My uncle, Joe Flynn, was a great storyteller, and he had many stories to tell. His life spanned nearly the entire 20^th century. After Joe died, I realized that I was the keeper of these stories, that each was a chapter, and that once I had written them all down, I would be the author of an entertaining, thought-provoking, and frequently funny book.

Joe’s stories are laced with humor and human interest. He told tales of drunken sailors on tropical islands, a “small” explosion on a pier in New York, a rendezvous at “Black Watch Bridge” a boy who died, and a brother who didn’t, bookies, bootleggers, and a dog who followed the mailman on his route and returned home via trolley all by himself and wagging his tail.

In 1940, Joe Flynn joined the US Navy for a six-year hitch. Serving in the Atlantic Fleet he saw first-hand the destruction wrought by German U-boats and experienced the terror of a torpedo attack. After three years aboard two different ships, Joe successfully applied to become a lighter-than-air sailor. He thought blimps would be a safer bet than seagoing ships. However, as a member of a ground crew trying to land an ice-covered airship in the middle of a storm, he found the blimp service to be not as safe as he had anticipated.

I’ve posted a few of Joe’s stories (see my Blog) and will continue to do so from time to time.