graciegrannie on Family Tree Circles

My father, Harold Herman Otto MOLDENHAUER, was born July 7, 1914. He was literally raised in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. His father, George Albert MOLDENHAUER, was the sexton of Saint Simon's Lutheran Church which was located at the corner of Pierce and Spaulding Avenue in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago, Illinois. As such, Grandpa and his family lived in an apartment in the basement of the church. My Grandmother, Frieda SHOLS MOLDENHAUER, my uncle, George Edward MOLDENHAUER, and my grandmother's mother, Louisa GOETZ SHOLS, also lived in that apartment with my dad. Louisa spoke no English, and the custom of the time was that the whole household spoke the language of the eldest member of the household. So my father didn't learn English until he started school at Lowell Elementary.

When my father was drafted in 1942, he was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana. His job was to debrief the German prisoners of war who came in through the port in New Orleans. He told them what was expected of them and what would be done to and for them. More often than not he worked 20 hour days.

One time, after he had put in a very long day, he was sitting at his desk filling out some paperwork. Someone came to his desk and spoke to him. He answered, subconsciously, in German. His answer was met with silence, which apparently was not what he was expecting. He looked up to see the Company Commander standing there, scratching his head. My dad greeted him and asked what he could do for him. The Commander said, "I don't know, I think you did it." Still scratching his head, the Commander left the office.