Outside Looking In

This past week I visited with two World War II veterans who saw and heard shooting bombing first hand. It was a sobering week for me to learn about what these men went through and a young age.
Neither of these men, Phil Breyfogle of Taunton (who is featured in this edition of the Mascot) and Delbert Thielke of Dawson (who will be a featured story that I wrote for another publication), said they felt fear as battles raged around them.
We must remember that only 389,000 of the 16 million American WWII veterans are still with us, and the majority of those still alive are in their mid to late 90s.
Breyfogle turns 98 today (Oct. 8) and Thielke turns 97 on Friday, Oct. 9. Because of the locality of the two and time spent attending various veterans events, the two men know each other.
Each had an interesting and emotional story to tell. Breyfogle lost an older brother in the war. Also, when he was honorably discharged after serving two years in Okinawa, Breyfogle found out when he returned home that his younger brother was stationed near the same location he had been. But because he was unaware that his brother was nearby, he did not get to visit with him there.
Thielke was a 3rd Class Aviation Ordinanceman in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Shipley Bay. He stayed aboard the ship for over three years without touching land even once.
The Shipley Bay would be among a large U.S. fleet that would take over small islands near Japan. In all, the Shipley Bay helped take back 16 small islands. But during this time, Japanese kamikaze pilots would dive into one of the many ships in the area.
Thielke said he never once saw a plane miss its intended target. Although they weren't always able to sink the ship they hit, the Japanese airmen were able to cause damage.
Ironically, Thielke said the U.S.S. Shipley Bay was never hit in all of the missions it went on, although several ships just a few yards away were struck.
These two men, as well as all who have served or are currently serving our country, are all heroes. Many of them went on to lead productive lives, while many others suffered lifelong emotional or physical pain as a result of injury or trauma.
For those of us having never experienced war, it's hard to imagine being just out of high school and suddenly thousands of miles away in a foreign land with gunfire and bombs going off. It's also unimaginable that these young men were so engrossed in the duty you were there to do, that you hardly had time to be scared.
We salute all of you.

What about Halloween?
It's going to be interesting to see what becomes of Halloween during the pandemic. This is a special time for the young kids who don ghosts, witches, Disney character and other costumes in search of free treats.
Growing up, Halloween was an exciting time for me and my friends. Our parents gave out homemade cookies, bars, caramel apples and more.
Candy bars were full size and not the two-inch bars that are handed out now.
To make Halloween safer and more convenient for kids and parents, many communities have gone the "Trunk or Treat" route. St. Edward's first introduced and organized "Trunk or Treat" three years ago and it has gained in popularity each year.
But the organizers of that event are unsure at this time as to whether they will again have a special day this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.