Best Buddy Killed

Over the years, I've heard many differing accounts of how my Uncle Raymond M. Raykovitz died.

This continuation of the newspaper article from this prior post, coming from Ray's friend Joseph Sheridan, should answer any questions about what happened.

 

More in the days ahead.

Above:

 

Joe Sheridan, Ray Raykovitz, Dan Ugran.

 

 

Veterans Day 2013: The Old Breed

I spent most of my weekend in northeastern PA for a wedding and a separate family gathering. My in-laws live ~two blocks from St. Mary of the Maternity's cemetery in West Wyoming. I spent a few minutes there shortly after sunrise on Sunday, November 10th.

 

 

Above: A WWI (John) and a WWII (Stanley) veteran are buried here. 

Below: The Veterans Memorial at this cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To all veterans: Thanks for your service.

 

 

Coal, Ice, Beer & Polkas

I'm sure many who visit, especially those who grew up in Wilkes-Barre, will remember many of these businesses that supported the first annual Mayflower Athletics dance over 70 years ago.

 

I mean, even my children went to Chet Zawilski's store at the corner of Meade and Dana.

 

Coal, Ice, Beer & Polkas. Remember those days?

 

 

 

Sept. 28, 1944 - The Ugran Letter

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"Even through your grief, you can well afford to be proud of your son --- he was a man, through and through! If this world had more men like him, there wouldn't be any wars, strifes, arguments or misunderstandings."

 

-  Pfc. Dan Ugran, USMC - Sept. 28, 1944 
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I've been wanting to post this letter for quite some time. When I found it a few months back, I put it in a place that 'I wouldn't forget'. You know how that goes...

Without further comment, here's what Ray's family knows as "The Ugran Letter".

 

 

 

 

 

Powerful stuff...

  

Orloski - Stempien Wedding

Here's a pic of the wedding party of Ed and Helen ( Stempien ) Orloski. The Stempiens lived diagonally ( ~south )  across S. Meade Street from Aunt Soph's house. Their 40' x 200' lot ran from Meade Street to Kent Lane and was adjacent to the Raykovitz (Kent Lane) homestead.

 

 

 

Per my Mom:

 

L to R: Unknown, Stanley Raykovitz, Ring bearer unknown, Doris Orloski, Groom Ed Orloski, Bride Helen ( Stempien ) Orloski, Best Man unknown, Bernadette Gdovin, Leonard Orloski.

 

More to follow.

 

 

Certificate for Raymond: St. Joseph's Monastery

I still have an incredible amount of photos, newspaper clippings and other items that I hope to scan and post in the months ahead.

Here's something we found recently. The date the certificate was issued is nowhere to be found, but there are two dates printed on the document of 1928 and 1935.

Based upon other documents I've reviewed so far, I think Aunt Soph may have given this to Raymond before he went into the service, and the "D" and "OK" on left of the document were handwritten by censors going through Ray's belongings before they were sent back to his parents.

 

 

More in the weeks ahead.

 

USMC's Joseph Sheridan

I've been incredibly busy as of late, so I had to cut back on several "non-essential" activities, including the time I spend "blogging." I hope to get back in the swing of things soon, but more than likely...most of my updates will be on weekends going forward.

 

As offered a few posts ago, we recently discovered a photo album @ Kent Lane with many pictures of Raymond and his Marine Corps buddies taken during his time in the service, as well as other later articles like the one below.

 

The next few posts will include many of those photos and a few other recent finds.

Stay tuned.