Due to the pandemic, I have spent much of my time either watching TV or catching up on reading. One book I read, When Duty Calls: A Tribute to Niagara’s Veterans of the Armed Forces, was written by Michelle Kratts. I had the privilege of meeting the author, and I told her of my uncle, Pvt. Joseph Risio, who was killed in France during WWII. I felt honored that she included him in the book.

While flipping through the pages, I also came across 1st Lt. Samuel Cale, whose parents lived on the same street as my parents. Lt. Cale was a bombardier on a B-24 and was shot down in Germany. He parachuted out and landed in a farm; he was captured and sent to a P.O.W. camp in Barth, Germany. During his imprisonment, he was unable to communicate with his family, leaving them to wonder whether he was alive or dead.

Here is the serendipitous part: I was going through old photos and found this picture of a St. Joseph’s table that Mr. and Mrs. Cale had set up for their son. As you can see above, Lt. Cale’s picture is at the front of the table. The date was March 19^th, 1945, many of their family and friends attended and my cousins and I were there too (we were dressed in sailor suits, I was second on the right).

Soon after, they received word that he was alive! There was an article in the Niagara Falls Gazette that reported his camp was liberated on June 22,1945.