John F. Gibbons Memoirs – Preface

This is the story of my life.  It is a very ordinary life, but lived through very extraordinary times. I am writing about it only to record it for my children; who I was and what I did and what I thought was important in life. If you are reading this and you become bored, which will undoubtedly occur sooner for some than for others, put it down and don’t read further. The only remarkable thing about my life was that it occurred in a period that Tom Brokaw refers to as the “Greatest Generation.” This generation was composed of ordinary people leading ordinary lives under extraordinary conditions.  Life was tough back then, but not insurmountable, and this is the story about how one family surmounted it.

These memoirs were precipitated by my son, Jeffrey. One day he said “Dad, you have all these stories you have told us about when you were a boy. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for you to write them down?” Little did he realize how much the kernel of his idea would proliferate.

I have selected incidents to write about from memory. I think I have treated the subjects honestly. If anyone was treated unfairly I apologize; that was not my intention.

I am most deeply indebted to the forbearance and understanding of my dear wife who permitted me to abandon husbandly duties over an extended period and toil relentlessly with an uncooperative word processor that I still do not know how to use.  Secondly, this document would not exist in its present form without the inspiration and hard work of my son who was my editor-in-chief. Whatever you find good in this document must be his work; for that which is poorly worded or just plain wrong, I take full responsibility.

I thank my granddaughter, Megan, for permission to include her award-winning summary of the life of Colonel Joseph Christmas Ives. I also thank my bother, Ed, who permitted me to include his riveting account of his exploits in the jungles of New Guinea during World War II. Lastly, I am indebted to all the people mentioned in this work for being part of my life and providing me with their time, guidance and material to fill the rich fabric of my life.

John F. Gibbons