Thursday, December 07, 2006
Pearl Harbor day. Remembering James Edward Marks.
I mentioned earlier in my blog that my dad James Edward Marks was a major in the army. Served in World War II and was at Pearl Harbor during the big one. My mom said he had a quick move up in the ranks that day because of the atrocity. I have a picture on my wall here at home with him and his troop standing in front of the Scofield Barracks before they were blown up. I heard his war stories and was in fact an Army brat. My dad made a decision when he was in his 40's to become a lawyer. He only had an eighth grade education at the time, so he had an uphill battle. But he prevailed and passed the bar while serving in Korea. Once he was discharged he moved the Marks family to Eureka to start practicing law. My dad was the commanding officer of local lawyer Jim McKittrick and followed him up this way. My dad also knew attorney James Scott in Eureka. His loves were bowling and pool. After a divorce from my mom, my dad started law offices in San Jose. He passed away 25 years ago on his way to fight for one of his brothers defiance to pay federal taxes. My dad told me to become a preacher, because "that's where the money is." Didn't take that advise, but he was fine with me just being a blue collar worker.
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My Dad was also a lawyer. He contracted rheumatic fever while serving in the Army Air Corps in WWII. His rheumatic heart killed him when he was 46 and I was 19.
My grandfather was Captain of the USS Bowie, an troop transport in the Pacific (Okinwa, etc.) Just last year I made a connection with his yeoman (captain's secretary).
"Papa" died in his mid-fifties, his heart worn out, not many years after he brought his crew home safely after the war.
My brother recently retired as the commander of the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor. Thanks for this post -- I always remember Pearl Harbor Day.
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