UNCLE FRANK

There are a few heroes in my life that I still keep close to my heart. One such hero from my past is my Uncle Frank.

Uncle Frank was the child of immigrant parents from Sicily, hard working Italians that knew nothing other than hard work and prayer, and underlining all that was family. They raised 2 boys and 2 girls, and from that grew a wonderful family and highly intelligent people. They were warm and welcoming people who, like all Italians, love everything in their lives.

Back in the day, when higher education was a thing one did not necessarily attain if one was from an immigrant family, Uncle Frank missed out also. He was a numbers man by nature and utilized his skills by working for the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a clerk. Then World War II began and Uncle Frank joined the army and fought under General Patton.

As the war progressed Uncle Frank was elevated to Corporal and fought his way through France under Patton’s leadership and by chance saved a cousin without even knowing it.

It seems his cousin Danny was fighting in the battle of the Bulge and was wounded and trapped behind German lines. Under siege, Danny’s unit was fighting for their lives and things were chaotic. Crawling from behind enemy lines, he reached US troops under General Patton, Uncle Frank’s Patton.

At the end of the war, Uncle Frank returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and decided to go to night school to better his grade in his government position, and slowly worked his way up the various grades.

As a young child, would go off to night school, leaving me with the first impressions of how important education is.