I was born in Simms hospital in Arlington, Massachusetts on August 4th, 1944. My mother says I was a twin, but the twin did not survive. (I've always wondered if my parents could not afford me so the other one was given up for adoption). I have a birth mark which may be related to the twin in that we were somehow connected together..
I can remember drinking from a baby bottle and watching the bubbles march like solders up to the top of the bottle. I can remember netting over the crib rails, mosquito netting, I suppose. I remember some sort of toy mobile hanging above me. I remember a blanket spring clamp made to look like a duck. If you could manage to squeeze it hard enough to get the jaws open. It really hurt if you caught your finger in it.
World War II was still going on then, but of course I remember nothing about it. My Father did not participate in the military because he worked on the railroad (Boston and Maine), and railroad men were exempt from military service. The railroads were vital to the national security and to the war effort. My brothers were too young. My Mother's brother (Uncle Eddie [Hoxie]) served in the Coast Guard. Since that time there has been other wars (although they were not called that): Korean, Vietnam, Guatemala, Iraq, and probably others I am not remembering.
