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Holiday Blog Post Roundup!

Image: rawpixel.com Hello Dear Readers, I've enjoyed writing about some favorite holiday memories over the past few years. This week, I thought I'd "round" them all up to share as my Christmas 2025 post. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did writing them.  If you have your own holiday memories to share, please drop a comment or post a link to your own stories. I'd love to read them. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Nancy My Holiday Blog Post Round Up  Butter Cookies - No Christmas was complete without Mom's wonderful cookies (recipe included)! Mom's Chocolate-Covered Cherries Caper - How my mom unwittingly became a Christmas thief! Spider's Christmas - A fun holiday story written by our daughter, Anne, about how this tiny creature learned about Christmas.   My Mom, the Queen of Christmas - No one loved to celebrate like Mom! The Thumb's Christmas - Another cute little story written by our Anne for her little brother James. The Fir...
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GENEALOGY CHALLENGE 2021 - Military Photo


GENEALOGY CHALLENGE 2021

Military - January 15th entry of a 31-day challenge to post a document, photo or artifact on social media every day in January.  

by Nancy Gilbride Casey

 

My Dad, Joseph John Gilbride, Jr. (1937-2018), was incredibly proud of his time in the Air Force. He had not been successful in high school and decided to drop out after the 10th grade. He joined the military in August 1954, when he was just 17 years old. Eventually he earned his GED while in the military.

From 1955-1957 his specialty was AC&W Operator (aircraft control and warning squadrons), first with the 646th AC&W based at Highlands AFS, New Jersey; with the 913th AC&W, based at Pagwa Air Station in Ontario, Canada, and finally with the 662nd AC&W, based closer to his Ohio home, at Brookfield AFS.

The oldest son of his family, he desperately wanted to make his own way in the world, and joining the military was one way to break with his blue-collar neighborhood in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland's East Side. And it allowed him to see a bit of the world as well, which for a time, satisfied the romantic in him. He was the arms-crossed, confident 18-year-old in the photo above.

In the end, Dad moved between several branches of the military, including the Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard and served nearly 10 years all together. Though it was not to be his career, it was an important part of his identity throughout his life.


NEXT UP: Newspaper Clipping

 


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