Category: Veterans

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Thank You

I was just reviewing our Amazon book sales page and saw 5 books sold so far in September.  That was a lot of books but what surprised me was that they were all to one person.

3 were the “Heroes of Frankford High School” and 1 each of “Frankford Stories” and “Frankford Heroes“.

The “Heroes of Frankford High School” has been very popular this year.  It attempts to include all students (over 200 men and 1 woman) who attended Frankford High and later gave their life in service to their country.

Frankford Heroes is the story of the Frankford residents who gave their lives in service from the Civil war to the present time.  Frankford Stories is a good read about life in Frankford.  Its lots of nostalgia.

These books all came out of my experience of writing the Frankford Gazette for 13 years. I met Leon Brantley and he introduced me to Ned Johnson and they wanted some recognition for Frankford veterans.  Since I’m a veteran myself, I agreed and we started a monthly feature for the veteran of the month.

Doing all those stories, it reminded me that veterans are the ones who came home.  That was when I started to look for the stories of those who did not return. Every veteran remembers the day that he left home for basic training after taking the oath, not knowing what lay ahead.

Every Veterans Day we take pride in our service but think back to the sacrifice of those who did not return.  It could have been any one of us.

Veterans day is November 11th.

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Thank You Anne T.

Thanks to Anne T. who gave us a nice review on Amazon.com for our book “Frankford Stories”.  It was brief but much appreciated.

I do not check our book page on Amazon very often. Although we have sales every month, it does not amount to a lot and I am just happy that some folks are reading about some of the good things about Frankford.  I was really surprised to see 2 books were purchased in England.  Is that you Tim Wisniewski?

“Frankford Stories” is a collection of stories about Frankford.  We have a nice collection of story tellers who were good enough to take the time to look back and remember.

Our first book was “Frankford Heroes”  and that is about all of the guys from Frankford who gave their lives in service.

Our most recent book was “The heroes of Frankford high School which documents all those who attended Frankford High and died in service.  There were over 200 men and 1 woman.

As you know we retired and moved to Virginia in 2019.  I still miss walking the streets of Frankford and riding the El.  St. Marks, 2nd Baptist, St.  Joachim, Northeast Baptist, the Old Heads Game, Gambrel, Frankford Chargers, the memories call you back.

All the big cities have their problems right now but Philadelphia and Frankford are still home.  Until next time, Peace.

This is a link to our Frankford page on Amazon – Click Here

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In Memory of Those Who Died on D Day

I am certain there are other Frankford men who died on D Day but these 2 come to mind.  Both attended Frankford High School.

Ralph Daniel Fischer, Jr.
Ralph was born on February 25, 1921 in Philadelphia.  When he registered for the draft in 1942, he was living with his family at 1701 Kohl Street and working at Max Willi Pfau in Langhorne.    He enlisted in the Army on September 14, 1942.  Corporal Fischer was one of the HQ Company, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division who parachuted into France on June 6, 1944.  He was killed in action at 22 years old.   His body was brought home in 1949 and was interred in Ivy Hill Cemetery.

George Lee Meadows, Jr.
George was born in Macon, George on August 14, 1920.  By 1930, his family was living at 4243 Rhawn Street in Philadelphia.  He enlisted in the Army on March 1, 1940 and rose to the rank of Tech Sergeant when he shipped out to Europe on January 18, 1944.  He was in Company A, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division when he was killed in action on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944.  He was 23 years old.  His body was brought home and interred in Arlington Nation Cemetery.

Rest in peace.

 

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Memorial Day 2022

Monday, May 30th, is memorial day, which is the day we set aside to remember those who have died in service to our country.  We live in a very divided country but I have not heard any dispute that we should remember their sacrifice.

We published “Frankford Heroes” several years ago and now we’re researching 2 new books about the students who attended Frankford and Northeast Catholic High schools who died in service.  Can you imagine that the list of names is close to 450 lives sacrificed?  Those books will be available in September.

We’ll be posting the details of the Memorial Day ceremony at St. Joachim Cemetery soon.  Click HERE for a link to the latest edition of Frankford Heroes” which is now available on Amazon.

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CANDLELIGHT NAME READING AT PHILLY VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter266 will be holding their annual name reading at the memorial on Saturday Oct. 24 at 12 noon. It is also the 33rd anniversary of the memorial. The memorial is located at Front and Spruce Sts.
Please come out to show your respect for the 648 men and women from Philadelphia who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. Chapter 266 is also looking foe new members. If interested email or call Chuck at linedog716@yohoo.com or 215-722-3518.
masks and social distance required