Thanksgiving Dinner with Joe DiMaggio My Great-Uncle George Konkel loved telling stories about his experiences during World War II. This was the one our family looked forward to hearing every Thanksgiving. George and his friend, Private Birdsong, had a holiday weekend free before they were scheduled to ship overseas after completing training in California. While walking through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, a large automobile pulled alongside them. The driver asked if they needed a ride. After they climbed in, he asked, “Would you boys like to come to my house for Thanksgiving dinner?” They gladly accepted. The driver took them to an elegant home not far away. Only after they arrived did he introduce himself—it was baseball legend Joe DiMaggio. George always described the house as magnificent. He said DiMaggio’s maid prepared a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, and the two young soldiers enjoyed a meal they never expected to have so far from home. After dinner, DiMaggio personally drove them back to their base. When they arrived, the other soldiers immediately recognized the famous New York Yankees star. Whether every detail is exactly as it happened or not, George never wavered in telling the story. It became a treasured family tradition, repeated around our Thanksgiving table year after year—a reminder of an act of generosity shown to two young soldiers on the eve of war.