Helen Polk and Deanna Polk

00:05 My name is Helen Marjorie poke. My maiden name is Apple.

00:12 I'm 84 years old. I'm here in San Diego.

00:17 And I'm going to record some of my past with my husband who was career Marine.

00:31 My name is Deanna Lynn Polk. I'm my mother's number for daughter. It's June 18th in San Diego, California.

00:44 Okay, Mom. First of all, I want to thank storycorps and PBS Public Broadcasting for having this because it gives us an opportunity to share with the rest of the world. Some of the treasures that we've got part of its going to be the audio tape will be playing later of dad playing his ukulele in Vietnam and see how a real Marine act but first of all, I'd like you to talk a little bit about Dad where he was born where he grew up and then I'll be asking you questions as we go along. Okay. I'm going to give his name and when he was born.

01:29 My husband's name was Kenneth Raymond Polk. He was born in Lakeland, Florida and move to Galesburg, Illinois when he was 2 years old.

01:44 And what year was he born? What year old night is June 16th 1927

01:52 January

01:54 The old January. I'm sorry. I got June 2nd my mind.

01:59 It's June right now. So and then they moved and so he was raised in Galesburg, Illinois. His parents were Morris and Verna pulk and I want you to tell the funny story about Carl Sandburg.

02:16 Oh Carl Sandburg. Yes. He didn't live too far behind where your dad lived and he used to come up your grandma Melrose backyard right next door to where your dad lived and he would be talking to Grandpa meta, but Grandma did not like him at all. So that's what I want to say about him.

02:46 She probably called him a socialist did I don't know what I heard was dad had lied about his age to join the Marine Corps. Can you tell us about that? No, I didn't lie about his age. He just joined at 1717 if he lied about it something I don't know, but I know he hate joined when he was 17. Okay, so he got in at the tail end of World War II. Well 19430 1943. Can you please tell us how you met Dad? Yes.

03:33 I can begin with I was out of school dance. Then I had to walk up into town which was not far and waiting for bus to go home in Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg, Illinois, and it was about bus come by and I was standing up against up a Five and Dime Store talking to a girl that went to the same school. I did and she walked all in the bus came and I saw about Five Guys walking up to her hitting on her and I was freaking out and I just stood there up against the building and then the bus left and I I didn't see where they were the guys went and I know that was the last bus I'll have to walk home cuz I didn't have 60 says to take a cab and anyway.

04:33 As I'm standing there waiting cuz I thought I don't even want to see if the guys came back. I didn't want them following me.

04:41 And all of a sudden your dad shows up and he says, you know, that was the last bus I said, yes, I do know it I'm waiting for someone to get rid of them and they kept these on why don't you let me walk you home. I know I'm waiting for someone will there's no known for a while until he finally said why don't you lie. I find Marine in uniform walking home. I said you don't have a uniform line. He's a well I join the Marine Corps and I'm leaving on the 17th.

05:22 And this just went on for a while and finalize a well. It'd be better if I walk let him walk me home. He wouldn't leave me alone. Then have them Five Guys follow me. So I took them down the lighter parts of Main Street and after a couple of blocks, we passed this jewelry store. There's no Lighting in there the time and there were some

05:48 Girls and guys there and we passed they go ahead cutting pick up pick up. I found out that they dared him to pick me up and you walk me home and I had to get to the stop at the corner block from my house cuz I wasn't supposed to be dating and so we said our goodbyes then and I didn't hear from him for a little while when he did stop by the house, and I know that he would ask for my brother. He knew my brother Johnny and

06:29 My dad was down there talking to him while he's

06:33 Like your your dad was standing out in the rain just talking away and I thought oh gosh. Well, he finally left and then another time he came up and I I was running out to the car. My mother pulled me back. So that was that so anyway, he went to

06:59 Overseas who went to China

07:03 And he was alignment when he was laying on his belly Landwehr to telephone pole.

07:10 Between Crossfire now wasn't that end. He went to other places in the Pacific to he went to yes, he did to Guadalcanal and Saipan and all of the he was on Okinawa Subway. Yes, if no all okay, but he never talked about it much to us kids when we were growing up know we'd always ask him. Hey Dad, did you ever kill anybody in the war and he's just all we would just fire and and we didn't know if we hit anything or not, but now looking at all the the history and reviewing World War II history. He was in some of the heaviest battles that we had and we have that article of him being thrown out of the Jeep when they were over taking the south end of Okinawa and he fell into a rice paddy the title of the article said Marine somersaults through Jap fire and he had to run through the rice paddy through live fire to catch up with the Jeep.

08:10 So it's really nice to have that article. Now. How did you know he was the love of your life?

08:18 Well

08:20 I just did this is the moment. I stopped at the corner of my house. I knew I just knew it and the end. I thought it later. God was with me. Mostly God because being picked up I had no room picked up before but I think said that was the best pick up at my life. Very good husband a very good family, man. And I even though he loved her children very much. I came first. Yes, you always did and that was what was wonderful you guys never fought in front of us know and I always thought everybody's family was like that now,

09:09 How did you meet Grandma poke?

09:16 Well, and did you guys get along? Okay the first time I met her just before we got married. Okay, and that's another story.

09:31 Really? I wanted to point out. He shouldn't have been overseas at 17th. I heard something about he was on the ship and his commanding officer said something. Do you know remember that story is just said you're not supposed to be here. You're only seventeen and then your dad thought. Oh boy. I got to go home. Then he says well, you're going to be a teen missing you might as well stay here. So what happened was one day after that. He was on Shore leave and he went to

10:09 And downtown China and there was a Photoshop there any saw a picture of my brother John who was in the Navy and still he looked up in China? Yes. He looked at my brother John and got my address and started riding. I didn't know this great that makes the story even better yet. And I'm so dumb restart riding back and forth and I didn't see him for like 2 years after that when the war was over and he came home and he

10:53 Got out of the Marine Corps thought he wanted to be out. It was only out for 30 days and went right back into Marine Corps. Okay, so let's see here. So, okay, so he came back from World War II he re-enlisted and then

11:13 For you as a military wife. What was your first experience like on a military base?

11:23 Will it work?

11:27 The first time we went out I wasn't on the base cuz we were living in Fredericksburg, Virginia and u.s. Station Quantico, but then after

11:38 After our first baby was born your sister Sandy. We went to California when she was 2 months old and then that's when I experience based life. We lived in Camp Pendleton. It was nothing like it is now but

11:57 I lived in a in a quonset hut and didn't you put Sandy and a dresser drawer as a crib vs. Cuz we didn't have a have a bed for and sew a dress pattern dresser drawer. Put her in there until one day your dad came home with this state-of-the-art baby buggy when we were poor, but he all I want to use the bathroom. And so she slept in that without was good because I would take her out and I could go to the store, you know, so then okay, so he was in World War II in a lot of different campaigns and then Korea came along. He also he went to Korea, correct? Yes. He went to Korea as a a map where he went to school first, and he said,

12:51 I don't know. I'm do this. I've failed every map Reading course I ever had but he caught it and all the guys the young men really liked and didn't like the way he talked cuz they didn't go just buy the book. He went by Theory and I eat and common sense. Right? And there was still talk of him in Korea when your cut cousin Sam Clinic was in Korea and they talked about him then and they told him how well they like them in this teaching and said Connie our second sister my second and we should tell everybody you had how many children seven children six daughters and one son? Okay.

13:40 At least you have numbers. I'm number for. All right. Connie was next.

13:48 And she was born in Balboa Naval Hospital be open and then almost 13 months later.

13:59 Becky was born at Balboa Naval Hospital

14:03 And then I was born and that yes, you were born in Fort Benning, Georgia. We were stationed at

14:18 Air Force Base in Albany, Georgia

14:24 And they couldn't get my blood crossmax. So they sent me to Fort Benning it in an ambulance and in case I needed love wish I could and so you were born there and Kenny was born in North Carolina. Yeah. It was born at Camp Lejeune hospital in North Carolina.

14:48 And then Stephanie was born at tripler Army hospital in Honolulu.

14:55 And then Lisa was born at camp Camp Lejeune hospital. So before I'm going to I want to get to this tape here pretty soon about Dad playing his ukulele in Vietnam because I feel like I was so lucky as a child. I didn't think so at the time to have parents that sang and danced around the house and dad took that ukulele with him everywhere. But first I'd like to hear a little bit from you about how it was moving all those times and keeping our school records.

15:32 Just a little bit about that lifestyle. Well, I had to keep in all your school records your shot records up everything and moving wasn't so bad at first but right towards the end. I was just getting a little tired of the moving but it was a lot of work because we live in government housing and I mean, we really had that clean.

15:59 And I realized sections. Otherwise, we would get a bad mark. But we would always check out exceptional. So even with all the children I had the house was in fair condition when we left all you guys made sure that I remember dad calling rubbly our field day on the weekends and we have to get up and clean the house and

16:29 But I think that set us up for good standards later. I was able to pass that on to my son and a lot of kids these days. Don't get that kind of involvement and responsibility.

16:42 So dad be tired after about 20 years in 1960s 22 and 1/2 years in 1965. Right? And then we lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina and he work for Metropolitan Life Insurance and

17:04 Hey.

17:06 We were transferred in to Metropolitan to Greenville, North Carolina, and we were there for maybe about a year or so and after that we were transferred in Norfolk, Virginia and

17:20 After he worked in Norfolk, Virginia for a good while it couldn't take the boss anymore.

17:29 Varsity had before were great, but this one was just overbearing and so he just said one day. I'm I'm going back into the Marine Corps.

17:39 And they took him in.

17:42 And it and he went right straight to Vietnam. And that's where we're coming to hear because what during that time was when cassette tapes had just come out. Yes and dad got a cassette player in a cassette recorder and you guys started sending tapes back and for you and I'm so glad you kept those tapes. We have about five hours of conversation of just slices of Life some of its you some of its him in the field. Sometimes he's really tired.

18:17 Sometimes those kids were just smart Alex and being a teenager at the time for me was it was interesting because I remember, you know, so against the war but I was so proud of my dad but being an awkward teenager, I half the time didn't say much to him because I didn't know what to say. So what I say in these tapes he this is part of a tape. I'm going to play here and try to play there are spots in it that where the tape goes blank or the the sound might go up and down because he's recording in a place where he was stationed in Vietnam called the rock pile and he would describe how they were building the roads and all this in between and then you could hear the mortars going off. He always said it was outgoing but to this day to hear it just impresses me like crazy, but it also gives me a great sin.

19:17 Comfort to hear my