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Two
Men Cross Paths |
As Ivan Clemmons looked over plants in the Wal-Mart garden center last January, he heard a sound so familiar it surprised him. Clemmons overheard the laughter of Wal-Mart employee Claude Birkett, 81.
Immediately, Clemmons, 76, said, the joy in Birkett's voice triggered memories of his time spent on the Caribbean island of Trinidad during World War II.
"It came right back to me," Clemmons said.
As the two began to reminiscence, they realized they had met briefly 56 years ago. Birkett came to the island from Barbados to work on the train system in 1942. A year earlier, Clemmons began his tour of duty in Trinidad. The then British-owned island was used as a docking point for British and American military ships.
The two had their meeting one day when Birkett was on his way to work. Birkett was riding in the back of a military vehicle driven by Clemmons. One of Clemmons' responsibilities was to check identification badges of the train workers.
As Clemmons began checking badges, Birkett looked frantically in his pockets for his. Coming up empty handed, Birkett said he knew he would be in a lot of trouble without the identification. When Clemmons rounded the corner of the vehicle, Birkett jumped out of the truck and ran off, leaving Clemmons yelling for him to come back.
Birkett said he has good memories of those times on Trinidad.
"We had a good time," Birkett said. "I wasn't worried about the war."
Clemmons, however, said it was different for him. He said he spent his 18 months on the island on patrol. He said, although he was not directly in combat during the war, his job was important because the island was a hub for the British and American military. It could have been attacked at any moment, he said.
Clemmons said his duties also included security for visiting officials, including then US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
"Our job was to make sure no one got close to her," he said.
Clemmons, a native of Moreland, said the hard work and being away from his girlfriend began to wear on him while he was on the island.
"I didn't want to be there, but I had to be," he said.
A homesick Clemmons left Trinidad in 1945 and returned to Texas. He married his girlfriend, Hazel, that same year in Liberty. He spent one more year serving in the military police at Fort Sam Houston until his discharge.
Clemmons moved from Houston to Baytown in 1961. He worked at the American Can Company in Houston for 34 years and raised four children with his wife. He retired from the company in 1982.
Birkett on the other hand, never found himself homesick for his home country of Barbados. In fact it was the military men and tourists visiting his island that made him want to live in the United States.
"I loved America," he said. "When we would see the tourists come to Barbados, it was always a good time."
Birkett continued his work on the train system for the Trinidad government until 1968. That year, Birkett, father of seven, moved to New York for a year, before returning to the island.
He made his final move to the United States in 1974, returning to New York where he worked with the port authority. When he retired in 1986, he decided to move to Baytown to live close to friends. He began working at Wal-Mar in 1988.
As Birkett recounted his travels, Clemmons said he was amazed by the fortune that the two met. Clemmons said he had not met or seen another man or woman from Trinidad since the time he spent there. He added that he is glad that Birkett made his way to the United States.
Now, Clemmons said, he has someone to discuss Trinidad with and that makes a point to visit with Birkett each time he goes to Wal-Mart.
(Reprinted from the Baytown Sun, Texas)