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Monday, June 14, 2021

I'll be seeing you, ReRun #3

Songs and memories for most of us old timers are regular occurrences and I just came across a dilly. This song has never attained "classic" but nevertheless for a lot of us it will be forever. In the Internet I also found a short love story to go with it, written by somebody from Georgia and I could understand.

"I'll Be Seeing You" by Rosemary Clooney

A young 18 year old paratrooper meets a beautiful young Parachute WAC at the Parachute Patio in Fort Benning, Georgia. The year was 1944 and he was just back from his first furlough home and finishing up his training. She impressed him when she explained that all of the Parachute WACs were extra careful in packing the chutes, "because your life depends on it."


The music was just perfect and they quickly found that they could dance Swing and Fox Trot with each other easily. And their favorite song became "I'll be seeing you," which of course, they would dance cheek to cheek. They were from different backgrounds and they were both homesick. At the appropriate time, they could sing along with the song, softly into each others ears, a short peck on the lips would follow hoping no one saw them.

"I'll Be Seeing You" by Jimmy Durante

Soon enough they both got the same weekend pass, from Friday night after retreat to Monday morning reveille. They went to Atlanta, had a wonderful time dancing every evening. When they got back, he could figure that even if he was killed where he was going, in his short but happy life this had all been worth it.


A few days later she faced him and said this was their last day. She knew before him that he was leaving in 24 hours. She told him she was not going to wait for him. "You are a Paratrooper and you are not likely to come back and I am not going to go through that. But let me tell you, I will remember you to my dying day." She kissed him on the cheek, made a half turn and left him. He was in shock but he never saw her again. She may have been a month older than him but in maturity she was a year older.

A week later he was on a troopship on the Atlantic headed for Naples, Italy to a War that was going on full blast. But he would never forget the words they sang into each others ears, "I'll find you in the morning sun, and when the night is new, I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you."

Happy Dancing everyone!

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