Memorial Day. Letter from my dad. Spain. 1937. « Fred Klonsky

Memorial Day. Letter from my dad. Spain. 1937. « Fred Klonsky:

Memorial Day. Letter from my dad. Spain. 1937.

by Fred Klonsky

March 15, 1938
Dear Mom, Pop and family,
This past Friday was my 19th birthday – and was I proud. I’m one of the youngest men up here – that is excluding the Spanish boys themselves. One feels very old when he sees children on 14 and 15 years going to the front lines to fight. And one feels very proud to be part of it all – I can’t really find the words suitable to describe the country. Spain is very rich in natural resources – especially agriculture. But the people – the poor Spanish people! One wonders what has kept the workers and peasants in ignorance and subjugation until now. The worst slum sections of New York are a paradise compared to the living quarters of the working people here. But those things are coming to and end! They have begun to realize that the labor and sweat that they have put into