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Growing Up American

‘Growing Up American’ is an article series dedicated to preserving the totally unique American experience…for whoever is left that cares.

Click on a title to read a story.

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Growing Up American: Small Town Dog

Spot being goaded by cat.

Spot being goaded by cat.

bannerGROWING UP AMERICAN: CHRISTMAS 1941

mom war years

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 Growing Up American: Birth, Sex and Hitler

Bunnies

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GROWING UP AMERICAN: SUMMER VACATION 1939

Lars-Göran Lindgren Sweden, Wikimedia Commons

Lars-Göran Lindgren Sweden, Wikimedia Commons

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GROWING UP AMERICAN: FROM CHURCH SCHOOL TO SCOUTING

State Street

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GROWING UP AMERICAN: 

A FAVORITE SONG FORETELLS THE DISCOVERY OF A LONG FORGOTTEN HOMELAND

cat victrola

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GROWING UP AMERICAN: WHEN THE DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP WAS MORE THAN A COMPUTER SCREEN

“Like a chugging caboose the doctor’s car was following closely behind the plow! For how long and for how many miles had he steadfastly followed that plow to come to the aid of the baby he’d delivered just two months before? “

The_Doctor_Luke_Fildes_crop

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Keep Your Family Close: A New Year’s Tale on What Might Have Been

Madison Square, June 6, 1944. (No known restrictions; Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information)
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James Burns
James Burns
6 years ago

My wife and I are in our 80’s also (like the Glass couple)…I guess unless you grew up during that time you just would not understand…..I too, grew up thinking everybody has a fair shot and believing in America was instilled while you were being educated….I agree with the Glass couple completely and I also fear for what the future holds for my family….Maybe Trump will be the answer , maybe not…I do hope and pray he can get the ship of state back on course…..

TONY SALAZAR - VietnamVet
TONY SALAZAR - VietnamVet
6 years ago

What a find! It’s just like panning for gold, and finding a big nugget. Your articles are habit forming and I enjoy reading them on your website.
I, like Don Glass and his wife Jeanne, have spent much time on AT, I spent three years as Moderator for them.
I also had my doubts, and some friends felt the same way (some of them totally negative about our destiny), but after long, long discussions, we have come to the same conclusion: whatever we do, it’s worth the fight.
I’m a VietnamVet and remember very well the 1960s; in fact, it took me over 10 years to let the hurt go, so that I could continue with my life.
I came to this country when I was 17 years old, and immediately went into the military service, and stayed there for 9 years, ending with Vietnam. I lived in a country that transitioned from dictatorship, to military juntas, to socialist presidency, to the CIA involved in a coup to install their candidate. That’s when I decided to leave for the good ole USA. Like so many immigrants from Central Europe, I know what it’s like to stand in line for government handouts, gasoline coupons, long waits for hospital care, crime and corruption to beat The System.
2007 was a rude awakening for me, and knew what Obama was up to; I tried to tell all who would listen, but they didn’t hear my message of years of gloom-and-doom. I prepared myself and my family for any eventuality, like gun confiscation, elimination of freedom of speech, all the ugliness of a racist society, the promiscuity of liberal thinking, and lawlessness running rampant. And I was well barricaded.
Now, I see a more proactive attitude, more hope for the future, my friends are planning vacations, new jobs, elated with the stock market results. I just hope that it continues for 4 years, and more, and God keeps Trump safe from any harm from Democrats, liberals, enemedia, or any crazy fool.
Don Glass and his wife should be glad that they got to see the light at the end of the tunnel, now it’s just a matter of time, and we have nothing else to do but wait, leaving it all in the hands of the Lord.
That’s what I did when I left my home, said goodbye to my parents, and would not stop until I got to America, the Land of the Free.

Susan D. Harris
6 years ago

Mr. Salazar, thank you for your fascinating comments and relating your personal experiences. You’ve seen a lot, you’ve traveled a lot – me not as much, and certainly not under similar circumstances. But I tell you that is why I disagree. I know exactly how my ancestors lived, in what towns they lived — going back to their arrival here in the 17th and 18th Centuries. I also see, very obviously, the culture around me. Politics has nothing to do with it anymore – at least since the huge spike in oral sex and STD’s after the Clinton administration when the highest office of the land was stripped of all honor and integrity. Who wanted to grow up to be president then?

But no, it is far bigger than all of that. Our culture and our society is gone. It started back in the 60’s and rallied a bit which was reflected in the Reagan Revolution (thanks to the warmed up leftovers of a failed Goldwater bid). The politics reflects the culture IMHO. We are besieged by immigrants who I believe, when given the word, will slaughter us.

In everything from fashion, to language, to music, to the nitty-gritty of morals and empathy — the culture is gone. So are all the permanent components of Judeo-Christian society which are nothing but floating tea candles meant to add ambiance, but serve no purpose. At this point, my own interpretation of the Bible comes into play, but it’s the same interpretation my ancestors had 400 years ago and the same one that Rev. Billy Graham preached in Madison Square Garden in 1957. There is no turning back from a culture so degraded. Like the alcohol -stinking, syphilis-sore-covered generation of Germany in the 1930’s, we will never, never, never be the same again. I apologize for my frankness, and thank you for yours. In truth, I have lived my life, like Don and Jeanne Glass did, as one of the happiest people you’d ever meet. I was even voted Friendliest Girl and Best Natured in two different polls as a young ‘un; and carried those gifts, along with a sense of humor, into adulthood. But…I consider myself a realist, not a pessimist. There you have it…