Monday, May 6, 2013

Camp Toccoa- Dad's First Job

Camp Toccoa (Tents First, Buildings Came Later)
 
 
Do you notice from my profile that I was born in Toccoa, Georgia?  That is also where my Daddy was born, in 1927!  I just got off the phone talking with him.  He was happy because he had won a drawing from his local radio station in Bostwick, Georgia.  (He really enjoys listening to the "Professor of Useless Knowledge" who has a popular morning show.  Hmmm....I wonder if my Dad and I have something in common?) Anyway, as we were watching the Braves game on TV, we got to talking (as we always do) and he reminded me that one for the first things that he bought from his earnings from his first job was a radio.  When he was 15 years old, he walked four miles on the recommendation of his sister's boyfriend to Camp Toccoa, and poured concrete for the sidewalks and catch basins.  (This would have been done in the wintertime as he would have had to help out with the farming any other time of the year.)  He said that you were either assigned a pick or a shovel. On his first day, he was given a pick.  With the pick, you were expected to hit the hard ground and break it up for those with a shovel to remove the dirt.  It was very hard work breaking up that ground.   He asked the man in charge, "How do I get a shovel?"  He was told, "You have to be the first in line.".  After that, he made sure he got there before anyone else !  Don't think that he didn't work hard though!  My Dad made 45 cents per hour and the adult who had told him about this job only made 40 cents an hour.  When the older man questioned why this young boy was making more money, he was told, "Because he works harder, that's why!"  That's my Dad for you! 
 
  Toccoa has a Military Museum devoted to all of those who trained at Camp Toccoa.  They were able to get one of the stables from Aldbourne, England where the men lived for a brief time after they were shipped out from Toccoa. (They lived in these huts before and after the Normandy Invasion.)  It was dismantled and sent to Toccoa and is part of the Military Museum. If you read the book "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose, you should already know all about the camp.  (It was made into an excellent mini-series TV show in 2001. It gives me a thrill to know that my Dad built the sidewalks that Dick Winters walked upon!  Click on his name if you are not familiar with "Band of Brothers". )
 
Camp Toccoa was built at the base of Currahee Mountain.  Currahee is a Cherokee word which means "Stand Alone", the mountain is quite high compared to the surrounding countryside The paratroopers who were sent into enemy lines were the first ones to be sent in, and therefore, that was their motto, "Currahee... We Stand Alone." 

My Dad was drafted just after his 18th birthday and the war ended while he was in training camp.  He was sent to Berlin and I have written of his memories from an earlier post.  You may read that post here!   There is a Currahee Military Weekend that is held the first October every year and my Dad and I are hoping to attend it this year.  If not, then we hope to visit the Military Museum which is in the train depot in Toccoa.  If we go, I hope that we can get a John Sosebee hot dog in the little cafe in town called....oh, I know right where it is, but I can't remember the name of the place.  I need to call my Dad back, HE would remember the name!!
 


Here is a photo of my Dad posing with Corey Durkin, one of the singers at the Sunflower Festival in Rutledge, from last summer on one of the HOTTEST days ever!  When I was looking at some of the craft booths, he told me, "If we get separated, I'll be where the music is."  That's Daddy for you!

27 comments:

  1. As always when you write about your Dad, your love for him shines through, Kay. It is so nice to know someone so close!
    Thank you for sharing such interesting bits about Camp Toccoa. I am sure you'll be able to go there in October. Right now, I don't even want to think of October - finally enjoying spring here :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know how I am about my Dad!
      I forgot to say that it was a 3 mile run to Mt Currahee from the camp and the soldiers called it 3 miles up and 3 miles down and had to run it in less than an hour! I hope to be able to walk up Mt Currahee. All the years of seeing that mountain, I have never walked up it!

      Delete
  2. I really enjoyed finding out about your day. You seem to have a good relationship with him and share special times together.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my yes, he is a great guy. I am very lucky (along with all my siblings too, of course!)

      Delete
  3. I love the sound of your Dad - he reminds me somewhat of mine - of the "old school" where they just got on with it. Makes me feel ashamed at the fuss I have just made because the seal on my washing machine door has failed and I will have to wait a week before it can be fixed. Dads are precious. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, very hardworking and able to make the best of things! I find my father's generation is one that I really admire.

      Delete
  4. So glad you have a good relationship with your father. Not all of us do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I know that very often relationships can be quite complicated. Even if you love your parent, you still might not feel a real closeness. I am truly glad that I have a good relationship with my Dad. I wish this for everyone.

      Delete
  5. Interesting! Did the Camp feature in the miniseries of "Band of Brothers" too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, absolutely! They talked about it a LOT and it was amazing to keep hearing Toccoa talked about, especially in the earliest episodes.
      You see, where the camp was built, was just down the road from my Grandfather's land in Toccoa, so this Camp (or the land it was on) was one of my earliest memories!

      Delete
  6. I love hearing how your father is still enjoying his life every day, and even winning prizes. And I am touched by your evident warm love for him! You are both blessed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Dad is like me, we love to win!!
      And I am glad that my love comes through to you, it is hard to write about the people that you love, it is for me, anyway! Thanks for your sweet comment!

      Delete
  7. He is a dad worth cherishing -- he raised you right, and you deserve each other!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, he is great! And I don't know if I deserve him, but I am very glad that he is my Dad!!

      Delete
  8. I loved this story about your dad! I liked that "I'll be where the music is"!! What a wonderful person!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, it truly tickled me when he said that! In fact, he was already walking over to the music as he said it!!
      He is a hoot!

      Delete
  9. BTW, did I ever tell you about my friends Paul and Stephanie Duke who met as American and English pen pals and ended up marrying? Post WWII, that was. They wrote a book about it which you can read about here:

    .amazon.com/Dear-Stephanie-Paul-Transatlantic-Correspondence/dp/0595395058/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367967582&sr=1-2&keywords=paul+Stephanie+Duke

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have told me (which is possible) it completely slipped my mind, so I will look it up now. Thanks for telling me! xx

      Delete
    2. I just looked it up, it is only on Kindle, I think.
      I read the preview and it is fascinating how much it reminds me of our letters!

      Delete
  10. Your Dad sounds like a wonderful, cheerful, loving man.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like YOUR MOM! He is the BEST!
      Hope you and your sweet Mom have a nice Mother's Day!

      Delete
  11. I was thinking that Camp Toccoa ought to be the Band of Brothers training facility. Excellent account!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, my goodness, I hope you liked the book "Band of Brothers" as much as I did! And I loved it on TV too, all those guys, NOT fiction!!! but based on REAL soldiers!
      Oh dear, I feel I didn't say enough about the paratroopers, I really need to do another post, hopefully, my respect and admiration for them will come across better.

      Delete
  12. I can just tell how special your brother is to you, Kay! He has a wonderful face!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The photo of the young man with my Dad is the singer from the sunflower festival. I have two brothers, one looks like a cross between Trace Adkins and Ed Harris and the other one reminds me of Richard Gere! But you are right, they are special to me.

      Delete
  13. The bit that struck me Kay was the idea that your Dad got paid more because he worked harder. I wonder what would happen if an employer tried that nowadays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I know what you mean. At one time, you WERE rewarded for putting forth extra effort.
      Thanks for your comment, GB! Hope you are doing well!

      Delete