http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2wBksA7l4   This was our favorite song back then.

While I was stationed in France the Russians began to test our resolve. They blockaded the rail and motor access to Berlin and we countered with a massive airlift to keep that city free from their domination. Then they built the wall. I am sure that our troops in Germany were more apprehensive than us guys in France but we had no less fervor to teach those bastards a lesson if they would be so stupid as to force a confrontation with the USA. They backed off but a side effect was that during this buildup President Eisenhower forbade any increase in the number of American dependents in Europe. Nancy could not join me in France. My tour of duty was extended for four months. When I was finally allowed to return to the States I had to go to Bremerhaven, Germany to board a troopship; it was February and the wind chill was -30°. The first day at sea we passed thru the English Channel (that was okay) but when we turned west into the Atlantic I got seasick, really bad. It lasted only a day and for the next 7 days I played Pinochle and won a bunch of dough. After deboarding at the Brooklyn Navy Yard I had just two days before I had to report to my new duty station in Connecticut. That was good duty as I could get home to the Bronx every weekend. Nancy and I got our first apartment on Spofford Avenue for $53 a month, including a new fridge. My Uncle Steve who lived in Bridgeport gave me a car, a 1950 Dodge and also the means to travel back and forth. These days passed quickly and then I was out of the Service. Now I had to find a job and prepare to start a family. This was the time that I had to grow up, and in a hurry. Within a year Nancy was pregnant and I became a totally new person.