Karen T Miller

My most recent travels took me to the East Coast: Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, to be more specific. The last time I was in D.C. I was a junior in high school, so it was time to revisit that area and the many monuments and historical sites that commemorate the wars, battles, and lives that have shaped our country. A central motivation for the visit, however, was family history. My parents both lived there during World War II. My mother worked for the Navy Department two blocks from the White House. My father was in the Coast Guard headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Though his time in the Pacific dominated most of his years of service, prior to and after that he patrolled the rivers of New Jersey and Maryland.

My mother and father, knowing I was writing, albeit fiction, always said they wished I would write their life stories. I was hesitant about that. I knew I couldn’t write the story they wanted, and my teaching career left me little time for my own work.

Now my parents have passed away, and my present years allow me more time. As is true for most families, my four siblings and I were left many boxes of my parents’ accumulated history. My sister has compiled a wonderful account of my father’s time in the Pacific and the letters my parents wrote to each other. My brother has researched my father’s involvement in military operations in the Pacific and compiled a great account of that.

So my present focus has been on something that has always intrigued me, my parents’ time on the East Coast. They both grew up in Arkansas and were dating when World War II drew them to the D.C. area. They married during my father’s last year of service, and spent those months in D.C. and in Maryland, where they lived with another couple in a house they described as in a field way out in the country near a country store, and a quarter of a mile from where my father’s patrol ended. The house had no electricity or running water, so it was quite rustic. My eldest brother was born while they lived there.

For years I have wanted to visit that area, so in June, my husband and I took our little trailer on a camping trip to do that. As I prepared for the trip, I came across some files labeled Mother and Daddy’s Story. I was surprised to find I had taken copious notes over the years when they told stories about their lives. It was a wealth of information, but my notes were cryptic and sometimes raised more questions than provided answers.

That said, my trip to find the place where my mother worked in D.C., my father worked in Maryland, and where my parents lived was exciting and rewarding. We found the location where my mother worked in D.C., although the building has been replaced with another one. We also found the base where my father worked from in Maryland at Piney Point, a beautiful area where St. Mary’s River meets the Potomac and the wind is stiff. The base consisted of a quaint lighthouse and lighthouse keeper’s residence modified to house Coast Guard staff. My father’s duties included guarding the coast and protecting the oyster beds there.

Finding where my parents lived in Maryland was the biggest challenge and remains elusive, but we explored the area where that most likely would have been. It is treed, rural, and lovely. The people at St. Mary’s County Historical Society at Leonardtown have been very helpful. That region has a rich history I was excited to learn more about.

While I didn’t find all the answers I had hoped to, I gained insight into my parents’ lives and a greater appreciation for their commitment to our country, to each other, and to my family. Now to get that all down in writing.