^{Anchorage, Alaska, skyline.}

In 1952, my dad was recalled to active duty in the Navy and deployed to Japan in support of the Korean conflict. My 25-year-old pregnant mother, 3-year-old brother, and I, age 5, moved to Coronado, California. Several months after our arrival, the 1953 polio epidemic broke out. Public swimming pools were closed, and group social activities were canceled. (Sound familiar?)

Listen to 'Defining Moment' in the author's own voice and words.