngest child of six children born to John and Emily Colligan with Irish/English roots from New York City.
Like so many young boys back in that time of turmoil, Stan left home at 16, lied about his age, and joined the Army. He was bound and determined to defend his country against Hitler and the Nazis. Joanne Evelyn left college and joined the Marines like her beloved brother Bill had just done. She was part of the first group of female Marines ... ever.
Stan spotted the lady Marines who were unescorted and volunteered to ride with them on the bus to the USO Dance. He was a country boy who had been taught how to be a gentleman and it was a time of war. By the time he was in Washington D.C., he had reached the age of 21.
Joanne Evelyn was stationed in Washington D.C. assigned to a secret document division. Her brother Bill was already engaged in the war. Women were not allowed to be in combat, but the female Marines went through boot camp anyway.
When the MC made his announcement, a little red-headed Marine headed straight across to the tall lieutenant and smiled up at him. She held out her hand to him, but he was reluctant and told her in his pronounced Tennessee twang that he really didn’t know how to dance. She reached for his hand and said in her clipped New York accent, “Well, I know how. Come on. I’ll show you.”
Looking down into her sparkling green eyes, he grinned and let her lead him to the dance floor. And that’s how it all began. These two young people who grew up so differently fell madly in love and were married three weeks later in Jackson, Mississippi.
Joanne Evelyn took a train down from Washington D.C. after they both got permission to marry. He was an officer, and she was an NCO. Back in those days, officers and NCOs were not supposed to mingle that much. These two wanted to marry and Stan’s commanding officer gave permission, but Joanne Evelyn had to leave the Marines shortly after.
Stan was a Methodist and Joanne Evelyn was Irish Catholic. They woke up a Baptist preacher to perform the marriage ceremony. He was reluctant and declared that it would be a war marriage and would never last. Besides, he was just getting over some kind of illness, but the young couple were persistent. They declared that they didn’t want to live in sin, but if they had to, they would. The Baptist preacher didn’t want to be a party to causing these young people to sin, so he relented. His wife stood as a witness. They were gloriously happy throughout their lives. At each of their anniversaries, they always wished they could tell that preacher that it was not just a war marriage.
Not long after they married, Stan was deployed to England and later the Hurtgen Forest in Germany where he was injured when shell exploded near his company. He was blown against a tree, was found behind enemy lines, and spent a month in a Paris hospital before he regained consciousness. During that time, his young wife gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Maureen. He didn’t hold his daughter until she was 13 months old.
When Stan returned from the war, he was overjoyed to wrap his arms around his wife and child. They resumed their lives together and went on to have two more children, another daughter named Coleen and a son named Stan Jr.
Their love for each other lasted 67 years. They were a devoted couple, always affectionate, always holding hands wherever they walked. They laughed a lot and had some real doozies of fights, but never once left each other.
They were a couple who stood as one until the very end. They were my dad and mom. Now I see them dancing among the stars to their song, “The Tennessee Waltz.” Happy Valentine’s Day you two. And to all those who found their true loves.
Coleen Brooks is a longtime resident of Gordon County who previously wrote for the Calhoun Times as a columnist. She retired as the director and lead instructor for the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Adult Education Department in 2013. She can be reached at coleenbrooks1947@gmail.com.