The head of the local Western Union office would contact the draft board who would start spreading the word to the neighborhood about a telegram that was going to be delivered that day.
The telegram was to notify a Tampa family of the death of their son killed in battle in Europe.
The neighbors were told to be ready for when the boy on the bicycle delivered the telegram to the family. When the news was given and the screams were heard the neighbors would all run to console the devastated family.
This was Tampa during World War II.
Dora Caltagirone lived on 15th where her street alone lost three native sons in the war. The staff car would drive slowly down the road creating fear and tension to all who saw. Mothers waited nervously for the bad news. They would breathe a sigh of relief when the car would pass their home but would hear the scream of another mother when the car stopped and the chaplain stepped out. The neighbors would always be ready to run and console the grieving family.
This was Tampa during World War II
Guido Maniscalco's World 