Barbara Mikulski: “I had a Red Ryder wagon. Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Baltimore during World War II, my father had a…”

“I had a Red Ryder wagon. Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Baltimore during World War II, my father had a little neighborhood grocery store. And one of the ways the groceries got delivered was in this good old red wagon we had. I could use the wagon for a couple things. Dad would sometimes say: Barb, take the wagon down to Mrs. Smith or Yankowski or Coalino. It was a very ethnic neighborhood. They called in and ordered late. Run down those oranges and take the wagon. I loved that red wagon. I was also a Girl Scout during World War II. Dad would let me use the wagon to go around the neighborhood to collect newspapers because we were recycling a variety of things for the war effort. I felt like a little soldier on the move with my red wagon and my little Girl Scout uniform, along with other kids from the troop. I was the kid with the wagon. I loved that wagon. I loved that neighborhood so much because in that neighborhood there were men sent off to World War II, saving Western civilization, saving the world.”