Harvey Gladhill

An Old Man Remembers the Depression, Sex and War Harvey Gladhill

This is the story of a boy born during the Depression.

He was ashamed of being raised by two different sets of aunts and uncles for twelve years. He moved from his hometown to Philadelphia just as he was starting school and was on welfare those six years. Then he returned to his hometown and worked for the last six years of school to earn money for his keep and future life.

After graduation, he moved to Detroit, where he went to Dodge trade school for four months. He was then transferred to Chrysler Highland Park plant, into the tool room. While there for two years, he went to Chrysler Institute of Engineering three nights a week for three hours.

In January of 1943, he went into the armed forces. After basic training, he then joined an all-voluntary unit during WWII and fought at twenty to one hundred miles behind the German lines in teams of four in eight armored cars (M-8s). Their missions were to blow up ammo and fuel depots and cut communication lines. Each team had a separate area to cover in front of the Third Army. They raised so much havoc that the Germans assigned eight squads of SS troops to hunt them down and kill them. He had sex with German girls to gain information. To complete his missions, he did not care if he lived or was killed.

It is a must to read this telling story of an abused child and a crazy soldier.