Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 15)

"Mom and I at Capistrano. Our picture with the pigeons was in a travel magazine"  - Jean

"Kodacolor Print...Week of March 9, 1953"

The magazine page. Jean and her father, William H. Heath with the pigeons at San Juan Capistrano Mission, California. The kids in front of them were strangers. - Large Weasel

Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 14)

5. Any other experiences you would like to share with me?

                A. Well, I was thinking about the war and I remembered one morning and the radio was on downstairs and they were saying Hitler had marched on Poland. My father kept saying, “That’s it. This is war. There’s going to be a war.” And my mother kept saying, “No, there’s not going to be a war.”

6. I find it interesting that your mother didn't think there was going to be a war.

                A. Well, no one did really. There were lots of people with German background – so many of them had immigrated after World War I – and they all thought it was some political thing between England and Germany again. They didn't know what was going on. No one did really until we got over there. Except Mrs. Dietzmann. She had been over to visit her family in ’39. She was walking down the street one day and there was an elderly Jewish man with an umbrella walking the other way. Anyway, some Brown Shirts appeared and beat him. Of course, she tried to stop them and the police came and took him away. She tried to give the umbrella back and the policeman kept telling her to leave it there, not to touch it. He asked her where she was from – she must have been over here long enough to have a different accent – and she told him. He told her to go home to her family and then go back. So she went home and talked to her family and they said Germany had changed and they didn't know what to do. She left the next morning.

Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 13)

V. Miscellaneous

1. What is your favorite book or story?

               A. I like Gone with the Wind, the Little House on the Prairie books.

2. What is your favorite movie?

                A. Jesse James

3.  What is your favorite T.V. show?

             A. Gosh, they didn't have T.V. when I was growing up. “The Honeymooners” – Grandpa always liked “The Honeymooners.” “I Love Lucy.” “ER” now.

4. What is your favorite food?

                A. Steak or lobster. Mmm, lobster. That sounds good.

"Salton Sea -California" - Jean

"New car - Convertible (new to me anyhow)" - Jean

Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 12)

4. What other historical events changed your life?

                A. Vietnam, Lebanon in the ‘50s, you have to remember that my husband was in the force [Marines], so that really scared me. WWII, we had no prom – we had no senior class! There was no rubber, rationing. We ate a lot of Spam. Oh, it was dreadful. Once my parents went in with the neighbors for a pig on the black market. The neighbor went and got it and asked my father to help with it. My grandfather was in the kitchen getting ready –he was a butcher, you know, and they brought out this baby pig, not even a foot long. Oh, we laughed and laughed.

"More California" - Jean

Large Weasel - The picture is stamped on the back "This is a Kodacolor Print...Week of January12, 1953" 

Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 11)

3. How did changing technology change your life?

                A. Oh, well, T.V. pulled the world together, created a real connection between people. It used to be if there was an earthquake in Turkey, you didn't hear about it for five weeks. Now, of course, you know right away and there are teams and aid rushing off. Medicine, cars. Cars have real windows and heaters. Washers and dryers. My mother used to have to go down to the basement and there were three big boilers and you would have to switch between them. 

"and finally - California!" - Jean

Jean B. Heath Kraemer (part 10)

2. Which president do you think was the best? Who was the worst?

                A. I would have to say Franklin Roosevelt. He got us out of the Depression and got the people back to work. I mean, people who had no way to work. The neighbor boys worked for the CCC – Civilian Conservation Corp. He was the first president who really did something for the people. You felt he really cared. I would have to say Lyndon Johnson was the worst. He got us involved with Vietnam. That was a real mess. I felt like he was in it for himself. He seemed vicious and ruthless. All for him.

"With a friend who also went to Iowa State" - Jean

"College Graduate - 1949" - Jean

V-Mail from Uncle Willis

                                                                                                     China                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                     ?/1?/45                                                          

                                      

Dear Will, Grace and Jean,

Every thing OK on the far eastern front and we have the situation well in hand. Seriously tho  I’m very ashamed of not writing you sooner. I’ll apologize by getting you a little note thru once a week from now on out, cause I’ll be here at least long enough to unpack my bags. We have been moving so fast and often for so damned long (it’s been ?) about all I could do to get a letter written to Sarah once a day.  My mail (_ _ _) up here and up to yesterday I hadn’t received any for over two months. Sarah’s letters came last night that that is some of them did, so now I have all of her letters up to the thirteenth of January and I’ll get the rest soon. I was sure surprised to find out she was going to Shen. to work. She’s been such a swell wife to me Grace, much better than I deserve and I’m really so proud of her to help that way cause she really doesn’t feel too good at times. You kind of look after her as much as you can won’t you?

                In the states they told me I would never go overseas as I was past the age limit, and when we left I thot we were going to Alaska. You can imagine how (surprised) I was when I found where we were really going. We didn’t know till we were out quite a ways. You know I almost joined the Seabees but now I’m glad I didn’t for those boys go in where it is rough as the dickens. Somehow I just don’t like the idea of getting all shot up to save the Chinese. I’ll tell you what I mean when I get back.

                Bill I have the same kind of job here as I had in Fergus Fall. We are in a big town have good food no KP and good barracks to stay in. We are far away from any battle front and I feel swell all of the time so I haven’t much to kick on except being so damned far from home.  This is about as far away as I can get and stay on the world. The best liquor we can get out here is Vodka so I had to quit drinking which is just as well.

                Jean, don’t ever believe what your geography books tell you about India and China being fascinating oriental countries and for golly sake dont join any of the services.  A war is not the least bit glamourous inany way.  We are all so anxious to get away from here we can hardly wait. When I get my next paycheck I’m going to send all you kids samples of every kind of Chinese money. It’s not worth much but I think it will be interesting to you. One dollar of our money is worth five hundred of their’s. I have been trying to get some Chinese silk to send you but all they have around here is so cheap and shoddy and dirty it’s worthless. If I find anything good I’ll send it along.

                We flew over “the hump” from India to here and boys and girls that is really a hump. You have to go up to twenty thousand feet to get over the darned thing and that was my first plane ride so I got initiated fast. We sure saw some spectacular scenery tho and it was quite a thrill. I hope when I start back I can go west so I can travel all around the world, but I’m not going to be fussy about it, just any direction as long as I get started soon. From the looks of the wars I dont think it’s going to be too long before I’ll be packing up to start. We are all pulling hard for it, cause this is no place to spend your life. The people here are so dirty and ignorant and poverty stricken that it’ll take fifty years to bring them up to any kind of a decent standard of living.  Personally I don’t see what the Japs want to take over here for, it looks like a bad job to me. I’ll quit now and write again soon. Many thanks for all youve done folks.

Love to all of you [signed] Cuffy
  

Note: I'm using a blurry copy of a copy to transcribe the V-Mail. Mom has the original. If someone could look at it and fill in the blanks and ?'s, it would be awesome. 

Large Weasel