Citizenship

There was something else going on in the background during our years in St. Louis:

In 1956 there was a groundswell of opposition to the Soviet backed communist regime in Hungary. My father bought a "Zenith Trans-Oceanic" shortwave radio and I remember him sitting there in the evenings listening to Radio Free Europe and other communications related to the goings on.
In late October of 1956 the Hungarian people rose up and toppled the communist regime. And while the Soviets amassed a force at the borders and rolled into Hungary (crushing the rebellion) the U.S. government did nothing...
The U.S. has always contended that it did not encourage the Revolution and there were no promises of military aid, but anyone (like my father) who heard the actual broadcasts would contend that support was at least 'strongly implied' if not actually promised... My dad wasn't angry. He had a keen understanding of politics and completely sympathized with the desire to avoid yet another land war in Europe. But he was clearly disappointed...
Regardless, Eisenhower did (at least) allow tens of thousands of the refugees into the U.S. (beyond the existing immigration quota). And a number of those families ended up in St. Louis.

Even though I was only 3 years old I had a good grasp of what was happening. I had seen 'war' on television and I understood that war had forced some people to leave their homes and they were now coming to live in America - just as my parents had done 6 years earlier.
My parents worked actively with local charities sponsoring refugees. I remember going with my mom to look for apartments and used furniture. A lot of it was paid for out of our own pockets and the sacrifice was more than worth it... I still remember the tears of gratitude when those families arrived and discovered that (after everything they had been through) there was a furnished apartment stocked with a month's worth of groceries waiting for them (and a community willing to help). It was amazing to see their reactions - it made quite an impression on me... It was America at its best.

My parents became full citizens in 1958 (7 years after they immigrated). I remember how they studied and stressed over the citizenship test - and how happy and proud they were the day they went to the Federal courthouse to be sworn in as citizens. Heck - they were downright ecstatic! It really made me appreciate the things that so many Americans take for granted.

So, if any of my descendants ever wonder why there's an old Zenith radio among the 'family heirlooms', this is the story that explains it :-)