Our Valley Santa Clarita July/August 2016 | Page 31

Heaven with joy.
*****
Summer/Fall, 1943, New York, NY
Four months later, Willie was given an
emergency leave that took him from Biloxi
to Manhattan. There he met his newborn
son, William.
Five days later, Willie was on a troop train to
San Francisco.
*****
Linda had to figure out a way to make do.
She had three kids (Eddie 6, Linda
5 and newborn Willie) and had to
figure out how to survive financially
on her husband’s military pay …
which wasn’t enough. So she did
what mothers and wives have
done for ages. She took control of
the situation.

“Get down!!!” Then suddenly there was no
noise. The bomb blast threw him onto the
ground and there he lay motionless. Bombs
were still falling, men were still yelling, but
Willie couldn’t hear anything. His hearing
apparently shattered, Willie got up, ran to
his shelter and got on his knees and prayed,
“Gracias Diosito.”
*****
Willie didn’t hear a thing for two weeks.
Then almost as suddenly as it had gone, his
hearing came back. The next two years were

Suddenly she heard a loud sound,
“Linda!!!”
*****

Every afternoon, when Linda
awoke, she looked out of her third
story window to the busy street
below. She cringed every time
she saw the Western Union man
delivering his telegrams. Many of
them were from the military and
started with, “We regret to inform
you …”

After a short cab ride home, a very
warm welcome from his mother
and his children and having had
his first Puerto Rican meal in years,
Willie sat alone with Linda on the
sofa in the living room. He told her,
“Gracias for all your letters. They
kept me filled with love and many
reasons to come home safely. And,
thank you for being you. I love you
more than I could ever say.”

Linda prayed every time she saw
him, “O Lord, please don’t let it be
my turn.”

Early 1944, New Caledonia, Pacific
Theater of War
Willie survived the crazy train ride to San
Francisco, but barely survived the constant
sea sickness on the transport ship to New
Caledonia in the Pacific. Now he ran for his
life as the blaring sirens warned of incoming
Japanese bombers.
The noise was unbearable as their bombs
landed nearer and nearer to him. He barely
heard his Sergeant imploring him to,

Linda stood at the arrival gate anxiously
awaiting Willie. She was dressed modestly in
a blue jumper over a white blouse
that had a lovely blue bow at the
neck. Her hair was long and wavy
parted at the middle of her head.
It was winter, so she wore a black
knee length coat with a blue plaid
scarf over her shoulders. It was
hot indoors so the coat was open
in the front revealing her jumper.
She watched as dozens of soldiers
came out through the gates.
Where was he? Where was he?!
Could he have missed the train?
Did something happen to him?

First, she took a graveyard shift
job with the U.S. Post Office. Then
she rented an apartment and got
her mother in law to stay with her
and help with the kids. There were
three things she insisted on doing
every single day: dinner with the
kids, personally bathe the kids and
write letters to Willie.

*****

end. He had boarded a transport ship from
Manila to San Francisco during which he
was even sicker than on the one that took
him to New Caledonia. When he landed
in San Francisco, he got on the first troop
train to New York. By the time he arrived at
Pennsylvania Station, he was over being sea
sick and anxious to see his Linda. He looked
dashing in his uniform even while running
out of the train, carrying his duffle bag, to
reach the arrival area.

spent flying missions from New Caledonia,
Palawan and finally Luzon in the Philippines.
Willie was a tail gunner on a B-17 bomber.
Although he had some near fatal encounters
in the air, he never had to deal with problems
on the ground again.
Less than two years later the war was over.
Willie was going home.
*****
December, 1945, New York, NY
Willie’s long journey home was about to

Linda cuddled closer to him and said, “I love
you. I don’t ever want you to leave me again.
That must have been a terrible experience
for you.”
“Yes,” Willie responded. “Don’t ever put me
on a ship again!!”
With that, they both laughed out loud. Willie
never ever left Linda again.

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