This is my Story about Growing up In Brooklyn from age 12 1950 to age 19, 1957. My first friend was Peter who lived next door to me. We were the same age and always together. I remember one Easter Peter's mom, Neba, bought some chicks and put them in a box with a light to keep them warm. She had left me to see them five baby chicks. What a treat it was for me. Sometime after Easter Peter's mom passed away the wake was held 1n the house parlor floor, I had seen a few weeks held 1in their homes. A wreath was put on the front door, I guess it was to let people know that I was awake in that building. Peter had three brothers he called them called them Joey, Frankie and Ronnie. Joey and tinnier and were thinner in their 20s - Nicky was still in his teens.
There were two brothers Frankie and Ronnie who lived three houses from me, Frankie and his father we was a little nutty. His father was a the neoghborhood plumber some of the buildings he owned were cold water flats. We had kerosene stoves in order to wash cloths you have to help plenty of pots of water with no washing machine people used scrub boards When steam heat was installed boiler was put in the basement It was run by steam Radiators were installed on each floor. What a difference it made all the rooms were warn and now we have hot water. Al Bernard had also had a summer place in upstate New York where he was building a new house. In the meanwhile he would stay In the old house which was more like a shack. When he went upstate New York the old shack, had no hot water or indoor plumbing only had an "Out House", just a huge cast iron stove for heat or cooking. An old manual outdoor water pump In the winter we had to build a fire around it to make it work. the best part in the winter is when we got to "The Red Apple Rest" which meant we were half way there. We always brought our 22 rifles and BB guns with us.
Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, there were condemned homes on Hicks Street to Atlantic Avenue both sides of the street. This was to make way for the building of the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
Frankie and I went into the empty condemned house down the cellar and we started to strip the Mother load of coper and lead. We also took the window weights out of the wall to add some weight to the lead during the campfire melting process in order to get more money from the junk dealer. was filled it with rocks dirt and closed bolt heads. There
was some people in just about every part of the house to see if there was anything they could use, Ronnie and Junior were also stripping anything they could find. We took our load to the junkyard. Frank and I made $50 apiece that was just one house the advantage we had was Frankie's fathers pipe cutter. When we went to another house then! were a bunch of people in the house so we decided not take a chance on who they were- One weekend. No bro! then four of us went upstate we all sat in the back of the truck and froze our ass off. when we got there,
Al made us move some pritty big rocks. There was one that was a bolder that was 4 feet high What Al did to remove the bolder he started the fire around it then he had il burning for at least eight hours, When when the fire went out Al would hit the bolder with a sledge hammer the and the bolder broke in several pieces small enough so that we could carry them what great idea, We worked till noon we had lunch then the rest of the. day belonged to us the two brothers and the four of us went into the Ice cream pal1or in town. When we walked in the place, it was loaded with teenagers the place was a regular teenage hangout.
They had three ice cream parlors that we could hang out in. One of them was named, Swede the other was Ebbles cannot remember the name of the other one. Any way, we walked In some of us had our T-shirt sleeve rolled up so it could hold a pack of cigarettes. That we looked really cool. We got our ice cream and left no problem. Now some of the older guys Albee and Philly and his friend going to paid us a visit wearing they're motorcycle jacket boots and guns and belts full of bullets of bullets around their necks when they got up state they were going to pay us a visit but first they sipped some soda, At the ice-cream parlor, we had no idea what was going a the place that was full of teenagers. Then three of them went in pulled down the zipper on their Jackets like they were pulling out a gun. But much to everyone's surprise they reached in and pulled out a couple of 'Yo-Yo's it must have been a big relief to them that they were only yo-yos 1hey didn't kill anybody. Thats when they left for home without stopping to see us This was then told to us by Philly, who thought it was funny.
Alby was still laughing when we got Home. Meanwhile, Al made spaghetti and meatballs for us. The rule was if you worked you ate if you didn't work you do didn't eat. There was only one of us that did not work it was Nicky. He stayed outside and did not come in. After dinner we went outside and sat on the porch. Looking up at the sky, I have have never seen so many stars not like the city where there"s too much light.
Nicky and I went around the back of the house into the kitchen where there was a plate of spaghetti and meatballs on the counter. Nicky helped himself. He came from the back of the house then he joined us, Al said to him. I don't want you to go without food help, did you help yourself to that dish of meatballs? Then Nicky tells Mike with a laugh that already had it. Al said to him how did you like the meatballs? Were they good? Just so you know you know, they were made from - dog food. Nicky got sick to his stomach and through up. This was all planned by Al for any person who did not work that day. That's why Nicky got Dog food meatballs with spaghetti. Another weekend Al and his two sons went upstate. When they came home they brought back 10 chickens and a pony. So they built pretty big barn in the back yard for his chickens he also kept the pony in the barn that was a shit house. I could go on and on about our crazy adventures wit Al and his two sons upstate. We were so lucky to make it home alive.
I also remember a snowstorm we had one year. most of the stores were closed the bell and the Brooklyn Battery tunnel was closed too. There were snowball fights one side of the street against the other. Kids were building forts Since the belt and the Brooklyn Battery tunnel was dosed. I borrowed a sled from my cousin now there were three of us with sleds We went to the top of the belt parkway with on ours sleds and went and slid down into the battery tunnel: we slowed down about 10 feet into the tunnel. We did this one time it was too hard to walk up that hill. There was a tractor trailer stuck on the comer of Henry Street and Hamilton Avenue. The driver was nowhere in sight someone broke the lock and took boxes of A&P brand coffee beans and put some on my sled and went home. I was going to make another trip, but I changed my mind. We heard the police were asking neighbors do you know if they recognized anyone there was one place that I know of who roasted coffee beans he was on the comer of Henry Street and first place. He would not roast any coffee beans with the A&P label on the package. No one took a chance I'm sure the place was staked out people were putting the coffee beans in plain paper bags.
I waited two months before I took a chance.at 19 my cousin and I pushed up on the draft I was called first a week later my cousin was called. When I was on the carrel Street station there must have been at least 20guys who were also drafted a few of them. I went to grammar school with. After basic training most of those guys that wherein my bare and Tracks went to Germany then I went to West Point I went into the Army in 1957 and was discharged 1959.
These are some of my friends who went into the military, Bobby went into the Army; Gabe went into the Army Alex went into the Navy like his Father before him. Ernie went into the Army Mikey went into the Army, AJ at that time it was a cold war I believe it was in 1961 when the Vietnam war started Joey P was drafted and went to Vietnam when Joey came home my brother Anthony went to Vietnam thank GOD, they both came home in one piece.
Those involved in my story are Peter Di Mala and his brothers Nicky, Frank and Ronnie Baernard, John Ferrara, Sal Guarnaccio, Joe and Mikey Bello, John Passantino, Tom De Lucca, Amend Balzano, Peter Ferradino, Anthony Laface, Gabe Paluso, Mike Merendino and Alby, Butchie Caputo, Anthony Corrao (my Brother) and Frank Cornacchiulo, Joseph Demetrio, James Crupi, James Morales. Frankie was only one in our crowd who had a steady girlfriend. It was happenstance and luck That the 50s were indeed my good old days, you will never see a generation like ours ever again.
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