His whole life my dad hated standing in lines. He wouldn’t do it at Disneyworld, not at a cafeteria, not at a movie theater. In looking at this index of his photos from the time he and his buddies were readying to leave the war continent, they didn’t accomplish much or move very far in this week-plus of time. They deserved a break, for sure, but knowing what awaited them on the other side of the ocean must have been an agonizing delay. The open ocean ahead and the destroyed city in the rearview mirror is a perfect memory of that time. (See Le Havre today here and here.)

Coastline at Le Havre.

Bernard McKenzie, June 27, 1945

The coastline at Le Havre, France.

Bernard McKenzie, June 27, 1945

A U.S. barge carrying army rations. Le Havre coastline in background.

Bernard McKenzie, June 27, 1945

A harbor view of war torn Le Havre, France.

Bernard McKenzie, June 27, 1945