This book is a compilation of the stories William enjoyed and cherished over a lifetime, stories that are factual, somewhat factual, or just out and out tall tales. They recount his family's life during the depression era, the war years and the fabulous fifties and sixties. These stories mostly told by his father describes the trials and joys of growing up in the rural south. To some the descriptions will bring memories flooding back. To others it will present a definite human view of that time in history. We Didn't Know We Were Poor Until Somebody Told Us The Legacy of Growing Up in the South By William Lynn Smith AuthorHouse Copyright © 2013 William Lynn Smith All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4918-0977-8 Contents Prologue...................................................................viiIntroduction to my Daddy...................................................ixPart 1: The Depression Wasn't Always Depressing............................The Haunted Place..........................................................3The Mean Ol'Truck Driver...................................................8Mr. Andy's New Pickup Truck................................................13The Launching of Hebo......................................................17The Sour Mash Pit..........................................................21Part 2: From Western Valley to Normandy and Back...........................The Soldier's 23rd Psalm...................................................29Big'un.....................................................................30The GI at the Roller Rink..................................................36The General's Car..........................................................39Capn' Davey and the Tiger Tank.............................................43A Tank Makes a Terrible Blanket............................................49Lou and the Short Truck....................................................56Part 3: They Told Us We Were Poor But We Didn't Believe 'Em................The Wreck..................................................................65Your Emergency May Not Be My Emergency.....................................69Tall Tales from Short Stools...............................................73Mr. Henry's Fish Camp......................................................81Keary and the Monkey.......................................................87Jesse, Paw and the Computer................................................92The Mystery of the French Medal and PFC Smith..............................96Part 4: The Legacy Continues...............................................The Corvair and the Rock n' Roll Singer....................................103Incoming!!.................................................................106A Welcome Miracle Doesn't Always Have to be a Big One......................109Don't Even Let it Cross Yo' Mind...........................................111The Curious Buffalo........................................................113Taxi!......................................................................116Backwards and In High Heels................................................118The Encounter..............................................................122Epilogue...................................................................127 CHAPTER 1 The Haunted Place * * * As Dad and his brothers grew up along the bottoms and bluffsin west Tennessee they were like any other young people of thatera. There were no automobiles or parents with automobiles tocarry them places. If they wanted to go to a function of some sortthey either walked or rode a mule. Even though riding the mulesounds like a better option, taking care of him before, during andafter the trip definitely made it less attractive. Most of the timethey just walked. Timing was a real issue as well. To Paw, day light during the week,Monday through Saturday was for work. That left very few hoursin the day for visiting or going to town. So Dad and the other kidsbecame very adept at traveling in the evening and not staying toolate before heading home. There was a place however that even the stoutest spirit amongthem hated to go. It was over a bridge on the road betweenThree Points and Fulton. That bridge spanned a creek thatpassed through the old breast works, fortification trenches,at Fort Pillow. Fort Pillow was a fortification built on the bluffsoverlooking the Mississippi by the confederates during the civilwar. The confederates had built an extensive system of trenchesto protect the side away from the bluff. There were three horrific battles fought around the fort. The fortwas lost, taken back and lost again by the confederates. Duringthose battles and retreats, there were atrocities visited on bothsides by opposing forces. Close to the bridge I spoke of earlier in this account, there was ahospital built by the confederates. It was outside the confines ofthe fort to appar