My dad fought in World War II and his battalion spent a good ten grueling and exhausting months marching across Europe in the fall and winter.
To boost morale of the soldiers the commanders held a lottery – the winner received a 3 day pass to France. My dad won a lovely weekend in Paris!
In his letter to my mom about the weekend he talks about the marvelous bed in his hotel room. It was lovely and fresh and had beautiful linen fabric throughout and goose feather pillows and a warm hand made quilt cover. His buddies were so jealous of the wonderful sleep he must have gotten all weekend.
The reality was that he never slept in the bed at all. He slept on the floor with his knapsack for a pillow. He said it was too soft and too nice for what he was used to. It bothered his back, he said. He couldn’t imagine sleeping in that bed when his buddies were on the ground.
As an adult I now understand this narrative a lot more. My dad had a strong sense of equity and justice and probably was uncomfortable living with such niceties even for a weekend when his buddies were not with him. He felt awkward with all of that comfort. He was used to other conditions. I think he felt it would be too much to enjoy for just himself.
I honestly believe that if he could have given his weekend pass to another soldier he would have.
That ‘justice’ and ‘equity’ belief system was with him throughout his life. I was raised in it though under a different name. His practice told a story more than his words ever could.
~Lydia Patric
