Jose el del barriu

zancañeru · Post by **zancañeru** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:56 pm

Nos años 40 y 50 joi facil que daquellos con disminucines psíquicas jacieran el serviciu militar. Los padres de Jose morrieren cuandu la guerra, elli tenia una hermana. Jose ganabase'l sustentu de criau pelos pueblos de Llanes.

It is not uncommon that people with learning disabilities were called to do the compulsory military service in the 1940s and 1950s. Jose's parentes died during the war, he had a sister though. Jose earned his living working for food and clothes in the small villages of Llanes.

Jose acuerdase dela so mili. Prestóy pola vida, nun tuviera que trabayar comu'n burru y mayaba pote mejorau. Nunca aprendio d'escribir, asina que nun pué dizinos enonde jezo la mili. Jézola per Castiella, por cómu discribe los campos y las xentes. N'aquellos tiempos la mili duraba comu dos años.

Jose still remembers his time in the Army. He liked it so much, he did not need to work so hard and could eat reasonably well. He never learnt how to write and read, so he could not tell us where he spent his years in the Army. He did his service in Castilla, according to how he described the countryside and the people. Recrutis were due to serve around two years in Army in those times.

Jose contónos comu al pocu d'enllegar un tiniente púsolu de guardia nun polvorín pela nuechi. '... y esti dixiame que si dalgunu viniere, quey diera'l altu asina. 'Alto!', y dempues glayaray 'Santo y seña!', y que si nun dixéralo y porfiara quey diera un tiru al aire d'avisu. Si nun parara, quey disparara, que nun me jacían daqué, que taba de guardia."

Jose told us how a few weeks after he arrived [to the garrison] a lieutenient ordered him to do night duty in an ammunition depot. '...and this [man] used to tell me that if someone comes, that I had to stop him like this. 'Stop!', and then I had to shout 'Password!", and if this one didn't say it and still wanted [to approach the depot], that I fired my gun to warm them. If this one didn't stop, then I had to shoot him, that nobody would punish me, as I was on duty."

Jose jezo su primera y cabera nuechi de guardia nel polvorín con un bocadillu de chorizu. 'Taba tan ricu, que nun ví a unu que vinía azorrau, ensin jacer ruidu. Púsemi nerviosu, cayóme'l fusil, díy un gritu, adiesparé al aire, peru esti que nun paraba'

Jose carried out his first and last night duty at the ammunition depot with the help of a chorizo's baguette. 'It was so delicious, I didn't see that one, it came like a fox, not making any noise. I was nervous, dropped my rifle, shout at it, fired a shoot, but this one didn't stop'

Jose cuntabalo con pena, que tuvo que day un tiru, y matalu. 'Diéronme otru bocadillu, y dixéronme que jora pa casa, p'Asturias, que nun me preocupara. La mili ya taba jecha'

Jose told us this story, he had to shoot this one and kill it. 'They gave me another baguetter, andn told me that I could go home, to Asturias, that I should not worry about finishing my whole two years. The service was done for me.'

Asina que Jose arrincó pa casa. Prestaríame haber visto la cara del campesinu cuandu las autoridades militares dixérany quey habían matau al burru por metese nel polvorin. Tamén ver la cara del teniente quey dió a Jose aquella guardia, y comu diba a explicayos a los auditores por qué tinían que pagar un burru nuevu al paisanu.

So Jose went home. I would like to have seen the face of the farmer, when the military authrorities had to inform him that his donkey had been killed for trespassing into the ammunition depot. Also, I would like to see the lieutenient who gave Jose that duty, how he explained the military auditors why they had to pay for a new donkey to the farmer.

Post by **Art** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:41 am

Wow. Is this a true story or a tall tale? I can imagine either!

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Vaya. ¿Es un historia de verdad o un cuento chino? ¡Puedo imaginar ambos!

zancañeru · Post by **zancañeru** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:23 am

I can't say whether it's true or not. But I would give Jose the benefit of the doubt. He says that it took months to return home. As he couldn't read nor speak Castellano, he got lost. He spent some weeks in a Basque-speaking province, probably Alava (Araba), begging to get some money to return to Asturias.

He found another Asturian ex-recruit who took him to the train station and paid him a ticket to Llanes. But Jose jumped into the wrong train and ended up in the border with France!

Nun digo que quicias seya una velurdia. Calesquier yo dieray'l beneficiu la duda. Elli dizia que llevóy meses topar pa casa. Comu nun sabia lleer nin jablar castellan, perdióse. Tevo dalgunas selmanas nuna provincia de jabla vasconcia, quicias Araba, pidiendo perras pa dir p'Asturias.

Alcontró otru quintu asturianu que llevólu pala estación del tren y pagóy un billete a Llanes. Peru Jose metióse nel tren que nun era y topóse na frontera con Francia!

Post by **Art** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 5:53 am

I once had a friend who would tell amazing stories like these about himself. These are priceless! I'm glad you're recording them.

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Una vez tenía un amigo que contaba historias increíbles de su vida. Estos son inestimable. Me encanta que estás recordandolos.

Berodia · Post by **Berodia** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 6:02 pm

Cuando hizo mi padre la mili (¡casi cuatro años!), en los Pirineos, había uno que hizo muy poco tiempo. Resulta que lo pusieron a hacer guardia por la noche, después de haberle explicado que tenía que gritar ¡ALTO! tres veces si veía a alguien, y luego, si el intruso no contestaba, disparar.
Aquella noche, un oficial decidió probar al recluta y se presento delante del cuartel.
El buen hombre gritó ¡ALTO TRES VECES! y disparó...

El oficial solo tuvo un rasguño y al recluta lo mandaron a casa por inútil.

Un saludo.

Post by **Art** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:32 am

Aye, con razón hay tantos muertos por fuego amigo.

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Oh, boy. No wonder there are so many "friendly"fire deaths.