Peter Bocker

PETER BOCKER
17 June 1925 – 10 September 2011
WWII Merchant Marine Veteran

Dad set sail on his final journey at 22:15 on 10 September in the arms of his wife of 58 years. He was born to Russian immigrant parents and was the youngest of 9 children raised in Brandon, Manitoba Province, Canada. Growing up in the 20’s and 30’s was already hard enough with the Depression in full swing and my father knew nothing but hardship and poverty. He was a maverick at a young age and as the saying goes “you can’t tame what was meant to be wild”. Like many young men of his, the greatest generation, the hard lessons of the Depression would send him on a path that would shape him for the rest of his life. He first left home in 1938 at age 13 and was sent to a boy’s home where he spent 13 months for truancy. After completing his “stay” in October 1939 he left for the frontier of Canada via the rails. He told us how the RCMP returned him home a couple of times only to leave again for the wilderness of Canada via the next available freight train. He also told us of leaving home with 15 cents in his pocket and losing 5 cents of that along the way. He worked as a ranch hand, cowboy, logger, and ultimately ended up in the Merchant Marine Service travelling the globe. He found kindness along this journey with folks wondering why such a young boy was out on his own and time for me has lost the rationale he gave as an answer. His first merchant ship was the Villanger, a Norwegian flagged vessel that departed Vancouver on 16 August 1941. We watched a movie recently, “Under Ten Flags” about a German raider.  It brought back vivid memories of where he was when that ship was operating in the Atlantic.  I specifically asked where he was during Pearl Harbor and he replied “Lorenzo Marques” in Portuguese East Africa.  He said about 90 of them were thrown in jail when a brawl broke out in a bar between German, Italian, and Norwegian crewmembers. In 1942 he left the Norwegian ship and joined a US Merchant Ship that set him on his path to becoming a US citizen on 24 February 1950. From 1942 to the close of the war our father participated in the invasion of North Africa, Murmansk run with Convoy JW.52 17th of January 1943 on the SS Gulfwing, Invasion of Normandy and then went to the west coast and joined up with a ship that participated in the Invasion of the Philippines.  In 1993 he went to the Washington Navy Yard where some US Merchant Marine files were kept and found his name among survivors of a kamikaze hit during the Invasion of the Philippines.  His memory of the war was vivid and the details phenomenal as he was very proud of his service during WWII. He spent 12 years at sea before coming ashore, marrying our mother “Connie” on 22 November 1952 and raising a family of four, Peter, Cathy, Bruce, and Dale. He rose from the ranks of ordinary seaman, to Port Agent to Senior Vice President in the National Maritime Union yet never completed any formal education above the 6th grade. He was very much a self-educated man rubbing elbows with many of the “movers and shakers of the 1960’s”. He was a true patriot who loved his adopted country and a staunch “Roosevelt” democrat. He was genuinely concerned with the plight of the everyday worker fully believing that unions were necessary to keep those workers from being exploited.  In the 1950’s someone tried burning down a hotel with him and another NMU member inside and he escaped from a second story window with nothing more that the clothes on his back.  Dad was an exceptional father figure but like every success story the woman behind him, our mother, was what kept him moving forward and seeking greater challenges.  His true successes were not just his service in WWII or as the member of one of the largest Maritime Unions but as a husband and father. Strong yet compassionate, never abusive and tolerated little nonsense from his children and their friends. He leaves behind an incredible legacy for 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren as well.  One of his grandchildren, “Nate” currently serving in the US Army with multiple combat tours under his belt sums it up beautifully;

“There are intangible gifts that a father and grandfather can give to his family, far greater than any physical empire, and many of these I am sure were passed on to him by his own ancestors; Drive and determination to overcome any obstacle that is thrown in the path; Making a life that one can be proud to call their own; Leaving footprints on almost every continent on this planet, cutting a path across time, backwards into the foundations of the world's history and forward into whatever future is made. Does this make him larger than life? Maybe to some, but I look at the history of our family and I see that is exactly who he, his fore bearers, and his children are. And I am proud to be tied in both blood and name to the Bocker legacy. It is a legacy of men and women who can be traced all the way back to the foundations of the western world, and will be traced all the way to the stars which once guided my grandfather's journeys at sea.

There is much of our family's history that is hidden to us. There are bits and pieces that we can gather together and see the faint traces of the path leading backwards in time. Somewhere in the Ukraine there are relatives that probably know a great deal more about our family history, and where we came from. Here on this continent, though, there are footprints that were made, which lead through some of the greatest events in the history of the world. There is the tale of a family moving from the Ukraine during a very troubled time in history. There is a story of a boy leaving home at a very young age and making a name for himself as a cowboy and ranch hand, a logger, and eventually a sailor. The same story is that of a husband, a father, and a grandfather. This is the story of someone who made some incredible sacrifices, took some unbelievable risks, and in doing so helped to shape the future for his children, grand children, and even great grand children. I know that as a young man, he was part of an effort that had a great deal to do with saving the world from great evil, and while the exact role he played is unknown, the effects of his work helped save a city and its people in Europe, countless refugees from North Africa, and much more. His children went on to play their own parts in the world, none of which were small roles, the effects of which will take the human race into the future.

Memory is the fuel that drives the future. It is the motivational force that allows us to look forward and backward at the same time, keeping us moving in the present. For a very large number of people, today is a reminder of horrific events which took place ten years ago. For myself, and my family, it is the end to the final chapter in the life of a great man; one of the greatest men I have ever known. The memories I have of my grandfather, and the rest of my family, are indeed the foundation of my own life. None of our family would be where they are today, without this foundation laid by my grandfather. Hours will be spent, many of which will be in our own minds, remembering the life and time shared with this great man. It is in his memory that we as a family and as individuals can face uncertain futures, unknown obstacles, and carve our own path in the world. In spite of great distances, we can and will come back together as a family, and tell stories to our children and grand children about gifts that were given to us, and in turn will be passed on to them. These gifts will take them and their children into the future as well. These are the memories I have of a great man, and this is the legacy I share with a great family. I love you all.”

Fair winds and following seas Dad, although you’re gone you will never be forgotten and will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

---