Veterans Day
Today is Veteran's Day, and I hope that all of you will take a moment to think about our brave veterans. Many of you have had loved ones who have served; in my case I always first think about my father, who served in the Navy, including a few years in Vietnam. I still remember the long-distance phone calls (possibly via undersea cables?) when he was there, hampered by a 3-second delay. We stepped on each other's sentences all the time! Luckily, he came home safe and sound, and I know I am lucky to be his son.
I didn't really have anything appropriate to share today, but Sue B. sent me some scans of photos that her father (Lou Perry) took at Chicago's Navy Pier back in July of 1981. Hey, I've been there!
From Wikipedia: Navy Pier opened to the public on July 15, 1916. Originally known as the "Municipal Pier", the pier was built by Charles Sumner Frost. Its original purpose was to serve as a dock for freights, passenger traffic, and indoor and outdoor recreation; events like expositions and pageants were held there.
In mid-1918, the pier was also used as a jail for draft dodgers. In 1927, the pier was renamed Navy Pier to honor the naval veterans who served in World War I.
It has been tough to find information on the various boats that were displayed at the Pier 40 years ago, such as the fireboat (the Joseph McDill).
In 1941, during World War II, the pier became a training center for the United States Navy; about 10,000 people worked, trained and lived there. The pier contained a 2,500-seat theater, gym, 12-chair barber shop, tailor, cobbler shops, soda fountain and a vast kitchen and hospital.
Over the intervening years, Navy Pier was used for various purposes, sometimes thriving, sometimes falling into decline. Nowadays there is a tall-masted ship called "Windy" for guests to see, but I can't find anything (on short notice, admittedly) about this schooner (?), not even a name.
In 1995, Navy Pier was redesigned and introduced to the public as a mixed-use venue incorporating retail, dining, entertainment and cultural spaces. And it has continued to undergo regular updates and redesigns.
Navy Pier encompasses over 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, family attractions and exhibition facilities and is one of the top destinations in the Midwestern United States, drawing nearly two million visitors annually. It is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago's second-most visited tourist attraction.
A destroyer dating back to 1944, the William C. Lawe (DD-763) is moored at the Pier, I looked that particular boat up and there is a LOT of history, if you are interested you can read all about it HERE. I was saddened to read that just two years after this photo was taken, the William C. Lawe was decommissioned, and was "disposed of as a target". So much for sentimentality.
And why not take a look at a small part of the Chicago skyline? There's the John Hancock Center, at one time the tallest building in Chicago. And the Holiday Inn! Who doesn't love a Holiday Inn??
THANKS to Lou and Sue for today's photos.
16 comments:
Major-
Once again, Lou's images are a pleasure to peruse through. In that Chicagoland skyline view, that appears to be the Lake Point Tower building on the far right. And for those keeping score... sign me up for not loving Holiday Inn's.
Thank you to all who have served our country.
And thanks to Lou & Sue, and The Major.
Major, my dad was also in the Navy (he's been gone since 1989). He was stationed in the Philippines during WWII.
That ship/schooner doesn't appear to have any 'below deck' area. Maybe a few storage compartments? Makes me think it was used only for short trips during its historic era. I'm just guessing about all of that, and I'm probably wrong.
I suppose using the destroyer as target practice is akin to firefighters setting fire to old structures so they can practice their firefighting skills.
The Lake Point Tower (if Nanook is correct in his ID) is clearly leaps and bounds, nay, twice as tall as the other buildings... or maybe it's just forced perspective. ;-)
Thanks Lou & Sue & Major.
Nice shots from Lou, as usual. I've never been to Chicago, but I'd love to stroll around Navy Pier.
My Dad served in the Air Force during WWII. Honors to those who served anywhere.
Sue, You must have a wonderful time going through Lou's huge amount of photos. Thanks for sharing them. They are all very special.
Thanks Major.
Happy Veterans Day/Rememberance Day/Armistice Day. My Dad went to Korea, Grandad served in the RAF in both WWI and WW2. I traveled often to Chicago, and always enjoyed it. Wonderful food and brown booze and people who aren't afraid to eat Mac and Cheese! I often stayed in a hotel (not the Holiday Inn which also, please don't sign me up for) that overlooked Navy Pier, and for all of the many very long trips there, I never went to see it. It looked like a cool place. During winter, the giant slabs of ice would wobble around the lake which I found very fascinating. Architecturally, Chicago has great merit, with great buildings- I always wanted to do one of those architecture river tours...but also...never did that either. When the Sears tower took over as the tallest building long ago, I thought...well...you went to all that hoopla to build the tallest building...too bad it's just not that pretty to look at! Now the building is Willis Tower...named after the TV Character "Willis" in "Different Strokes". Just kidding, but there have been stranger things happen in this world! Marceline is often connected with Walt Disney's formative years, but he is a Chicago guy, born and bred. Lots of great things have come out of Chicago, and still do. Thanks for the photos Lou and Sue!
A good post, Major, you can’t go wrong with shots from Lou. A serious holiday deserves views of a serious City.
My Dad served in the Navy, as did his brother for whom I am named. His name is in the Punchbowl Memorial in Honolulu. Two other brothers served in the Army. Four brothers went to war, three came home. I owe them more than I can imagine. Thanks Major and Chuck for helping me sort those stories in years past.
Grandad lived in Chicago for a few years in his youth. I’ve visited several times, and took that River tour. Definitely worth it. Don’t go in winter. An amazing city, time to go back.
Best wishes and heartfelt thanks to all who serve on this solemn day.
JG
I've only been to Chicago long enough to change planes at O'Hare, but I've seen enough pictures to appreciate its beauty. These are no exception.
Grandpa joined the Army Air Force in WWII, but his bad leg kept him Stateside as a radio operator/mechanic. I don;t think Grandma ever quite forgave him for volunteering when he most likely would not have been drafted. My other grandfather served on a Navy supply ship in the South Pacific, but I didn't even know about it until after his death. Dad was a Marine stationed in Cuba during the missile crisis - I think I've told the story here of his mother sending him homemade fudge that melted all over the mail delivery.
Nanook, I feel like my one visit to Navy Pier must have been around the same time that Lou snapped these photos, though in reality it was probably closer to 1990. I recall experiencing a very crude VR thing, with blocky landscapes (think the “Money For Nothing” video by Dire Straights)!
JB, I would think that the schooner would almost *have* to have some sort of “below deck” area? But my knowledge of such things is practically nil. You’re right about old ships being used for target practice… my dad used to talk about the destroyer that he was on when I was a kid, and that it had been “turned into razor blades”. The John Hancock Center building is 30 stories taller than the Lake Point Tower, but that still makes the LPT a darn tall building!
DrGoat, I love visiting Chicago… I used to have relatives that lived there, and it was allways so much fun. I’m a museum nerd, and there are several incredible museums (the Art Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Field Museum of natural history) that I could spend entire days at. Plus there’s LOTS more to do in that amazing city!
Bu, I think that many of us of a certain age had relatives that served, mostly because there were so many big wars during the last century. I had a great uncle who lived to be over 100, and he was in the Spanish American War! My brother has his ceremonial sword. I didn’t know that Chicago was known for… mac and cheese? Most of my trips to Chicago were during the summer (school vacation, you know), but I do remember going there during the winter when I was a kid, and how bitterly cold and windy it could be. I hate the name “Willis Tower”, Sue told me that nobody calls it that, ha ha! I feel like it would be akin to renaming the Empire State Building the “Facebook Building” or whatever. YUCK. I know Walt was a Chicago boy, I guess he was too young to remember his time there.
JG, wow, so weird to imagine having four brothers serving in a war - imagine the worry for your grandmother. And the heartbreak of losing one of them. When my dad was in Vietnam, I knew a kid (not well) whose father had been killed not long before, and that made me worry so much more than I already was. I went to Seattle a few years ago with my girl, and we have talked about possibly going to Chicago for a future trip!
Melissa, listen, you’ve been to the airport, no need to go back to the city! ;-) Thank goodness your grandpa remained stateside, I watched the Ken Burns documentary about WWII, it really puts things in perspective. I knew an older gentleman who signed up, wanting to “fight Hitler”, only to be stationed in Texas. When he had time, he would travel around the area and buy old jazz and blues 78s. This was in the ‘40s when nobody was doing that! He eventually sold some of his collection to R. Crumb.
Thanks Lou & Sue & Major for the great photos today.
Major- I like museums as well. Never been to Chicago, but I have heard about & have seen lots of pictures of the Field Museum.
For today being Veterans Day- to paraphrase JG- we owe them more than we can imagine. Both of my parents served in WWII- my dad was in the Army Infantry in Italy & my mother was in the Army Nurses Corp stateside. My dad's 2 brothers were in the Army Air Force & the Navy. Other relatives also served in WWII & Viet Nam. One of my mom's uncles
was in the trenches of WWI. Going way back, a great grand father & great great grandfather were involved in the American Civil War.
Thanks also to the members of this blog that have served.
-DW
DW, If you ever have the opportunity to visit Chicago, I would strongly encourage it, and would definitely check out the Field Museum. I love natural history museums, and it is one of the best in the country. I’m curious if your dad ever talked about his time in the war? My dad would barely talk about Vietnam… as I have written before, he’d get sort of quiet and look at his thumbs while he fidgeted. I never pressed him much, but do wish I knew more about what he experienced. He’s gone now, so it’s all lost, sadly. I suppose that WWII was a “good war”, but it was still very traumatic for those who saw so many horrors.
DW,
My Dad's squadron's base was in Italy, on the west coast. They flew their missions from there for about a year. When we were young we would ask him about experiences and the most he would say was that flying in a B-24 was cold and scary. He lost a lot of friends and crew mates so I think he just didn't want to lay any of that on his kids.
Major- It's hard to say whether I will ever make it to
Chicago, but if it happens, I will definitely put the
Field Museum on the itinerary. From time to time, my
dad would be ok to relate stories of his time in WWII.
As you put it well, even though it was a "good war", it
was still very traumatic. For the time that he was
overseas (11 months), he received 2 purple hearts- so
it is probably very fortunate that he made it back
home. He did watch movies that dealt with war & some-
times afterwards, he would tell of some of his
experiences (they could have been scenes out of a
movie). I also have some letters (given to me by a
cousin) that my dad wrote to his sister, during the
war- very interesting to read. In addition, my dad
talked about going to Rome & Pompeii when he was
on leave from the front lines.
Dr. Goat- Coincidentally, my dad's brother Allen was
a B-24 navigator also serving in Italy (454 Bomb
Group). After making it thru the war safely, he
later died in a car wreck in 1959, the year I was
born. Life can be very uncertain.
-DW
DrGoat, those guys in the bombers had a particularly high mortality rate, I remember watching a documentary about them. Thank goodness your dad came home! I can appreciate the fact that your dad did not want to burden you with those sad/scary stories; but it still would have been interesting to hear a first-hand account of what it was like. So thankful that I never had to go through anything like that.
DW, I really am hoping to go to Chicago sometime in the next few years, if everything works out. Maybe I will be able to meet our friend Sue! Wow, your dad got TWO purple hearts, amazing. Somehow I thought that troops were sent home after being injured, but clearly I was wrong. I watched so many WWII movies as a kid, and of course they generally don’t deal with the trauma of war. “The Best Years of Our Lives” did a good job of showing what it might have been like to return to “normal” life after what soldiers had been through. I’m sorry to hear that your dad died in a car crash, that must have been incredibly difficult.
I thank all of you who have served (and are serving) our country. We have so much for which to be grateful, because of these brave men and women.
Jr. Gorillas, it's touching to hear your family members' stories, and I'm so sorry for your losses. So many have sacrificed for us to be here today.
Major, thank you for putting this post together, and sharing about your father, too - a hero to be proud of.
Major, I would love to meet you or any of our Jr. Gorillas...just let me know when you're anywhere in the Chicagoland area.
Lou and Sue, thank YOU for sharing these photos, taken by your own father, a hero as well. And you can bet that if I am lucky enough to be in the Chicago area any time soon, I will certainly let you know!
Major- My dad's brother Allen is the one that died in 1959. Fortunately my dad was around until 1994 & passed away at the age of 75. My parents celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary that year. My mother was working as an Army nurse at Bushnell Military Hospital in Utah- she met my dad there when he was being treated for injuries after his return to the U.S. from Italy in June of 1945.
-DW
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