Sharing Our Stories Norfolk Southern wanted to know about any family members that we have that were Veterans, or serving in our armed forces for our country. Ironically, the theme for our town’s Halloween Parade was American Pride. We were at that time planning a float for the Parade entitled, “IN HONOR AND MEMORY.” The float was dedicated to our troops and some of our family members. One member was my father, William J. Sandrock. He was a 1st Class Seaman in the United States Navy, serving in World War II and the Korean War. He sailed on the Destroyer Escorts: USS Pillsbury D.E. – 133, and USS Flaherty D.E. –135. These ships were involved in the capture of the U501 German Submarine.
I heard many of the funny stories and also the stories to be proud of. Only one time did my father tell me about one of his sister ships getting hit. I can remember seeing the tears in his eyes, when he told me how he lost a lot of buddies that day. I never heard anything else about that story, and it was never brought up again. No one really knows what it is like out there in battle, unless you have been there. Throughout my years of growing up, my family has always been very patriotic. My father was also at one time The Commander of the VFW Post 3094, in Hellertown. He worked hard for that post and served it well. He believed in our country, and also believed fighting for our freedom as well. My father passed away, in September of 1995. He was buried the day before my 31st birthday. We had a military service for him. They had a firing squad and played Taps. It was very breathtaking and, of course, very sad. My daughter, Amber, was 4 years old when my father died. She is now 13 and still remembers her grandfather. They were very close.
On the float that we put together for my town’s Halloween Parade, Amber wore her grandfather’s actual Navy uniform that he wore on ship in the War. Amber’s father, John Hitcho, built replicas of the Twin Towers. They were 10 feet tall and were placed on the back of the float. Amber’s cousins, Gina and Chrissy, wore a Marine uniform and a Fire Fighter’s suit. Amber’s stepsister, Erica, wore an Army uniform. Amber’s friends, Linzee and Alexandria, wore a Statue of Liberty costume and an Air Force uniform. Our brother-in law (Bill) and our sister-in law’s (Tara) young children, Alysa and Destiny, dressed up in red, white and blue. We even had our youngest member, 8-month-old William, in a little sailor suit. My husband, Bob, pulled the float with our SUV. On it we had pictures of my dad. We also had pictures of Amber’s great Uncle, who was in the Marines. He died in a fatal accident on base one week before being discharged. A POW MIA flag hung on one side of the truck and a DON’T TREAD ON ME flag hung on the other side. I wore my Dad’s coat that he wore when he was involved with the Special Police in our town. The Saturday, before the parade, my daughter’s father, her stepmom (Lisa), my husband and I decorated the float with flags, banners, and signs. Kudla’s (K.A.R.S.) sponsored us. This is a local business and a good friend of Amber’s Dad’s. Sunday came and we lined up for the parade. We were interviewed by the local newspaper, and I got to tell a little of my story. When the parade started moving, people started clapping. It felt good. When it was over, my mother looked up into the sky and said, “You should be proud Bill.” It felt good to show our support to those who fought to give us freedom. The next day, Lisa called me at work and told me that our float won first place in our category. |
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Cindy Reccek 
My Dad quit school when he was 15 years old to serve our country. I remember him telling me that when he went to enlist in the Navy, one of the things he had to do involved swimming. Well, my father could not swim. He told me that he tiptoed across the pool. I remember a story about him being on leave, hurrying to get back to the ship on time, he ran right over a water moccasin. Fortunately, he did not get bitten. When he was in the Navy Reserves, he used to take the ships out on some kind of cruises. One particular cruise he said he would never forget. The weather was so bad and the ship was tossed around so much, my father didn’t think they would get back to land in one piece. I believe that that was the last cruise he was on. 
