Why do a Life Story?
In the summer of 2012 I visited my hometown in Iowa to catch up with my family. While there my sisters asked if I would talk to our father about how he wanted things handled on his death. For some reason they thought I could approach the topic delicately even though nothing in my past points to diplomacy as an inherent strength. Personally I think they were just too nervous to ask. Anyway, donning my most subtle air I walked up to him and asked, "Hey dad, when you croak, how to you want things taken care of?" I always liked a direct approach. Not surprisingly my dad had already put together the information packet that my birthplace's culture seems to require. One of the items was a life story, pieces of which would appear in the local newspaper for his obituary. This particular portion interested me as I envisioned a bunch of stories similar to those my dad told me at those times when farming activity was less hectic.

I especially recalled a few tales from my dad's military service. My father had been drafted into the Navy near the end of WWII and after basic training the "recruits" where given random assignments. Forming a single file line the person in front of my dad and the one directly behind him were assigned to the USS Indianapolis, a heavy cruiser. He was attached to the USS Samar, a repair ship. What makes this bit of trivia interesting is that the USS Indianapolis holds a place in history due to the circumstances of her sinking. The ship's demise led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy.
On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb to be used in combat to the United States air base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, sinking in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 900 men faced exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks as they waited for assistance while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a plane on routine patrol. Only 317 sailors survived. Indianapolis was the last major U.S. Navy ship sunk by enemy action in World War II.
On 30 July 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb to be used in combat to the United States air base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, sinking in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 900 men faced exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks as they waited for assistance while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a plane on routine patrol. Only 317 sailors survived. Indianapolis was the last major U.S. Navy ship sunk by enemy action in World War II.

So having dodged a bullet (or in this case a torpedo), he tells how his ship stood up the Yangtze River in late September 1945 and moored to buoys in the Hwangpu River off Shanghai on 1 October. Knowing the locals penchant for cigarettes he decided to purchase a bunch of cartons at the ship's commissary, load up a rowboat and skip ship to sell them on shore. Returning to his berth with sufficient profit to finance his next poker game he began to realize the stupidity of his escapade. Having gone AWOL he could easily have been killed for his cargo and no one would ever know what had happened to him. He says he wised up after that. Now that's a story.
Hoping to get more of this type of yarn I was very disappointed to read two hand-written pages starting born..., married..., farmed... etc. Very boring. I asked him, "Where's all the good stuff, like the time in China when you broke curfew to sell some cigarettes?" He said that he had written it just for the local gazette and didn't think to write such detail since who would want to read it anyway. Well hell, I want to read it. I thought, here is a whole life with lots of stories and feelings and it should be told. That started me on the journey to discover how one goes about documenting another's life experiences.
Hoping to get more of this type of yarn I was very disappointed to read two hand-written pages starting born..., married..., farmed... etc. Very boring. I asked him, "Where's all the good stuff, like the time in China when you broke curfew to sell some cigarettes?" He said that he had written it just for the local gazette and didn't think to write such detail since who would want to read it anyway. Well hell, I want to read it. I thought, here is a whole life with lots of stories and feelings and it should be told. That started me on the journey to discover how one goes about documenting another's life experiences.
Ian Kath to the Rescue
With a little research I discovered a bloke named Ian Kath who had devoted a significant amount of time to solving the very question I was asking. His website createyourlifestory.com is superb and deserves not only your review but your financial support. I have attached his free ebook Recording Life Stories to get you started.

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