A story................

[Bob Wright]

About fifteen years ago, or so, i was at the shooting range and heard this story.

A man whom I knew only from the range was telling a story from WW II. He was a soldier in North Africa, and was in one of those bars in Algiers or some similar place. One soldier there had a little too much, and got a little loud.

"I'm JoJo Markham, from Memphis Tennessee, and I can whip anybody in the place!" he shouted.

And then proceeded to make good on his boast. The prudent slipped out, while others took up the challenge, much to their dismay. Soon he had mopped up the floor with all comers, and the local police to boot. Finally the MP's and had him hog tied, but not without a struggle. They wheeled him out on a cart and that was the last he saw of JoJo.

Well, the story teller had gone on to fight in the North African campaign and as far as he knew, heard the last of JoJo.


Several years after hearing this story, a friend of mine got married, and we, his co-workers, attended the wedding. Now my friend was Italian and Catholic, and their weddings are somewhat different from a Baptist wedding. After the wedding, the reception was held at a Shrine Temple.

My wife and I, and another co-worker and his wife, were seated at a table. Some few drinks were had by a few attendees. Then I heard a loud voice over the crowd:

"Anybody can get a divorce! It takes a real man to stay married to a woman like my wife!" Well, somebody got him quieted down and we returned to our conversation. Then my friend the groom passed by, and I asked about that remark.

"Oh, him," he explained. "He's a friend of my Dad's. His name is JoJo Markam."



Bob Wright

 

[Sin6Sec63451022]

Well, he musta made through the Africa Campaign.

 

[Brules]

Interesting story.

 

[sebtool]

Sounds like she was the only 1 that could whip him! :lol:

 

[CLAYPOOL]

The "POWER OF A GOOD WOMAN".....

 

[volshooter]

Nice story, shoulda figured it would be a man from TN or TX to make such a boast.

 

[cpt-t]

BOB: Great Story, I really enjoy hearing Yours. They remind me of the Stories, I heard My Grandpa and His Old Cowboy and Army Friends tell. When I was just a kid setting around a campfire at night down in Oklahoma. Those are very special times and memories for me. Thanks You.
ken

 

[bogus bill]

I had a old bachelor friend years ago. He was on a trip somewhere and stopped at some type memorial with something to do with his old outfit during world war two. There was a old German couple there that wanted "Smitty" to take their picture. Then he got talking to him and comparing notes and found both were in the same action and probably shooting at each other! Smitty was awarded the silver star from the action that day for pulling wounded off the field while wounded himself. Of course they had their pictures taken together and Smitty had it hanging on his wall along with a piece of shirt with a bullet hole in it that he had wore and the Silver Star.
Another wild story. I came from a huge family and had many uncles in. My favorite uncle that I was the closest to, (moms brother) was in the 82nd AB. He and my folks had a close friend from the same village that was in the navy. The navy man was married prior to the war. Both came home from training on furlow before going oversea`s. The sailor friend left before my uncle did. My uncle got in a short affair with his buddys wife and jilted his girlfriend. On the ship going oversea`s my uncle got a letter from the girl he had jilted. She said she knew about the affair and had wrote a letter to the sailor and ratted my uncle.
Time went on and my uncle was in some action in I think Sicily where the Germans drove the 82nd right into the ocean. At the same time I believe it was Mount Vesuvius was erupting. I heard this story from three sources. My dad, my uncle and partially the sailor that was also close friends with my folks.
The Navy was picking up soldiers that were drove back to the ocean, my uncle among them. Guess who helped my uncle in the ship over the net! When I was a kid I noticed a couple times when their paths crossed at our house my uncle would leave.
My uncle had seen a lot of action and was "strange" and never married. He had quite a reputation and got in trouble some and was quite a drinker at times. When I grew up both dad and uncle told me the story to that point. My uncle had a heart attack in the early 1970`s and had open heart surgery and had a stroke on the operating table. Somehow that made him mentally worse where he could`nt control his emotions and I know it embarrassed him. He threatened suicide and dad took his guns. He lived with my folks awhile, came west and stayed with me for a few months. Then he did commit suicide. I flew home for the funeral
The sailor and my folks all got to be fervent christian`s after the war. The sailor came up to my mom and me and asked if we were going to have a military funeral. We didnt know anything about how to get one and he said he would take care of that part. He led it. Then he gave me the flag. I think that shook me up more than anything in my life as I knew the story and how he forgave my uncle! Especially since I also lost my first marriage due to a cheating wife.
To top it off we had a get together that night at his house. He asked me did I ever hear how they met oversea`s? I played dumb and he told me the part about helping my uncle over the side of the ship. Said it was like hell, they were being shelled, ash from the volcano was in the air, everything was dark from the ash cloud etc. Of course his wife wasn't part of the story.