The War Years — George C. Zidbeck

Book 1 of the Kid Scorpion Trilogy told the story of Gus Bach takenfrom N.Y. at age three to Panama in 1907. His mother died when hewas ten; he fared poorly in school; tried to runaway when 15; anddropped out of school at age 16 to sail the seven seas One conflictedadventure follows another even after he married a young Panamanian lady.The couple has three children.Book 2 picks up where Gus returned to the American Canal Zone in 1939with his family following a three months cross country vacation to the U.S.By the time of Pearl Harbor, Gus' psychology changed. He seemed driven todirectly enter the war, more so as his drinking eroded his family structure.Crises became the norm. With the marriage close to destruction, Gus appliedto enter the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Upon his graduation in early1945, Gus saw limited action in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. He brieflyreconnected with his family In Riverside County, CA while on leave after atour in the Atlantic.During that short visit he and Rose discussed relocating to the coast afterwar's end. Also, Gus arranged a going away party in which his brother-inlawconsumed far too much alcohol. (In a similar fashion Gus inebriated thebother-in-law's father in Iowa during the Bach's cross country vacation in1939.) Consequently, when Gus again left the family in June of 1945 for hisnext naval assignment, the future sat uncertain for him and his wife. Theparents, along with their children, will have to wait for WW2 to end beforetrying to make the coastal move a reality.