JFK no hatless Jack

[frussell]

I agree with the comment that Kennedy liked holding a hat more than wearing one. I've posted this before, but my grandfather met him several times at the airport, and I have yet to see a photo of him wearing the hat in his hand. Grandpa remembered to take his off for the photo, but later got in trouble for wearing his ever-present hat when meeting Queen Elizabeth on the tarmac. When he was in his nineties, a local author interviewed him about JFK, whom he said he liked, because he was a "man's man." He talked about being at dinner/drinks with him, when JFK left early to go visit Angie Dickinson. The reporter asked "Oh, was he spending time with her?" The answer was "Yeah, the night." No further questions on that subject.

 

[hatophile]

Man's man or Ladies man?

 

[frussell]

Pretty sure he meant both. I wish I'd asked him more about all the people he'd met. He knew six or seven presidents, some famous gangsters, tons of actors in his time. Supposedly he played football against John Wayne. He rarely talked about WWII, even though he served on a carrier that saw some kamikaze action. Mostly we just talked about his favorite subjects, women and horses.

 

[hatophile]

Those conversations with old-timers are priceless. My wife's dad was in the Pacific in WWII. He never talked much about it either.

 

[frussell]

Yep, Perry, same as my grandpa, all the hotspots of the South Pacific. He wasn't a "young" man when he enlisted, at 31 or so, and had a wife and kids at home. True to his cowboy roots, the only tales he told me were about organizing a rodeo on Espiritu Santo Island to boost morale, and the pair of spurs his buddy made him out of a piece of downed airplane, which are still at his house. He'd tell you tall tales for hours, but never bragged on himself, so I never got the story on the box of medals he'd been given during his service. A different generation. I never understood how he got around in such tight quarters aboard ship, at six foot two plus. Frank

 

[BlueTrain]

My father was drafted at age 28 (I enlisted at age 19). Only once in a while did he talk about his time in the service, mainly because he was otherwise occupied with his life at the time. He was a P.O.W. for nearly a year, too, having been captured in Italy. He nevertheless had many good things to say about Germans generally.

 

[hatophile]

Yep, Perry, same as my grandpa, all the hotspots of the South Pacific. He wasn't a "young" man when he enlisted, at 31 or so, and had a wife and kids at home. True to his cowboy roots, the only tales he told me were about organizing a rodeo on Espiritu Santo Island to boost morale, and the pair of spurs his buddy made him out of a piece of downed airplane, which are still at his house. He'd tell you tall tales for hours, but never bragged on himself, so I never got the story on the box of medals he'd been given during his service. A different generation. I never understood how he got around in such tight quarters aboard ship, at six foot two plus. Frank

Very different generation. Hard working, modest, thrifty. Successive generations have changed significantly.

 

[BlueTrain]

Oh, I knew several members of that generation who were hard-drinking, loud and obnoxious and never served in the armed forces. Union members, most of them. Today, though, I personally know no union member but everyone I know (except for one) is hard working, modest, thrifty, kind, loyal, honest and trustworthy. Only some have served in the armed forces, though.