Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

170 THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Jerald "Jerry" Glodek – Long
family history
I cannot remember a time that Fort Meade was not a part of
my life. My story begins at the Post Chapel where my parents
brought me to mass soon after I was born in 1952.
My dad, Joseph Glodek, fought in WWII in an armored unit
under the 96th Infantry Division as a Sherman tank driver
during the battles of Okinawa, Leyte and the Liberation of the
Philippine Islands. Returning to civilian life in 1946, he worked
as a mechanic at Fort Meade’s motor pool where he was called
“Little Joe” (Left) by his co-workers. My grandparents owned
a country store that catered to civilians and soldiers in Severn.
My dad met my mom working behind the counter of his
parent’s store. My mom, Joanne Miklasz, affectionately known
as “Chippy” (Below, Joanne Glodek on right at work at Fort
Meade) was the daughter of a Polish family that had a farm on
Disney Road. The store had some apartments attached, and I
remember a "Letter of Appreciation" from President Lyndon
Johnson that hung on a wall in the store. The letter thanked my
grandparents for providing “off-post housing” to soldiers at a
time when much of Odenton and Severn were still farm fields.