Festival International de Louisiane
Lafayette, Louisiana
March 4, 2011
Victor “Frenchie” Kilchrist, WWII Vet, Peanut Vendor, Raconteur
What are the chances that a 90 year old WWII veteran I buy a bag of fresh roasted peanuts from will begin telling me stories of Navy life then out of the blue say,
“One of my shipmate buddies is C.P. Casello, he lives in Watertown, Massachusetts.”
Whaaaaat? That’s my hometown - two time zones and a cultural light year from this street corner of Vermilion and Jefferson in Lafayette, Louisiana. I whip out my pad. I’ll have a bag of peanuts and a few stories, please.
“There were 21 men from Louisiana in a crew of 800 on the U.S.S.Tuscaloosa,” says Vic Kilchrist, “for some reason, one of the officers started calling me 'Frenchie' and that’s what it’s been since then.”
Vic "Frenchie" Kilchrist top R, his pal CP Casello, top L
It may not be much of a stretch to say Frenchie Kilchrist is a living civic monument. Every Mardi Gras, Festival International de Louisiane, and parade of any consequence, Frenchie and his nephew, and occasionally Frenchie’s wife, are planted on this corner.
Some people’s mouths water when they think of the distinct aroma and taste of the shuck and eat nut that often defines a visit to the circus, the ballpark, or a good ol’ fashioned parade. Frenchie can give you a dissertation on his gorgeous nickel-plated coffee roaster that he converted into a first rate peanut roasting machine.
But most of the customers who find their way to Frenchie’s corner want one more chance to see the spry, grey haired man wearing the grey jump suit, UL or AmVets baseball cap, and pearly white grin. “I don’t do this for the money. I’m here because I love being with people.” When the action gets busy, Frenchie’s in his element.
“Salted or plain?” Frenchie shouts as a customer slows down and lowers the car window. They’ve got to answer with a good shout, his hearing isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but he’s over there in a flash with the goods and a smile.
It’s no surprise that his prized machine is clean as a whistle, shipshape in every way. A few years in the Navy breeds that into a man. “I enlisted on January 8, 1941, and trained in Norfolk, Virginia. That’s the first time I ever saw snow!”
Eleven months later, he got stationed in Boston. “My first ship was the USS Tuscaloosa. It was what we used to call an oiler, a civilian cargo ship that had been converted to become an oil tanker. Our quarters were over the engine room. The tanker had a thick main deck. We used to shine that deck to the color of that coffee roaster. We used catsup, I have no idea who came up with that idea but we had plenty of catsup on board.”
“Later I was assigned to the USS Suwanee CVE, a small escort carrier.” When he was promoted to Flight Deck Crew Chief at age 21, he was one of the youngest Flight Crew Chiefs in the Navy. Two years later, he was a Chief Bo’suns Mate.
"It was known that the chiefs had the best mess on the ship, so all the officers wanted to eat with us. The chiefs had an initiation for every new chief. They’d slop all your food in a half cylinder that looked like a pig trough and laugh when they told you 'There's your first meal!' and watched you try to eat it."
“We were at Guadalcanal when we got F-6 fighters that were faster and got some TBM torpedo bombers. When we were doing invasions we slept in our clothes because we had to move the planes every three hours. We saw a lot of wrecks, the landing space was so small. And our ship was hit by two Kamikaze planes,” he adds matter of factly.
Frenchie lights up when he recalls his time at the Boston Navy Yard before being mustered out in 1946. “The USO offered us tickets to Fenway Park. I remember Dom DiMaggio and Bo Ferris, a big guy from Missouri, who was 25-3 that year and never threw more than 80 pitches.” I’m not sure of Frenchie’s facts but if the satisfied smile on his face is any indication, them’s the facts.
You don’t have to know much about actuarial tables to believe that some day Frenchie’s prize 1887 coffee roaster will be on that corner and Frenchie won’t. But I’ll tell you, when that time comes… men and women, boys and girls, will never pass that corner on a festive Lafayette weekend without making a silent salute of appreciation to Victor “Frenchie” Kilchrist, veteran, raconteur, and civic treasure.
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
Frenchie and his prized A.J. Deer Roaster #5 Manufactured in 1887; Frenchie and his wife and a photo opp with pt at large
ADDENDUM
A few facts about Vic "Frenchie" Kilchrist's ship, the USS Suwanee
After being converted to an escort aircraft carrier on July 16, 1941, the USS Suwanee saw action in Casablance, Morocco in 1942 where her aircraft flew 255 sorties.
She was ordered to the Pacific in January, 1943, serving seven months escorting transports and supply ships to Guadalcanal and other islands in the Solomon Islands chain. In late1943, USS Suwanee was part of the invasion of Tarawa in the Gllbert Islands.
In 1944, she was deployed in Saipan and Guam to provide air coverage and provided air support for the assault on several islands in the Marshall Islands and New Guinea. She was one of the few ships to sink submarines in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
In October 1944, the USS Suwanee was part of the task force in the Leyte Gulf. On October 25, she was hit by the first kamikaze air attack of WWII, and hit again on the following day. 227 men of the 1100 man crew died, hundreds more were injured.
She steamed to Puget Sound for repairs in November,1944 and returned to the Pacific in January 1945 to provide air support for the invasion of Okinawa and later attacked kamikaze bases in the East China Sea.
In her last action, she supported landings in Balikpapan, Borneo.
The USS Suwanee was placed on the inactive fleet in September 1945 after the Japanese surrender and was berthed in the Boston Naval Shipyard. She was decommissioned on January 8, 1947.
The USS Suwanee's 13 battle stars make it one of the most highly decorated warships in WWII. She set records for the number of days during battle conditions days in WWII.
Chief Bo'suns Mate Vic "Frenchie" Kilchrist was aboard the USS Suwanee for the duration. "We got hit by two kamikazes," he had said to me matter-of-factly. The number of killed and wounded on those two days was in the hundreds. He didn't say a word about that.
VIDEO
Sorry,Frenchie, my video skills are a bit rocky. I haven't learned how to hold my camera and scribble notes at same time, but...
Frenchie and his antique roaster
Frenchie recalls the Red Sox in 1946
Hi PT,
You are having a wonderful time. I can tell.
Posted by: Ann Baker | January 09, 2012 at 04:32 PM
Wonderful story........first time I have ever heard about Mr. Kilchrist. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: May Louise White | January 12, 2012 at 08:23 PM
Thanks, May Louise
Look for Vic "Frenchie" Kilchrist on corner of Vermilion and Jefferson at next MGras, or Festival International de Louisiane. Tell him I said hello!
I am in Chile, at little farm in Nogales 120 km north of Santiago, internet service intermittent but consistent interesting days of witnessing life on a small farm growing a navel orange crop for export and corn, cantaloupe, honeydew, cauliflower, brocolli for local market. The cantaloupe we had for dessert yesterday came right from the field, the most fresh produce I ever ate!
Posted by: Paul A. Tamburello, Jr aka pt at large | January 15, 2012 at 06:27 AM
Quite the roaster! Bet that one will go down as a priceless monument. Noticed that Frenchie loves to tell the tall tales but doesn't respond to your comments.
Cute. I know a man like him in Alabama....loves to talk but isn't much of a listener...but I don't care because his stories are so unique and whatever I
say pales in comparison....not that yours do. Have you ever consider competing with H. Housner? I love your stuff Ms. B.
Posted by: Carole Blossom | January 27, 2012 at 09:12 PM
I guess the reason it sounds like he doesnt listen is that I ask him so msny questions.He's great fun to talk to. As I said, there arent many WWII vets left so I really prize being in "Frenchie"'s company.
Posted by: Paul Tamburello | January 27, 2012 at 09:15 PM
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing about Vic, or as he is called at my house, Grandpa. I am married to his youngest daughter Mary ( she financed the second roaster, " because you know your mam, she's going to b$&@?").
You would need to spend weeks with Vic to hear all his stories. He still comes up with new ones every once in a while that he just never bother to tell. A lot like my dad who was a vet of the European theatre. One day we were watching a show about one of the meetings between the allied powers and he blurts out "yeh, I met that guy", he was referring to FDR. Interesting story, but he will have to tell you.
Thanks again, your articles have meant a great deal to "Frenchie's" family.
Sincerely,
Rich "the peanut in-law" Jones
Posted by: Richard Jones | April 18, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Men like Frenchie and your dad are the salt of the earth. They're walking, talking history books, but very personal, the kind that puts history into the perspective of the men who lived it - it's powerful stuff.And we're lucky to have them still with us.
I just wrote a follow up to my first story you can find here
http://ptatlarge.typepad.com/ptatlarge/2012/02/victor-frenchie-kilchrist-wwii-vet-peanut-vendor-raconteur-part-2.html#comments
Thanks for writing, Richard. I'll be in Lafayette for Festival International de Louisiane and look forward to seeing Frenchie on the corner of Vermilion and Jefferson. Maybe you'll be there, too!
Posted by: Paul A. Tamburello, Jr. aka pt at large | April 18, 2012 at 10:32 PM
Second time around better than the 1st. That "Frenchie" is quite the guy and at 90 years
old almost as original as his peanut machine. I love it ! A lot of information here.....a history lesson most interesting. I sure hope I am in as good shape as "Frenchie" when I'm 90. But my stories would pale in comparison to "Frenchies" and I have no peanut machine.....so? Well, I could tell some stories about PT at Large and meeting him in Louisiana and all the wonderful stories he told. How about that?
Looking forward to hearing your stories from the Festival International de Louisiane next week. I was invited to attend, but need to save up for the trip to France in May. Maybe next year. I know you will have a great time in the hot town, baby :)
Posted by: Carole Blossom | December 20, 2016 at 06:28 PM