The Saint Gave My Mother 7 Sutton Place

He knew she needed a place to raise me. 7 Sutton has a view of the Triborough Bridge. I waved to all the tugboats. After some years they knew me and honked their horns back.

7 Sutton Place was right on the water and had a very small beach.

I was born at Lenox Hill Hospital (79th and Lexington Ave). I think it was then called Doctor’s Hospital back in 1947.

My father was French, did not speak English, never came to USA. Was a soldier mom encountered when she was a US Army Nurse (ambulance driver). Mom returned to NYC after the War. Dad got Legion of Honor and became a rated bridge player (contract bridge was big in the 1950’s in France). He always got a game anywhere in Europe. He made a lot of money playing that game. I saw it. 500 and 1000 Franc notes on the table. He had a nice apartment in Paris and a villa at Cap D’Antibes. I taught sailing in Cannes. Catamarans were rented from the pier in from of the Imperial Hotel. I taught people to sail them. I learned sailing at Camp Adirondack in Glen Burnie New York, on Lake George. I sailed to Fort Ticonderoga. In France I sailed many lakes near Annecy.

It was easy for me at Le Rosey because I spoke French and English, and was eager to learn Chemistry. I made high explosives, and got skilled at placing a detonating them. Later I was selected over two far better lawyers to represent a SEAL team. They wanted me because I knew what they did and how they did it. They took me along as an observer on some of their training missions. I became, by accident, way too informed about the Naval Magazine atop the mountain next to Cubi Point. I sort of wandered in. I was in uniform so I was not stopped or questioned. I saw 100 large quonset buildings filled with torpedos, bombs, and rockets. I served on a Guided Missile Cruiser. But most of my work in the Fleet was on Carriers, and I did some at the B.I.O.T. and some in Oman.