Yvonne, I was a merchant seaman in WWII, guess that's earlier than your stepfather. When we arrived home we were paid off in hundred dollar bills. Docking along the Embarcadero and its dives, especially when girls were involved, were too tempting to many of my shipmates. Bill -----Original Message----- From: norcal-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:norcal-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Yvonne Bowers Sent: Monday, May 31, 2010 6:07 PM To: norcal@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NORCAL] drivers training My stepfather was a merchant seaman. He shipped out of San Francisco and was usually gone 2-3 months and would come home with a lot of money. When he spent it all he would ship out again.

I wonder if they did the same thing on the East Coast. Both my father and materal grandfather were in the US Maritime Service. I have the records for both, especially all the ships and dates for my father. I have his original wallet with all the info in it. As a child I never thought what he did was important. I knew about soldiers and sailors, but no one explained the importance of the Merchant Marines to me. I'm glad now that I understand. Sherry Harris