by Sarah Miley

STAFF WRITER

I have never lived in Tooele County before, and when I was hired at the Transcript-Bulletin I didn't have much knowledge of the county at all. Sure, when I was younger my family would camp in the area and I remember biking along the Pony Express Trail on one occasion, but other than that my experience was limited. Over the past seven months I've spent working here, however, I've started to unearth some personal connections to Tooele County.

Now, when I think of the county's rich history, I think of my grandpa.

My grandpa, Ed, immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1929. I remember him telling me stories of coming across the Atlantic on the SS St. Louis. He said it was quite a sight to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time. He loved America, which is perhaps why he joined the military.

My grandpa started out in the Navy and was a gunner's mate, first class. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. He survived the attack, and when he got out of the Navy and back into civilian life, he decided to join the Army and began work at the Tooele Army Depot. He started working there in 1963 and continued on for 16 years until he retired.

I often heard my grandfather reminiscing about his time spent there. At the depot he worked in optical instrumentation. His work sent him to Jordan and Greece to teach the military personnel there how to use optical instruments.

The depot also sent him to Vietnam during the war there to destroy U.S. firearms that were no longer being used, so the North Vietnamese couldn't use them. One day, he was trying to destroy a gun that without his knowledge still had ammunition in it. It exploded and shot shrapnel into his stomach. He had a 12-inch scar from that accident. My mother told me he would send cassette tapes home to let the family know how he was doing while in Vietnam. She said you could hear the bombs going off in the background over his bellowing voice.

Just as I do now, my grandfather commuted to Tooele. He rode with others who worked at the depot. They would meet at a small café in Salt Lake before setting off together around the Oquirrhs and into Tooele County. He said the parking lot was so big and would get so congested that at the end of the work day everybody would race each other to their cars in order to be first out of the lot.

My grandpa passed away in 2005. I wish I could ask my grandpa all the questions I have for him about his experience in Tooele. As I drive around town, I find myself wondering if he ever dropped a letter off at the post office or had business at the old courthouse. I imagine him looking at a largely empty Tooele Valley, and wondering what he'd think of all the growth the area has experienced in recent years. I wonder if he read the Transcript-Bulletin.

Even though my grandpa didn't live in the valley, and neither do I, we've both been able to enjoy its diverse beauty. And we've both had the opportunity to associate and work with the great people of Tooele County. If he was alive, I'm sure he'd agree with me that Tooele County is a good place to be.

swest@tooeletranscript.com