CIVILIAN LIVING

Becoming a civilian on December 26, 1945, took a bit of adjusting, that's for sure.

The first two changes had to do with employment and moving my family into our New Jersey home. It didn't take long to discover that my former shipyard job was kaput! Evidently there would not be any shipbuilding for a long time.

We had been able to rent our home during the war years (that kept our mortgage payments on schedule), so it was a matter of notifying the tenant of their need to move, clean the house once it was vacant, and then move back in. What a pleasure that was!

Early on, the government had established an unemployment plan to assist returning veterans into transition that I was now experiencing. It was called the 52/20 Club, which meant that you could receive twenty dollars a week for fifty-two weeks, or until employed. I promptly joined the Club and enjoyed the benefits until May of 1946 when I was employed by the Campbell Soup Company (see blog SOUPS ON). That four-month period was the only time in my work history that I was unemployed.

In retrospect, this period was good for our family. I adjusted to civilian life, Ruth and I adjusted to being together, and baby daughter adjusted to having a real-life daddy.

More, later.