Carl Wiltshire

[Guest PatrouKleos]

Carl Wiltshire was like a lot of young men in the early 1940s. He wasn't sure of the future, but he knew that things were looking better at home. He had a job and a wife and a family and he was determined to make the best of his life in a brave new America, just emerging from the Depression. After all, the economy was looking better and, at any rate, he had managed to do pretty well during those dark years when it seemed all hope was lost for so many of his countrymen.

 

In 1941, everything changed. The troubles in Europe were no longer something that the United States could ignore. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Carl Wiltshire came to the conclusion that he would be forced to fight for his country one way or another, so he joined the Marine Corps. Semper Fi!

 

He spent most of his time in the Pacific, and it was only relatively late in life that he managed to put away some of his animosity for the Japanese, who ranked only slightly below his Drill Sgt. in terms of outright hatred. Still, as time progressed, he came to look at the war philosophically, as an experience that had made its mark upon his life. Guadal Canal, amongst other battles, permanently changed his outlook.

 

Upon returning home, Carl Wiltshire tried to pick up where he had left. It was no use. He drank some and became abusive to his wife and children. Years later, some of those children still have mixed feelings about their dad. Eventually, Carl Wiltshire divorced his wife and left his family. He went on from place to place until he finally found peace with himself, remarried, and went back to his old haunts in Ohio.

 

He was a bright eyed old fellow when I met him. His friendliness and openness appealed to me, even though I doubt I would have put it in so many words at my young age. I just knew him to be Grand-dad... someone who was rarely in my life. That never really changed. When I spent a year at Indiana University, I managed to go up to see granddad on several occasions, and I was happy to spend time with him. Whatever sort of hellion he had been in his younger days, he was always charming as an oldster. He mixed a mean vodka martini and always provided the best in hospitality.

 

Whenever I went up to see him, I would spend time at his church. The fact that I am a Catholic and he was a Lutheran was never so much as topic of discussion let alone a cause of rancor between us.

 

Carl Wiltshire died on News Years eve this last year. It is a shame that we are born and live for such a short span of time. I know that Carl Wiltshire had more life to live. Don't we all?

 

I don't know why I'm writing this here. I guess it means something to belong to a community and so I feel compelled not to let his passing go silently. It is just one more World War II veteran who has gone to whatever our fate awaits us in death. Soon, there will be no more, and yet we will continue to enjoy the rights they fought to protect.

 

So, I sing the name of Carl Wiltshire, unabashed in my sentimentality, and hope that we are forever in his debt.

[Rosbjerg]

let us indeed hope that his fight and those of so many others before him are not forgotten .. and thrown away in stupidity and disregard for the thousands of generations that made this very moment possible ..

let us hope that the generations to come will not destroy what have been built for them to expand and develop upon..

 

thanks for sharing his story ..

 

- Rosbjerg

 

og lad os h