My Dad told me that when he was drafted, he told Them that he spoke English, Polish, Latin, and French. On his way out the door he thought to turn back and say, "Oh yes - I'm an experienced photographer."
Eventually he ended up in the Office of Strategic Services, which sent him to the University of Chicago. Language experts listened attentively as he spoke English and Polish; they made recordings on each side of a white vinyl 45rpm record.
He kept the record.
Click here for the first track. It is in English only.
My reaction is that I surely do recognize his voice, but his speech is different from what I always heard. His speech is closer to Polish. He is twenty years old, and has attended bilingual grammar school, high school, and college (2 years.)
Click here for Track B. It is in English at first, then in Polish at the end.
What did those experts think?
Did his English sound too Polish?
Did his Polish sound too American?
Had they judged differently, would they have sent him to Europe? What would have been his fate then?
As it was, they kept him in Chicago studying Japanese for six months, then sent him over the Hump, to western China. He jumped out of the airplane, camera in hand, snapping photos of terrain on the way down.
Future posts will delve into the war years. For now, many thanks to two of Gene's grandsons, Andrew Ehrlich and Peter Ehrlich, for teaching me Audacity and Soundcloud. Dziękuję, panowie!
Julie
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