Spring Training, A La Reilly And Two Of Her Cousins

In other words, another playdate with Shelby occurred impromptuitously on the non-divine side of the universe today. 

"The Shelby Bowl"! Maybe Not The Puppy Bowl, But Hey...

On Superbowl LI Eve, when everyone's out in the neighborhood (or rather, "Momma" is visiting Shelby & Reilly is walking with Camille, "Mom-Mom", and "Auntie Michelle")...

All of the canines and humans at the "Shelby Bowl" had an entertaining time, and the score was a three-way tie with no overtime!

A Re-Recollection For VE Day and Mother's Day

The World War Two vet who I want to highlight in particular is my Great-Granduncle Bernard Stanley "Bernie" Czarnecki (of blessed memory). There were other family members whom served, though none of them endured what Great-Granduncle Bernie did. Being the youngest brother of my father's paternal grandfather, he was not yet even 21 when he first signed up to serve in the U.S. Army—he was born on March 15, 1917 and signed up on February 17, 1941—and all this after his parents and my great-grandfather came to the U.S. to escape the pogroms and live as Crypto Jews to avoid further Anti Semitism!  He honestly had no obligation to go to the continent from which his parents and brother Tony escaped. There he went, though; and he was discharged from the Army on December 12, 1945 due to shrapnel in his head and a botched operation that he underwent to remove it. The botched operation left his brain damaged, him permanently childlike, etc.; and he died at the age of 43 in the Lebanon, PA Veterans' Affairs' Home due to Schizophrenia and a Coronary Occlusion. Great-Granduncle Bernie never even got a Purple Heart, either.

The mother who I want to highlight is Great-Grandaunt Alexandria Alice Czarnecki Dombroski—the one who set up Great-Granduncle Bernie's Social Security account and got swindled by "Jankie" and "Susi" when Great-Granduncle Bernie died. As I have mentioned before, "Jankie" and "Susi" (real mensches! >:-/) took advantage of their childlike brother by affecting him to sign off his Social Security benefits to them for when he died; and they thus swindled Great-Grandaunt Alice in the process. 

Great-Grandaunt Alice already took care of Great-Great-Grandma when she was dying, headed up the house after Great-Great-Grandma died, and took on the role of a widowed mother when she could have (quite honestly) sent her son to live with relatives after her husband died. She did not have to help her brother—and she did, anyway.

"It's a shame what they[, Jankie and Susi,] did to Bernie," as Granduncle Tony overheard at the funeral home. It's also a shame what Jankie and Susi did to Great-Grandaunt Alice, and that few to none recognize Great-Granduncle Bernie and Great-Grandaunt Alice to this day. 

Once Jewish, Always Jewish-- And Usually Dreked On For Whatever Reason

I already blogged about Natalie Wood nee Zakharenko Gurdin. I've also blogged about my family several times, and beyond consistently about Pfc. Bernard S. "Bernie" Czarnecki nee Chernetski or Czarniecki (since the 1920 Census gives "Chernetski", and the naturalization records for his parents and brother Tony gives "Czarniecki"). When you're like Great-Granduncle Bernie, you get dreked on-- crapped on, s___ted on. You get dreked on worse than Pfc. Leonard Kravitz:

"[Lenny Kravitz was n]amed after his uncle, Pfc. Leonard Kravitz, who was killed in action in Korea on 7 March 1951 while suppressing a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon; he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Lenny has joined the fight to get his uncle the Medal of Honor. Supporters believe the Medal of Honor was denied to Pfc. Kravitz because he was Jewish."

Great-Granduncle Bernie joined the Army earlier than or on December 12, 1940. Born Anusi, he remained a Jewish Catholic and served with the 111th Infantry Division's Medical Core. Shot in the head with shrapnel and operated on to get the shrapnel removed, he came through the operation unsuccesfully and was buried at Holy Family Cemetery in an unceremonious way after he was removed from the Lebanon, PA Veterans' Affairs Hospital and Homes. He took 18 years to be fully KIA, breathing his last breath on July 16, 1963.

Nobody carries his name-- none of my side or his other grand- and great-grand-nephews and -nieces have his name. Nobody remembers him-- his drekish nephew Jack and others even refused to acknowledge that he existed for the longest of time. Nobody visits his grave, which lies untouched at Holy Family Cemetery. Nobody tries to go after the estates of those who defrauded him and his beloved sister Alice Dombroski-- his two brothers, John and Joe, who got his mentally-changed self to sign off his own and Alice's survivor's Social Security benefits to them before he died.

At least Pfc. Leonard Albert Kravitz has family fighting for him. Pfc. Bernard S. "Bernie" Czarnecki (WW2, 111th Infantry Division Medical Core, KIA) doesn't even have his name and memory carried on.

My Sister Actually Made This Jewelery With A Nice Jewelery Maker's Kit (Not a Paid Advertisement)...

In fact, she was kidding about me actually promoting...

This ring

These earrings

And this necklace

Though she appreciates that I did promote her jewelery making.