60 years later

60 years later

fiction
edward w pritchard

I walked into a pawn shop over in Beckley, West Virginia and found an army snap shot of Unit APO 310 and there in row two was my Father as a 19 year old corporal. I knew he was drafted and was surprised to see the crooked smile on his face, but what was intriguing was the nick name someone had penciled in just over his head. All the soldiers in the picture had names over their heads but only a few had nick names, and whoever had written the nick names in obviously had done so as an act of familiarity and kindness.

My Dad, thin and fit, with wavy black hair was Whistlin Ronny, not Ronald Watkins the insurance agent, but Whistlin Ronnie, who I vaguely recalled wanted to be a disc jockey once.

Sixty years, and so much is gone and changed.