John Bek This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Memories of the John P. and Nellie Bek McGuinness Family

   www.mcguinnessfamily.org/memor - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/17/2006   Last Visited: 1/17/2008

   The factory worker was there while I was still in residence; Otto was a nephew of Mom's California sister-in-law, John Bek's wife. He did not stay a long time. He was a highly skilled tool and die maker, and he came to Michigan to work in the war effort.
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   In the early 20's, the aunts and uncle (sans Aunt Mary and Uncle Philip) took John on an extensive western trip that included going into Yellowstone Park.
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   Aunt Maude especially volunteered to baby sit for John, James and David on innumerable occasions.
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   John also remembers that Grandma liked to go personally to the grocery store on Grand River to look over all of the produce. She was very choosy in what she would buy to take home,it had to be very fresh. She got to this store by going through a short cut by way of the alley (the alley was paved, by the way).
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   One day, while John was riding in this car, Aunt Marguerite made some kind of an awkward and unlikely left hand turn on West Grand Boulevard near their home, and ended up precariously pitched on the side of the raised median or boulevard area, and the car was so top heavy it threatened to turn over.
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   John was told not, under any circumstances, to mention this incident to Grandma!
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   Frank and his two first cousins, Chris and Ed were engaged in some serious conversation in the large country style kitchen when the two (John and Philip) entered.
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   John has always been amused at Frank's prophetic comment.
   
   John also remembers how precarious it was to start Dad's old Model T touring car. Dads had to set the spark and then adjust the fuel, and then crank the car, and rapidly jump into the driver's seat (no door on the driver's side!) and readjust the spark and the gas; and then drive off. John especially remembers one time that the car almost demolished our father, and he sat horrified in the front seat watching Dad try to push the darn car back as it was nailing him to the garage wall! Fortunately for all of us concerned, the motor stalled just as it was about to crush dear Dad!
   
   John also remembers the consternation caused when Grandpa Bek once visited us; and the whole family piled into Dad's old open touring car and went to Belle Isle. Mom and Grandma Bek were in the back seat. Grandpa chewed tobacco! He also endeavored to spit same out of the open car while it was in motion!
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   It should be pointed out that John and Mary were often entrusted to be the drivers for the Grand Rapids trips.
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   John remembers that one summer when we were visiting Aunt Laura, she had given Uncle Dick their very last fifth cents to pay for having some of their grain ground up for chicken feed. Uncle Dick, a skilled craftsman who was currently unemployed, somehow lost the precious two quarters. Aunt Laura broke down and cried,they didn't have any money to replace it, and she desperately needed the chicken feed! She sold eggs to their neighboring farmers for money to buy other necessities like sugar, coffee and toilet tissue. No chicken feed, no eggs.
   
   I can also remember Aunt Laura making a sign to sell fresh sweet corn, and my staying out in her spacious, shaded front yard trying to sell corn to passing motorists. The price was 25 cents for a dozen ears. I actually made two sales, I think, and Aunt Laura was delighted with the cash windfall of silver money.
   
   John also remembers the story of how Jimmy and Jerry Armock got to finish high school while they lived on this farm in rural Kent County, Michigan.
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   Mother had a first cousin, John Bek, who had a very nice cottage on Silver Lake, about five miles from Laura's farm.
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   John, who had both military and work commitments, was also not in residence with us there. But he too made it up for a day or so. But Mom,.
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   Mary Agnes was born second in the family about 18 months after John, at the end of 1914.
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   John also stayed at the Hamburg farm somewhat often, since at this time he was working at the Advanced Stamping Company at their Brighton Plant, and the Hamburg farm was much closer to Brighton than the Winthrop Avenue home.
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   John and James left, too, and after an hour or so of clean up, Mother, Dad, Nell and I also left for the Winthrop house leaving Dave all alone at the farm to take care of the goatherd.
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   It has been mentioned before that John was attracted to the military life. With Mom and Dad's permission, he joined the CMTC (Citizen's Military Training Corps). The CMTC was part of the Army Reserve Officer's Training organization. He trained with this group in summer camps in 1930-1932 at both Ft. Custer in Michigan and at Ft. Sheridan in Illinois.
   
   In 1936, when John was at the U. of D. studying engineering, he enlisted in the Detroit Company of the Marine Reserves. This was single reserve company of Marines headquartered at the Broadhead Naval Armory on E. Jefferson, across from Belle Isle. This company was part of a Battalion of Marines that was headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. In this same year, 1936, he attended the Marine Platoon Leader's Training Camp at Quantico, Virginia (the Marine Headquarters). Luckily for John, Detroit was picked for a new Marine Reserve Battalion in the fall of this year, and John was promptly commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant (Reserve) in this Battalion in the fall of 1936.
   
   John trained with this group and went to summer camp with them in the years 1937-1940. He, along with his entire Battalion was called to active duty in November 1940, and he was sent first to Quantico, and then in January, 194l to Guantanimo, Cuba, to help guard Cuba from then feared Nazi penetration. By this time John was a Captain.
   
   In September, 194l, his Battalion was recalled back to the U.S.A, and now, as part of the just formed 1st Marine Division (the first time the Marines ever had had a division), they were dispatched to a new area adjacent to the coast in North Carolina, called Camp Lejune. They made a practice run on this coastal area as a sort of a mock invasion force going ashore at an enemy held location. John laughingly recalls that the only capture that they really made on this mock invasion was to capture the north-south Inter Coastal Water way, and then through a few swamps, and ended up in a water melon field that was hugely enjoyed by his men! He and his men then were taken back aboard their ship, because at that time Camp Lejune really only existed on Marine Corps training maps,they had yet to acquire the land by condemnation!
   
   Next, John and his Battalion were housed in Newport News, Virginia, after which they were shipped back to Camp Lejune (The Marines now legally owned the land that they'd practiced capturing) and spent the winter of l941-42 in tents at this newly conceived camp. It was not a winter he recalls with great joy,the chiggers were bad, and the cold was worse. In May 1942, as a Major, John was part of the "Advance Party" of the 1st Marine Division sent to protect Wellington, New Zealand.
   
   John says they were given a brand new (just launched) Victory ship for this dangerous mission.
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   John remembers that their stay in this wonderful country was all too brief; as soon as the entire 1st Marine Division arrived in New Zealand, they were combat loaded on naval vessels and dispatched to the famous Guadalcanal, where the Japanese had already begun fortifications to ensure themselves a long stay. Fortunately for the U. S. and for our family the Marines picked a location on the Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal) that happened to be very lightly defended by the Japanese, and so they were able to get their entire division ashore with only minimal resistance. This was almost essential for them, since all of the much promised "heavy equipment" which the Marine Corps had promised them had not yet arrived in New Zealand before the Marine force had been dispatched to the Solomons.
   
   John also remembers that they had had to make due at this time with ancient (but serviceable) 1903 Springfield rifles that had been the mainstay of our troops in WWI! Another fortunate fact,they had made a successful invasion landing at Guadalcanal in spite of the fact that the Japanese held naval superiority in these waters. However, the Japanese did not intend to let the Marines off easy. Their very first night ashore they had to watch the Japanese systematically destroy all of the heavy cruiser naval vessels that were there to supply the Marines in their fight. John remembers how devastating the Japanese naval gunfire was on each of our capital ships with l2" naval guns; he said that the Japanese were expert naval gunners!
   
   The Japanese expected the Marines, who were ashore to be easy pickings after that, but the Marines fooled the Japanese,they fought hard and long and were successful in building a major airfield to bring in supplies. John is proud of the part he played in all of this Marine (and U.S.) success in the Solomon Islands in building, then defending this vital air strip, and for the part the Marines played in clearing the entire chain of islands of Japanese con