Anchors Aweigh

About the Book

Events at Pearl Harbor angered 9th grade English teacher Norman Edward Robinson. At the age of 34 he left his teaching job at the school (in Monmouth, Indiana,) and joined the United States Navy. While he was gone, from 1942-1945 the school held his job open. School officials promised that his teaching job would still be waiting for him when he eventually returned from the war.
He traveled with the U.S. Navy as a Pharmacist First Mate to many countries, just a few of them being: Bougainville, Guadalcanal, Hawaii, The New Hebrides, New Zealand, Pago Pago, the Panama Canal, Philippines and Samoa. He participated in training exercises on islands such as: Efati and Espirito Santos prior to being sent to Bougainville. Mate Robinson also served (and wore stars) for his service in the battlefields at both Pivi Village and Pivi forks.
The opening “Biography” section explores the permanent relocation of his entire family from Belfast, Ireland to their new residence located at 2515 E. Riverside Drive in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was in the year of (1910.) It delves deeply into his other immediate family members giving explanations of how their relationships intertwined.
Outlines of Norman’s many educational accomplishments prior to those war years appear. It was his long time girl friend (of 9 years, Mary Katherine Mitchell) that waited so patiently for him to return after W.W. II in Indianapolis, Indiana. You will be reading much more about their bitter/sweet relationship in the later part of the book.
This book gives some glimpses interspersed with family stories, pictures, weather conditions and recipes describing the everyday routine daily life of those war years from 1941-1945. Narratives of the letters that flew back and forth with his family members, church friends and neighbors while he was serving are also included.

About the Author

Sarah E. Weber was born and raised in Indianapolis (Speedway, a suburb), Indiana in March of 1944. Following graduation from Speedway high school in 1962 I went on to attend Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I lived on the campus in a dormitory and was enrolled in a 2 year secretarial program. Upon leaving Ball State I held a job for 32 years in the insurance industry with a big insurance company in Indianapolis, Indiana. After retirement from there I took a job as a cashier with a large grocery store (chain) also located in Indianapolis, Indiana. I greatly enjoyed both of these jobs. While working at those two jobs I enrolled in several different intermediate and advanced computer night school programs. Taking review classes in beginning and intermediate Spanish interested me. I enrolled in night school to further my study. I plan to keep expanding my knowledge in the Spanish language. My uncle Norman Edward Robinson became a permanent resident in a nursing home in July of 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. In June of 1977 I helped my mother, (his sister) dismantle his small 1 bedroom apartment. We’d learned that he would never be able to return to it due to health problems. I found his last remaining (typed) diary with notations of many of his W.W.II stories tucked away in a drawer. Over nearly the next 5 years I visited with him in the nursing home. Gradually I coaxed him to verbally try to elaborate on those W.W.II stories. At first he was extremely reluctant to discuss the stories. Each time I visited I’ tried to take very careful notes as he spoke. Early in 2003, I began working on this book. This has been the first book that I have ever written.