Page 20 - War Brides

Annelee Woodstrom “ (Left) Quote from her book
Empty Chairs, 2007.
Annelee Woodstrom, Empty
I had been in America for several Chairs, Fargo 2007.
months now and homesickness
held me in its grip. I missed the
familiarity of friends and
acquaintances. I missed chatting
with them where and when we
met. I had met people here, but I
could never ask them,
"Remember how much fun we
had in school? Do you know
where Maria is? Did she marry
Annelee Woodstrom, a German war bride and retired teacher, still Hans? Is your brother still in
speaks widely as a witness to the effects of the war, february 2015. Russia?"
Courtesy of: Grand Forks Herald
We had no recall of each others'
Anneliese Solch explains these difficulties. She was born in 1926 in past because we had not shared
Germany. As a 9-year-old, she became aware of Adolf Hitler and it. Only Kenny had been with my
wanted to become part of his student youth league, but that changed family, only he had seen where
as World War II unfolded. After the war she met her husband, Kenny and how we lived.
Woodstrom, an American soldier. In 1947 she became an expat and Now I recalled how Mama in Annelee Woodstrom wrote
immigrated to Minnesota to marry him. Despite anti-German desperation had pleaded, the book Empty chairs about
sentiment in her new home and the language barrier, as Annelee did "Anneliese, you are not listening, her life in the U.S, 2007.
not speak English and Kenny did not speak German, she raised two and you don't envision what you Amazon
kids and attended university, to become a teacher. will have to cope with ....