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My grandfather, Carl Rosen was born in Struthers,
Ohio on Oct. 17, 1926. He was born to
John and Pearl Rosen, and had three brothers: John, Austin, and Richard. Carl grew up in Struthers, attended St.
Nicholas Grade School, and graduated from Struthers High School. He enjoyed
school and also had hobbies outside of school. These hobbies included wood
working and building small furniture items. He always liked to work with his
hands.
During January
of his senior year in high school, Carl enlisted in the Navy. When he joined
the Navy he was only 18 years old. His three other brothers were also in the
service, one as a pilot, one as an Air Force gunner, and one in the infantry. When Carl first
joined the Navy, World War II had been going on for three years. He received
his basic training in Norfolk, VA.
He didn’t request a specific job, and he made many friends. He came out of
training on July 13, 1946, but as his tour
was beginning he developed scarlet fever and was in a hospital at the Great Lakes training center.
Carl was
stationed on a tanker called the A097 U.S.S. Allagash. This tanker was
553 ft. long and traveled the ocean fueling ships on their routes from the North Atlantic to Cuba. He wore work
jeans and a jean shirt and dress whites and blues on special occasions. Carl
didn’t work in the war zone but his job duties included swabbing decks and
scraping barnacles off the side of the ship when it was in port. He was good
at the daily routine of cleaning off the ship. In his spare time on the ship
he socialized with friends. He would often write to people while out at sea.
They had a way of transferring letters from the ship to their home. He mostly
wrote about missing home and sometimes getting sea sick just like all the
other guys. Also when he had time to go ashore, he would buy souvenirs. He
didn’t fight any of the enemies, but he saw the enemy ships. His most
frightening experience was when a man went overboard in the Arctic waters and
they had to save him. Other experiences such as the process of the cables
that connected the ships to each other to get fuel were interesting.
When Carl’s
tour ended he felt relieved that he was safe. The highest rank he received
was Seaman 2nd Class. He was given ribbons such as the American
Area Ribbon and the World War II Victory Ribbon, and also got an Honorable Discharge. When Carl got
home his mother, father, and his two brothers who had been discharged were
waiting for him. His third brother died in battle.
After the war
was over, Carl stayed in the Navy for six months. When he got out, he worked
as a roll turner in the steel mills. He worked there until 1951 and then
retired due to a heart attack. On one of his vacations he met his future
spouse: Margaret Blanchard. They married on July 14, 1951 in Manchester NH. They had 7
children, 4 boys and 3 girls. He was a
provider to the family, such as being a little league baseball coach in
Struthers for many years. Carl was very involved during his lifetime in
Struthers after the war. He was a member of his church; where he was an adult
alter server and an usher. He was part of many organizations like the Knights
of Columbus, Holy Name, St. Vincent DePaul, and was a member of the Mall
Walkers Association at the Southern Park Mall. He and his wife also
coordinated the Struthers Ecumenical Thanksgiving Food Program for 10 years.
Following a stroke and hip surgery, Carl lived in Struthers, Ohio until Sept. 22, 2006 when he passed
away.
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