Behind the Picket Fence: Life of an Army Soldier in the 1950's

INTRODUCTION

The baby boom, white picket fences, and blue jeans were a few things that came to mind when I thought of the fifties. After talking with my Grandfather, Philip Casavant, I learned there is more to this decade than I had imagined. This research project focuses on an Army soldier in the 1950’s returning home and transitioning into civilian life. I will focus on the real life experiences of my grandfather during this era and empathize on his achievements in this decade.

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
My Grandfather graduated high school in 1951. From there, he attended Nichols College where he studied and played on the football team for about a year and a half until he decided to sign up for the Army. In the Army, he also played football for the 2nd Armored Cavalry for about a year until he was sent overseas to Germany following World War II (see fig.2). This was now the Korean War going on. While in Germany, my grandpa described the natives as, "pretty good people"(Casavant). The Nuremberg Trials were two sets of trials that started in 1945 and ended in 1949 and involved the Nazis who committed crimes during the Holocaust of World War II (American Experience). My grandpa was in Germany after the trials had ended, but even after the trials were over one of my grandpa's jobs was to guard in front of the gates at the Palace of Justice where the trials had taken place because things were still wrapping up inside. Also in Germany my grandpa patrolled the boarders of Bamberg, and Furth Germany, because the Russians were on the other side and we still had problems with them at this time (Casavant). My grandpas duties in Germany ended in 1957 where he then returned back to the states.

Fig.2. Army football, Second Armored Cavalry 1953. Source: Casavant, P.

TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
When my Grandfather arrived home from Germany, he was chosen to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in 1957. This is located at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA (see fig.3). The Tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War (Unknown Soldier). This tomb is also described as, "An American shrine dedicated to the memory of all the unnamed men who breached the walls and died before the gates in our nations wars" (Virden). My grandpa described his opportunity as, "A big honor, not many people got chosen to do this like I did" (Casavant). As much of an honor as this was, my grandpa did describe this job as "tedious work" and he "anticipated going home" (Casavant). Tourists were not allowed to touch the Tomb so the guards had to prevent the onlookers from getting too close. When the soldiers were on duty to guard the Tomb that day they had to sleep at the quarters in which my grandpa described them as being beautiful (Casavant). The quarters were located underneath the Tomb and behind it overlooking the Potomac River. Along with guarding the tomb the soldiers were moved around and also guarded the steps of the capital, as well as the airfield where the planes were located (Casavant). Not only did my grandpa get to honor the fallen heroes he had some fun while being a part of this experience. During his 6 month stay in VA, he got to meet Johnny Antonelli who at the time was a MLB player for the Braves.

BACK TO REALITY

After the 6 months of being an Honor Guard, and being done with the Army, my grandpa was at a standstill in life. Not quite sure of what to do for work, he moved to California to work for his brother-in-law. In California my grandpa helped build Disney World under his brother-in-laws command. My grandpa was lucky enough to meet the famous Walt Disney while working one day (see fig.4). My grandpa said, "Walt would walk around and randomly shake the workers hands and thank us for our hard work" (Casavant). After working in CA for about 2 years my grandpa decided to take all the skills he had learned and came back to his home town, Winchendon, MA. In 1959 my grandpa started his own drywall business. This business took off quickly, and my grandpa said, "I had 16 men working for me, business was good, so I started my own lumber yard on School Street as well" (Casavant). A lot of the success of my grandpa's business achieved in the 1950's can be attributed to the thriving economy after World War II. After World War II, soldiers were returning home and starting families (Nelson). With this came the baby boom. With all the increasing families, houses were needed to accommodate the growing families which was great for the construction industry and hometown businesses such as my grandfathers. The Housing Act of 1949 was also a factor that helped the construction boom. This act, "pledged a decent home for every American family (The New). This act helped extend home ownership to lower-income families and racial minorities (The New).

LOOKING BACK

Overall the 1950's era was a successful decade for my grandpa as he adjusted to civilian life and took advantage of the thriving economy. Looking back on this era, there are a few things he does miss. When asked what he misses most from this decade he responded quickly with, "I miss Nancy (his late wife) being alive" (Casavant). Being 80 and retired now, my grandpa said he really misses his business and how busy it kept him. The last question I was most anxious to ask my grandfather was what is the most significant difference between today and the 1950's. After pondering for a minute my grandpa expressed, "People were a lot closer back then, not like today, everyone is out to get each other, people use to help each other out more then, times were different" (Casavant). One quote my grandfather has always lived by is, "I'll find a way or make one" (Casavant).

Works Cited

"American Experience: The Nuremberg Trials. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 16 May 2011

Casavant, Philip. Personal interview. 3 May 2011

Nelson, Arthur C. "Catching the Next Wave: Older Adults and the 'New Urbanism'." Generations 33.4 (2009): 37-42. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.

Sims, April. "Millions of Tourists Flock to Arlington National Cemetery Each Year: Free Admission." Washington DC Budget Recreation | Examiner.com." Spokane News, Spokane Information, Spokane Events | Examiner.com. 18 July 2010. Web. 15 May 2011.http://www.examiner.com/budget-recreation-in-washington-dc/millions-of-tourists-flock-to-arlington-national-cemetery-each-year-free-admission

"The New Frontier’s Housing Program." Congressional Digest 40.6/7 (1961): 163. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 April 2011.

"Unknown Soldier, Tomb of the." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

Virden, John M. "Let Our Remaining Unknown Soldiers Rest in Peace!" Saturday Evening Post 31 May 1958: 10. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.

Waite, Jeremy. "Walt Disney : “I’ve Heard There’s Going to Be a Recession. I’ve Decided Not to Participate"Jeremy Waite | What Can Brands Learn From Celebrities? 28 June 2010. Web. 16 May 2011.http://jeremywaite.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/walt-disney-%E2%80%9Ci%E2%80%99ve-heard-there%E2%80%99s-going-to-be-a-recession-i%E2%80%99ve-decided-not-to-participate%E2%80%9D/