My American Experience: A Patriot’s Untold Story

By Mentone Resident Thomas Hayes

Everyone has a story. Sometimes few people, even those close to you, know the story. That was the case with Andrew Wilfred Abram, Sr. (my Uncle Andy). Born in 1920 in Pittsburgh, he was a humble, working-class man — a union carpenter living the American dream of settling down and having a family and a modest home. Like many people in a skilled trade, his work progressed to various positions in commercial construction projects, such as hospitals, schools, and churches, but he also suffered through economic downturns during a recession. Personal hurdles pervaded his life at home with the suicide of his wife, in addition to his own health issues.

One day, I saw him working on his driveway without his shirt. I noticed a mass of scar tissue in the middle of his back. I learned later that he had fought for his life in successful treatment of stage three melanoma.

But it wasn’t until I attended his funeral that I learned the full untold story of Uncle Andy. An unspoken part of his life unfolded in the memorial photographic display at the service. There he was in his full military dress uniform. He’d served as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Other photos showed him in the P-47 Thunderbolt he flew combat missions in while stationed in England. Young, strong, and brave. This was a part of him I hadn’t known and that he’d chosen to keep close.

Andy returned home after his military service and resumed his work as a carpenter and estimator until he retired. He was vastly more than the hardworking tradesman most knew him to be, but according to his only son, he never liked to talk about his military service. This isn’t uncommon among veterans. Their stories of courageous struggle on behalf of their country are often held close and go unshared.

You never know what a person’s story might be. Uncle Andy’s is the story of a true American patriot.