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Winnie's Story

January 10, 2010

WINNIE

I was just a little girl when Winnie came into our lives in the 1960s, and from the first time I met him, he's been one of my favorite relatives.

Winnie is married to my dad's first cousin, Judy.  Somehow or other in the confusion of family trees, I think that must make Winnie my second-cousin-by-marriage, or something like that.

But that's not the reason I love Winnie. 

I loved Winnie from the start because he paid attention to us kids.  He was always smiling and laughing.  He talked strangely because he came from an exotic, faraway country called Yugoslavia, and we adored him for his differentness.

But mostly, we all loved Winnie because he was like a big kid and he cared about us!

The first time I remember seeing Winnie was at our family Christmas Eve get-together. All of us kids were in awe of this funny mysterious man that, as we had overheard through the family grapevine, had jumped ship when he was just a teenager to come to America.  We had visions of this young boy diving off the end of a ship and swimming to the New York City shore, admiring his courage and gumption to do such a thing.  (Of course, we found out later that "jumping ship" didn't really mean "jumping OFF a ship," but it didn't lessen Winnie's intrigue to us one bit!)

As I was growing up, Winnie bought, sold, and repaired automobiles in his shop in our hometown.  Whenever we had need of a car or our car had need of him, Winnie was always the one we turned to.  He's an automotive genius, and he always treated his customers fairly.  People in town trusted Winnie, and I was always proud that he was part of my family.

A few years ago, when my own children needed a cheap, dependable used car to drive, Winnie took us to a car auction, helped us pick one out, then bought it for us.  I could never have done that on my own, but I trusted Winnie to find us a nice little car and he did.

Although I only see Winnie two or three times a year these days, I always make a point to visit with him at family reunions.  He's just one of those unforgettable people that I know has made my life richer just by knowing him.

For years, I've wanted to videotape Winnie telling his entire life's story, from childhood to present.  And finally, last month, I was privileged to have that very opportunity.  And I really want to share his tales with all of you!  The entire interview was 90 minutes long, so I've broken it up into 12 posts of more reasonable lengths.  After these first couple of posts today and tomorrow (to get you hooked on his story!), I plan to post another segment every other day through the end of January.

Hollywood could make a great film from this true story.  It's that good!

And I owe a debt of gratitude to Winnie and Judy for braving the snowy roads to drive up and share a special Sunday afternoon with us, allowing me to videotape this!  Thank you both so much!!!

January 10, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 1:  The War

Just a little background history to help you get your bearings...

Winnie was born in 1938 in the village of Zaton Mali, which is near the city of Dubrovnik, in what was then Communist Yugoslavia.  His childhood home (where his family still lives) was on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

I found a couple of maps to help you picture this whole scenario.  Being the geography dunce that I am, I really didn't know where in the world Yugoslavia was (I vaguely knew it was somewhere in Europe) until I looked it up.  In case any of you are fellow dunces in world geography, maybe this will help you get the scene in your mind.

See that little black arrow?  That's pointing to where Winnie was born.

In the 1990's, I'm sure you remember hearing in the news about the constant warring in the region after the break-up of the communist block.  Yugoslavia had been a huge communist nation encompassing several states, which after the 1990s wars broke up into many different countries, including Winnie's home area of Croatia.

In this closer-up map, you can see the city of Dubrovnik is located on the southernmost tip of Croatia, bordering the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

As Winnie begins his tale with World War II when he was very young, you can easily see the strategic position of this area militarily, and why it was so heavily occupied by the German army.

One more photo before I get to the video...

This is a recent photo of the Adriatic Sea coastline we're talking about!  GORGEOUS!!!

In fact, this is the view from Winnie's family homeplace which is now a thriving tourist home.  (Which, incidentally, is now on my list of places in the world I want to visit!)

If you're like me, these visuals will give you a better understanding of a place I'd never really known much about until now.

And now, as they say...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

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January 11, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 2:  Dreaming of America

Winnie picks up his tale in 1945, immediately after the end of World War II, when he was just 7 years old. 

It was then that the dream first formed in Winnie's young mind and heart, and he made up his mind at that very young age that someday, somehow, he would go to America!

January 13, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 3:  After the War

Part 4:  Adventures at Sea

World War II was devastating to the people of Winnie's home country.  The years of German occupation had ravaged the countryside, compromising their livelihoods and making it very difficult for the Yugoslav people to get back on their feet.

In Part 3, Winnie tells of the hardships of surviving the years immediately following their return home after the war and some of his crazily-dangerous boyhood antics.

When Winnie was 13 years old in 1951, he took a job as a cook's helper aboard a ship in order to support his family.  For the next 5 years Winnie worked on various ships, traveling over much of the world experiencing some harrowing adventures along the way.

Winnie shares some of these tales in Part 4.

January 15, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 5:  Jumping Ship

Part 6:  Alone in New York City

In 1956, with the ship where he'd been working in dry dock in Italy for repairs, newly-turned-18-year-old Winnie had a choice to make.  He either had to go back home to Yugoslavia or be transfered to a passenger ship that was heading to New York City.

For Winnie, it was a no-brainer.  All these years he'd wanted to go to America, and here was his chance.  So he took a job aboard the oceanliner SS Andrea Doria, with hopes of making his dream a reality.

In Part 5, Winnie tells of his decision to jump ship when the Andrea Doria docked in New York City. 

Then, in Part 6, he shares of his first hours in NYC... 18 years old, with very little money, unable to speak or understand English, illegally staying behind when the ship left harbor...alone in the largest city in the world, but determined to stay in the United States.

photo of the SS Andrea Doria from google.com

January 17, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 7:  Starting Out

Winnie had realized his childhood dream!  He was in America and ready to begin building a future for himself in his new country.

It was April 19, 1956, Winnie having just turned 18 that past February. 

With the help of a kind-hearted bartender, Winnie was able to telephone his uncle, who was living on Long Island.  Uncle Nicholas and his family took Winnie under their wings as he was starting out in his new life in America.

January 19, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 8:  Presumed Dead

While Winnie was beginning to make his own way in America, he had no inkling what his family back in Yugoslavia was going through.

Unbeknownst to Winnie, on her next voyage to America on July 25, 1956, the Andrea Doria sunk off the east coast of the United States.  While most aboard were rescued and survived, many others perished.  Receiving no news of Winnie's rescue and having no idea that he had jumped ship, Winnie was assumed to be "missing at sea" and his Yugoslavian family mourned his presumed death.

Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria, Life Magazine photo via google.com

January 21, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 9:  Legalities

Now that Winnie was beginning to establish himself in his new home country, he wanted to make it legal.  But as it turned out, doing that was not as easy as he had hoped.

January 23, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 10:  Called by Uncle Sam

After weeks of hassles and jumping through government hoops, Winnie had finally been granted his Green Card, at long last making him a legal immigrant.

But it didn't take long before Winnie was being scrutinized by the FBI and called by Uncle Sam to enlist in the US Army to serve his new country.

January 25, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 11:  AWOL in Germany

Part 12:  Indiana Connection

After his Army basic training, Winnie finds himself being sent overseas to Europe.  Through no fault of his own, he ends up in the wrong country!  In Part 11, Winnie tells of those early days in the Army.

While in the Army, Winnie becomes friends with a young man from New Castle, Indiana.  Winnie tells of his first weekend visit to Indiana (and Kentucky!) in Part 12.

January 27, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 13:  Five Years and Out

Part 14:  Homecoming

After five years in the US Army, Winnie was ready to get out...and determined to go back home to Yugoslavia to see the family he hadn't seen for 12 years.  Christmas 1965 was a Christmas Winnie will never forget! 

January 29, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 15:  American Businessman

Fresh out of the Army, with just a few dollars jingling in his pocket, Winnie starts looking for a job in New Castle, Indiana and soon finds himself owning his very own business.   

January 31, 2010

WINNIE'S STORY

Part 16:  Happily Ever After

Now a business owner in New Castle, a car in serious need of repairs leads to Winnie meeting and eventually dating his future wife Judy.

Judy is my dad's first cousin, and Winnie came into our lives when the two of them began seeing each other.  In this final video of the series, Winnie tells about his chance meeting with Judy and their first date.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing Winnie's story.  I do have one more short bonus video that I may post later, but that's all for now.  I think you will agree with me that Winnie has already led an amazing life, experiencing so many things that most of us can't even imagine.

Thanks again, Winnie and Judy, for allowing me the privilege of sharing your story! 

You are very special people!!!