tank, tank, tank
Like activating a Jaja shield?
My Jaja grew up in 1930s New York City during the Great Depression. When telling us (his grandchildren) stories of this period in his life, Jaja simplified events and hardships, packaged them in a way that we understood, and celebrated resourcefulness and humor. Most stories involved his younger brother “Bip” and other Polish kids in his neighborhood. (Jaja often made a point to mention when someone was Polish.) We loved his stories. We wanted to be resourceful too, like Jaja, and we were proud to be Polish like him and Baba.
Polish to his core, Jaja especially enjoyed poking fun at Pole stereotypes1 using jokes. My child brain didn’t understand most of the jokes. Even simple jokes were puzzling, like How many Poles does it take to screw in a light bulb?2
Jaja didn’t talk about the war, yet we knew he served in the U.S. Army during World War II from a framed photo of him in uniform. Sometimes we would nap with a blanket that the family called Jaja’s Army blanket, and I would imagine Jaja in his crisp, clean Army uniform warmed by the same blanket.
Presumably, Jaja learned some of his Polish jokes while in the Army. One that puzzled me since childhood was told like this:
Jaja: Heard the story about the soldier who didn’t get a gun in Army training?
Me: No.
Well, the Army prioritized sending rifles to the front where the soldiers were fighting the Nazis. The Army teacher distributed rifles to the men but ran out before he reached the Polish soldier at the end of the line.
The Polish soldier didn’t get a gun?
No, but the teacher gave the Polish soldier a broomstick so he wasn’t empty-handed. During target practice, the soldier was told to pretend the broomstick was a gun. He held the broomstick to his shoulder just so and said “bang, bang, bang.”
The Polish soldier was very brave. Later, when sent into war, he still only had a broomstick! He aimed his broomstick at the Nazis and said “bang, bang, bang” and the enemy fell down dead. The other soldiers cheered and cheered at the Polish soldier and his broomstick!
Then what happened?
The brave Pole was with other soldiers shooting from a hole in the ground for safety. They saw a REALLY BIG enemy soldier crawling very fast toward them and none of the rifles could stop him. What could they do, the guns weren’t stopping him?
The Polish soldier wasn’t afraid. He pointed his broomstick and said the words “bang, bang, bang.” Nothing happened. He tried again, saying the words louder, but the enemy didn’t die. That big enemy soldier crawled right over top of their heads and that’s when they heard what he was repeating: “Tank. Tank. Tank.”
Me: ?
All the grownups laughed and laughed. I didn’t get it.3 Even now, the joke is not funny. Why has this story repeatedly come into my mind for months?
Does it reinforce the strength of setting an intention and acting as if the intention has already been made real?
In an earlier post, I mentioned my safety mantra: “I am safe. I am safe. I am safe.” The mantra activates my safety senses. I believe in my safety plus I know that my attuned senses will alert me when necessary.
I am safe. I am safe. I am safe.
Tank. Tank. Tank.
I wonder, in rough situations, if trying the Tank Tank Tank intention will give me the sense of wearing armor / having an invisible layer of protection. Like activating a Jaja shield?
Jaja Shield. The words ring true with a hint of irony. My Jaja, who served in World War II from D-Day until the war in Europe ended, was an unarmed medic. He did not carry a gun. If anyone can protect me using loving kindness and grit, Jaja can.
I feel a warm, inviting calm. I visualize the Jaja Army blanket and let the tears flow. I get it now: the joke repeating in my mind for months is connected to the deep unease that I feel in the United States right now. My subconscious, in an attempt to help me sort through my feelings, connected the dots and brought me comfort from my kind and gentle grandfather.
I love you, Jaja. I miss you. And I am grateful.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER (I’m sincere about this, please read): The jokes mentioned in this post are in no way intended to disparage people of Polish, German or any other heritage. My intent in sharing is to characterize my Polish Jaja’s playful way of poking fun at Polish stereotypes and to process “out loud” the Jaja joke that has been burrowing in my head for too long.
Answer to Jaja’s joke: It takes two to screw in a light bulb: one to hold the bulb and the other to turn the ladder.
I suppose I was being too literal. In my mind: (a) Bullets do not shoot from broomsticks, and speaking “bang, bang, bang” would not make it so. (b) Polish jokes usually involve a Polish person being silly. But the broomstick technique worked, so isn’t the Polish soldier the smart one in the story? (c) If the crawling soldier was German, why was he saying “tank, tank, tank” in English?
P.S. I’m not alone in learning this joke from a family member who served in the Army. An online search for “broomstick gun and bang bang bang” returned several variations. Jaja’s version appears to be the only one that has Polish flair.