LIFE|FAMILY| GRIEF
How The US Army Destroyed My Father’s Life
He was a victim of the atomic bomb
The last place my 31-year-old father dreamed he’d wind up was in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He’d been living his best life running his namesake neighborhood grocery store.
After toiling for over 20 years and learning to be a master butcher, he opened his store in 1940. The Army blew a hole in his life during the World War (WWII). He believed he’d be exempt from service. He was over 30 and the only breadwinner for his widowed mother and sisters.
It was shocking to everyone when he received his draft letter. My dad never imagined he would wind up on the classified Manhattan Project.
No time for goodbyes
My father, Michael Dennis, was born to destitute Irish immigrants in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1911. When he was eight, my dad started working for a close family friend in the grocery business who mentored him.
After 8th grade, he ditched school to help fully support his family of former potato growers. His lack of formal education didn’t hinder his ability to work hard to provide for his family.
Before recovering from his draft notice, he learned he had only a few days to report to basic training. He…
