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SEPA 7/16 M/H Escort for WWII Vet
WWR has been asked to take the lead and escort a 99 year old WWII vet to his birthday party!
Here is the bio from the family:
On Sunday, July 16th , we’re celebrating our dad’s 99th birthday. We’re hoping to make this his best birthday yet.
Albert “Al” Godlewski was born on July 17, 1924, in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. His father, a Polish immigrant, worked as a shipbuilder on the USS New Jersey battleship. During the Depression, Al learned the value of hard work and love for his country.
During WW11, he enlisted in the Army. He was 18 years old when he shipped out to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania on May 15, 1943. He remained there for a week before being sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana for boot camp. Through testing, they recognized his exceptional math abilities and trained him to work in the financial disbursement office. In January 1944 he shipped out on a freighter from New York, headed for Liverpool, England. As the freighter neared Scotland the men received a warning that an enemy
submarine was in the area. A larger ship passing parallel to their ship was torpedoed. If that ship hadn’t taken the hit, Al’s ship would probably have been destroyed. This experience left a lasting impression. Al spent the majority of the war in Waterloo, England, and Le Harve, France. He remembers the air raid sirens and the sound of bombs in the distance.
One of his most engaging stories involves England, a machine gun, and a pallet full of Spam. He had been commanded to guard a pallet full of Spam one night and wondered why canned meat needed this kind of protection. He soon discovered the reason. The boxes marked SPAM were actually stuffed with US dollars, Invasion money, and cash to pay the GIs. As a member of the 140 th Finance Disbursement Section, Al worked alongside 12 other soldiers, six days a week, 18 hours a day. They had Sundays off for church. The men had been told they would be responsible for payments for 15,000 troops, but they ended up paying 30,000 troops. All those payments were made in cash! As a Private, Al was paid $50 a month. When he was promoted to Private, first class, he received a raise of $4 a month.
Al met the love of his life, Ruth Stanton, in April 1946. He pursued her with his mom’s delicious cupcakes and a much-sought-after gift of nylon stockings. The couple married on April 3, 1948, and had five daughters. They reared their girls in Manayunk while he worked at the Customs House for the federal government. Al and Ruth were adventurous. In December 1972, Al accepted a job with the Corps of Engineers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the family moved to their new home in the Middle East. He worked there for seven years. After he retired, the couple traveled extensively. They were married just shy of sixty years.
Despite the aches and pains of an aging body, Al still enjoys life. He’s sharp as a tack and can calculate numbers in his head quicker than most people can use a calculator. He loves spending time with his family and friends. He reads, works jigsaw puzzles, and indulges in an occasional martini. He’s often spotted in his neighborhood wearing his WWII cap and driving the scooter he recently received from the VA.
On a recent trip to Costco, while Al was wearing his WWII hat and eating his favorite lunch, the $1.50 hot dog and soda, a gentleman wearing a Vietnam Vet cap came over to talk with him. The other fellow shook Al’s hand and thanked him for his service. Al’s face lit up with a huge smile, and he, in turn, thanked his fellow soldier. What a joy it is to be able to acknowledge Al Godlewski’s contribution to keeping the
United States of America the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Rally Point: Wawa, 1300 E Ridge Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Rally Time: 1:15 pm
KSU: 1:45 pm
RC: Available
_________________
Scouter
Retired Police Officer
Son of a Navy Vet
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