Do You Have a Favorite Blanket?
Through the years I’ve had blankets, quilts, Afghans, and throws galore. And many have been special. Some have traveled around with me from house to house, room to room, and have served different purposes.
As a child, I had a baby blanket that became quite ragged over time, but I would not part with it for several years, not even for a cookie. I rubbed the corner of it under my nose when I went to bed. I can remember a dolly blanket or two.
Now that I’m in my golden years, I have a new favorite blanket. It is very old and the color is a faded pink. I’m pretty sure moths have enjoyed this blanket over time as I see evidence of their visits. Course, scratchy, and thin, this blanket is not exactly begging to be cuddled with.
But oh, how I love this blanket. You see, my father was issued this blanket in WWII when he went to boot camp after enlisting in the Navy. When he traveled from California to the Philadelphia Naval Yard to board his assigned ship, the USS Denver CL58, this blanket was in his seabag.
My father, Walter Troyan, was a teenage gunner on his cruiser ship from 1942-1945. This blanket no doubt vibrated during battle times when the whole ship endured shimmies and shakes as the guns blasted against the enemy in the South Pacific.
When the war was over, my father kept his blanket to use again in his home with his new bride. This was a time when nothing was thrown away, even if it was a small blanket from the war.
Oh, if only this blanket could talk! It would speak of its travels from boot camp to a warship, from home to home, the many bodies it covered, the beds it lay upon, the boxes it rested in when packed up for a move, and the hands that folded it up for many years.
Yes, this is my favorite blanket today. I hold it close and remember my father’s sacrifices to serve in WWII. It’s old, scratchy, faded, and has holes. But I sure do love it.
To read more about my father’s experiences in WWII, I’d love for you to read my debut novel, Unintended Hero, which will be available for purchase from Amazon or Barnes & Noble later this month.
