This past Monday evening I attended the monthly meeting of the Town of Porter Historical Society. Because we had a special speaker, the meeting was held in the old Officers' Club in what is now Fort Niagara State Park. The park was originally a very active Army base that dates way back into our history up until it was disestablished in the 1960s. The reason we had the meeting there was that David Dickinson, our new Niagara County Historian, was going to point out the unusual murals that had been painted on the walls of the Officer's Club at different periods of its existence. And one of the magnificent murals was painted by Ernst Wille when was a German Prisoner of War at Fort Niagara during WWII. Since then Wille has become a renown and very acclaimed artist in Germany. No, I won't give you a biography of Ernst Wille here. What I want to share with you is a particular day in my childhood when I came face to face with German Prisoners of War. Although I could probably dig up a precise date of that occasion from my records, I don't feel that it's really important to this story. This is one thing I remember about those war years, some time around 1942. As a young kid, probably around ten years old, I suppose I had paid attention to the news on the local radio station and maybe I had even read the news in the local newspaper. Whatever the situation, about that time around 1942 I was aware that a very important event was about to happen in Niagara Falls. A trainload of German Prisoners of War would be pulling into the railroad station near the Whirlpool Bridge where the prisoners would then be transferred in some fashion and be sent to Fort Niagara to the POW camp there. Oh how exciting!! I just HAD to be there! I remember that Betty Bonner was just as excited as I was and that day the two of us put on our roller skates and skated all the way from Chilton Avenue in Niagara Falls to the Highland Avenue Bridge where we knew that we could look down onto the railway station and get a glimpse of those awful German soldiers who were our enemy. And all the while we skated the long distance to the bridge, I was rehearsing what I wanted to shout down to the German POWs. I knew that they probably didn't understand English but there was one German expression that I had apparently learned from those war years, "Schprechen sie Deutch?" (Forgive any misspelling there.) It simply meant, "Do you speak German?" Yes, I realize it was a dumb question, but then I was just a kid. Betty and I arrived at the Highland Avenue Bridge, the train pulled in and we watched as the German soldiers were allowed to get off the train under the guard of our soldiers. I recall that that the prisoners didn't look as threatening as I had expected them to look. They looked quite bedraggled and confused. But being a ten-year-old, and wanting to communicate in some way with them, I shouted down to them, "Schprechen sie Deutch?" When I shouted that from the bridge, I recall so clearly the one specific face that turned up to me. I realized he had heard me and what I saw in his face was a glimpse of hope that there was someone here in this foreign country where he was now held a prisoner who might befriend him. That there might be some glimmer of hope as to what was going to happen to him next. How old was he at the time? As young as I was, my guess now is that he was around 16 years old, not that much older than I was. After all these years I still remember that blond-haired German soldier looking up at me. Who knows but what he eventually got to know Ernst Wille, the artist, while they were both Prisoners of War at Fort Niagara. But looking into his face around 1942 as he glanced up at me, left an indelible impression upon me. I had expected to see someone who was worthy to be hated as the enemy. Instead, I saw just a scared boy. When I left the bridge, I felt a bit more sober. The war wasn't just the black and white words we read in the paper then or the black and white news reels we watched at the movie theaters. The war also included scared blond-headed boys. vee from Youngstown, NY

Vee, what a wonderful story and memory! Thank you so much for all the stories and memories you share with all of us. My lines in Niagara County are very far back in time; around 1840. That is about the time my ancestor left his Northern roots, never to return. He moved to Louisiana where he died form the fever in 1858. Looking for parents and siblings of Amos R. Strong, b. 1818. He possibly had a brother named Alex, probably older. These two men both married in Chicot Co. Arkansas in the mid 1840's. Alex in 1843 and Amos in 1847. Take care and keep the memories flowing. Pam in Arkansas P.S. An extra thank you. You are a very wise and kind man. You make this list a comfortable place to visit. -- ----------------------------------------------------- Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/

Oh Dearest Pam! > P.S. An extra thank you. You are a very wise and kind man. You make > this list a comfortable place to visit. > Forgive me for giggling here and posting this to the list, but under the circumstances I guess it's time for me to really identify myself. This has happened to me before because of my unusual first name. You see, my full name is Vee Loraine Housman. When I was ten years old I was a girl and now that I'm about to reach the age of 69 in September, I guess you could say that I'm approaching the age of being a little old lady. My 30 years of service in the Navy was as a female enlisted woman --retired as Chief Petty Officer--and I have always been of the "female pursuasion." Married twice, divorced twice, no children or grandchildren. Pity. I think I would have been a cool Grandma. At least my grand-nieces and nephews consider me cool--even "phat," the label that my grand-niece Amanda recently declared that I deserve. Pam, I hope I haven't embarrassed you with the posting of this message to the list. What I REALLY read in your message were the words, "You are . . very wise and kind. . . . You make this list a comfortable place to visit." Trust me, that warmed my heart when it needed to be warmed the most right now. I just hope with further encouraging words such as yours, I'll be able to continue to post messages to the list that will be of some value and interest. The genealogy and history of this area is where my heart is. vee