A True Story That Probably Did Happen
From my intro to POSTCARDS: TRUE STORIES THAT NEVER HAPPENED:
My grandfather's (Poppy's) stories are legendary around my old neighborhood and even more so within our family. A decorated soldier, as you can see by this picture of his World War II medals that actually survived the fire that destroyed most of my mom's family's possessions:
You always heard different stories about Poppy - often variations of the same tale. My mom once guest blogged on my site and told her own stories about Poppy; some of them I've heard before but with little tweaks here and there. With a man like Poppy, it's hard to nail down what's fact and what's fiction. That's why I was hesitant to publish the above story, the one about him and his WWII girlfriend, despite it being one of the most repeated stories in my families. It just seemed too...perfect...to be true.
And then my mom came across some pictures of Poppy in World War II. And lo-and-behold, there's a picture of Poppy with his arm around Fifi (that's what she's always been called in my family). I can't help but wonder if this picture made its way stateside and was the catalyst behind the story I've heard since I was five years old. I'll never really know but, like the creators in POSTCARDS, I'll fill in the blanks on my own. At any rate, Poppy and Fifi:
Earl Pace went to fight in Eastern Europe. He left his family and his girlfriend behind. He was in the trenches, got injured several times, and fell for a nurse during a hospital visit. His father found out about his cheating ways, purchased an engagement ring, and gave it to Earl’s girlfriend back home. Took a picture of the girlfriend with the ring and sent it to Earl, told him that he’s an engaged man now and he better start acting like it. Earl then finished his tour, earned several medals, came home and married his fiancée. They had five kids together. Earl opened a local bar and lived out the remainder of his too-short life as a neighborhood hero.
That’s not Earl’s story – that’s my grandfather’s story. Maybe Earl died in training the day after his postcard was mailed. Maybe he went MIA and spent the rest of his life roaming Europe without an identity. Maybe he came home disabled, found out his girl had fallen for someone else, and had to put his life back together.
My grandfather's (Poppy's) stories are legendary around my old neighborhood and even more so within our family. A decorated soldier, as you can see by this picture of his World War II medals that actually survived the fire that destroyed most of my mom's family's possessions:
You always heard different stories about Poppy - often variations of the same tale. My mom once guest blogged on my site and told her own stories about Poppy; some of them I've heard before but with little tweaks here and there. With a man like Poppy, it's hard to nail down what's fact and what's fiction. That's why I was hesitant to publish the above story, the one about him and his WWII girlfriend, despite it being one of the most repeated stories in my families. It just seemed too...perfect...to be true.
And then my mom came across some pictures of Poppy in World War II. And lo-and-behold, there's a picture of Poppy with his arm around Fifi (that's what she's always been called in my family). I can't help but wonder if this picture made its way stateside and was the catalyst behind the story I've heard since I was five years old. I'll never really know but, like the creators in POSTCARDS, I'll fill in the blanks on my own. At any rate, Poppy and Fifi:
