January 1942. As I say, I enlisted at Fort Hayes, Columbus and went over to Indiana and was there for a couple days. Then I went to Hamilton Field, California up around San Francisco.

Annie: You were going overseas weren’t you at that point?

Lou: I got there and they got us to line up and asked how long we’d been in the army.

I says, “Two weeks,” or something like that and he says, “Get over there.”

They were pulling people out and they were going overseas, so I ended up instead of going overseas I was sent to Sacramento Junior College and we lived under the stadium in the stadium under the stadium at the Sacramento Junior College.

While I was there – I guess I was in the army maybe…I supposed maybe about May – 90 day wonder – I was sent to Aberdeen, Maryland and made a Corporal. Spent the day in Maryland and went to the ordinance school.

Being in the brewing business they put me in guns and ammunition (Laughter).

That was par for the course. So, in September I graduated and got my second lieutenancy and my first assignment was in Colorado at the base ordinance office there.

From there I stayed in the Colorado area because second Air Force headquarters was at Colorado Springs and I went from there as base ordinance officer to Great Bend, Kansas.

That’s when the B29s were just coming out. We lived with a bunch of civilians who were trying to get the B29s off the ground at four different bases in Kansas.

Then we went over to the Caribbean to Gypsy Task Force to check them all out and from there I went back to Colorado Springs and I was in Second Air Force headquarters. I was still an ordinance officer with a flaming bomb insignia, still an ordinance officer but I was in charge of supplies and services for the Second Air Force headquarters.

In this period of time I went from second lieutenant to captain. I was a captain when I was there, and when the war ended in Europe I was sent over to the intransient depot in New Jersey and was there overseeing the transferring of ordinance supplies from the European to the Pacific. As a matter of fact, that was when – you probably would know it or remember it - but there was a twin engine American bomber, twin engine bomber ran into the Empire State building. Do you remember that?

Annie: Yes I do.

I think it was the twin engine bomber and I was in New Jersey then. I was also there when the Japanese – atom bomb.

Annie: Where were you when your father died?

I was Colorado. That was ’43, and I got the word he died. He was in Florida vacationing. I had a heck of a time. I got as far as Washington, D.C. and met my mother there and she had my father on the train and I rode back with her on the train and him to Bryant, Ohio and then we were met in Bryant, and of course the funeral in Toledo.

Annie: Cause he was only 55.

Then when the war ended, or the bomb was dropped in Japan, I called back to Colorado and said, “Hey this is over. I’m needed at home, how about letting me out?” and this was four years so they said sure.

Then at that time you were supposed to go back to the point of origin to get out. I was supposed to come back to Columbus but they let me go over to Denver and I was separated from the service there and then came on home, which was 1945.

Annie: August of 1945.


Romance and Marriage

Annie and I Met at a Bowling Match

My first day back here in Findlay I came back to the brewery and there was a partner and manager of the brewery that said, “Lou we have a bowling team at the Saint Michael’s Catholic League down at the recreation,” he says, “Why don’t you join us?”

I said, “Okay.”

I went and the first night there I met Annie and she was going with the City Laundry team and I think before the night was over we maybe made a date. Or, if it wasn’t then it was certainly a day or two after that. However, it was a challenge, whoever wins or loses has to buy the other a dinner so it was a lot of those things and that’s how it started. That’s how we met and that’s how we got married. First day back.


Yeah. For all those four years. I think I was actively separated in October or November or something.

Annie: But you came here in August ’45, honey?

Lou: But I came here in August, but I was officially separated from service I think in October or November.

Annie: Right.

NOTE: FOR MORE ON THE STORY OF LOU URBANSKI, SEE THE STORY OF ANNIE URBANSKI