Loren Johnston and Julia Kirschenbaum
Recorded
May 31, 2023
Archived
May 31, 2023
38:00 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddb002637
Description
Loren Johnston (73) is interviewed by StoryCorps Facilitator, Julia Kirschenbaum (25), to tell about the lives of his father and mother. Loren's words are meant to serve a as a proper memorial to his father, Byron Frank Johnston, a mortician and veteran.Subject Log / Time Code
Loren Johnston (L) speaks about his first memories of his father when meeting him at 3 years old.
L describes a few moments in his father's military career; being kicked out of OCS, getting injured on the boat at D-Day, and having his feet frozen in war.
L talks about his father's origins as a mortician during war time.
L describes how his father and mother met.
L speaks about his mother's history as a refugee and her trauma of experiencing two German invasions from both World Wars.
L talks about his father's work as a military mortician and how often he was away from home because of this career.
L recalls smelling the death on his father.
L remembers when he first learned of father's night terrors.
L recollects his intentions of being a helicopter pilot. But after joining his father at work and seeing the bodies of people in that future role, L describes how his mind was changed.
L speaks about his father's time spent in Vietnam.
L recalls how his father was forced to retire and how this resulted in his father's depression and a near addiction to Valium.
L describes the experience of trying to get a proper memorial for his father, Byron Frank Johnston.
L reflects on how his parents were affected by their respective traumas.
L speaks about seeing his father's feelings of inadequacy.
L describes how his father was a great storyteller.
Participants
- Loren Johnston
- Julia Kirschenbaum