Ask Attorney
Ken Gross
about...

Your
Your
Legal
Financial
Issues
Issues

jews d

in
the

continued from page 24

“Their time overseas played a dominant role
in their lives. My parents’ reminiscences and
thoughtful discussion pervaded ‘dinner time’
conversation; and the values they had —
they were true examples of the Greatest
Generation.”

— Ilene Winckler, daughter

Don’t Make
this Mistake

:H·UHDSSURDFKLQJWKH$SULOWKWD[ÀOLQJ
deadline. No matter what your situation –
EH VXUH WR ÀOH \RXU UHWXUQ RQ WLPH RU ÀOH
an extension. Far too often, we see clients
who were short on the necessary cash to
SD\WKHLUWD[HVDQGDVDUHVXOWGLGQRWÀOH
their return or an extension. This happens
because of anxiety and the misplaced
WKRXJKWWKDW´LI,GRQ·WÀOHWKH\ZRQ WÀQG
me and won’t bill me.” This is a MAJOR
PLVWDNH  7KH IDLOXUH WR ÀOH \RXU UHWXUQ
penalty is 25% - and it accumulates at 5%
per month – so before you say, “Winter” –
you have increased your taxes by 25%. By
contrast, the late payment penalty, is ½ %
per month - continuing for a maximum of
50 months – that’s over 4 years – and totals
to far less than what you pay in interest on
your credit cards! Here’s the takeaway.
Non-payment of IRS taxes is not a major
problem. We can arrange payment terms so
there is simply no reason to increase your
WD[HV IRU IDLOLQJ WR ÀOH ² WKDW LV D ZDVWH
of your money! Also – when you don’t
ÀOH WKH ,56 ZLOO HQG XS ÀOLQJ IRU \RX ²
and that is called a “SFR” (Substitute for
Return). SFR’s are bad because you don’t
receive all of your deductions and worse
yet, while income taxes are dischargeable
in bankruptcy – they are not dischargeable
LIDQ6)5LVÀOHGIRU\RX%RWWRPOLQH²ÀOH
or extend by April 18th.

THAV GROSS has been solving

problems since 1982. Be sure to tune
in to Law and Reality – Sunday
mornings at 11 AM on TV20.

thavgross.com  lawandreality.com

30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025

26

April 6 • 2017

jn

Ethel and
Manuel with
daughters
Susan and
Ilene

each morning as the planes took
off in flight to scan the horizon
on their daily reconnaissance
missions.”
Her first task in Fiji was to
convert two warehouses into
surgical and medical units under
very primitive conditions. “The
operating room was partitioned
by blankets and used a special
generator for electrical power,”
she noted.
In her interview with
Brightwell, Ethel recalled the
day the first ship arrived with
an overwhelming 500 service-
men in need of medical atten-
tion. “These men were so young.
When you saw how badly
wounded some of them were,
you felt like they should still be
home with their mothers instead
of lying in the hospital.” Quite an
admission by a young woman
herself still three months shy of
her 21st birthday.

ROMANCE OVERSEAS

Ethel would endure three long
years overseas bearing witness
to the horrors of war. Her tour
of duty in Fiji was rewarded
by meeting the love of her
life, Manuel Grossman, in the
same unit. Their relationship
endured a bit of intrigue as Ethel
described in Michigan Jewish
History: “[Ours] was an under-
cover romance. He was a supply

sergeant and I was a commis-
sioned officer. By socializing, I
was violating the officers’ code
on fraternizing.” But, she added,
“Manuel went back to complete
training at officer’s school, thus
legitimizing our relationship.”
Returning home in 1945,
Ethel’s life remained anything
but conventional — and that
would include her wedding.
While traveling home on leave
from Oliver General Hospital in
Augusta, Ga., Ethel stopped for
a weekend visit to see Manuel,
stationed in Charleston, S.C. A
party at the officer’s club was
marking the closing of the hos-
pital where Manuel worked.
To Ethel’s surprise, Manuel’s
comrades had decided that dur-
ing the celebration “there [also]
should be a wedding.”
Preparations included the pair
securing a marriage license just
hours before their ceremony, a
hastily purchased green wedding
dress and the luck of finding a
Jewish chaplain. It culminated in
an impromptu wedding on Oct.
13, 1945 — a lasting memory
during their 49 years of mar-
riage.
Ethel and Manuel eventually
returned to Detroit, where they
would raise their two daughters
— Susan Gold Smith and Ilene
Winckler. Their upbringing by
two distinguished WWII vet-
erans would leave an indelible
mark on both their children.
“Their time overseas played
a dominant role in their lives,”
Ilene recalled fondly. “My
parents’ reminiscences and
thoughtful discussion pervaded
dinner time conversation; and
the values they had — they were
true examples of the Greatest
Generation.”
Susan recalls her mother
sharing intimate details about

her WWII experience such as
accounts from her time “in New
Zealand and India, her patients
on the wards and packages
received from home.”
Civilians Ethel and Manuel
Grossman continued to make
service to their country an inte-
gral part of their lives long after
their days of active duty. Manuel,
an attorney, worked as a proj-
ect administrator and systems
analyst for the Army Automotive
Tank Command in Warren.
Ethel would join him there as
an industrial nurse. It seems
working in the same “unit” had
become a tradition for these
two.
Manuel went on to serve as a
reservist for 25 years; obtaining
the rank of lieutenant colonel
and taking his family along on
his annual two-week summer
active duty stints.
Ethel became a member
of the Southfield Veterans’
Commission, working tirelessly
on the Veterans History Project
and women’s veterans issues.
Her efforts were recognized with
a special commendation in 2013.
Together Ethel and Manuel
attended numerous reunions
with members from their Fiji
unit; even sharing Thanksgiving
and Passover together.
Passover actually created one
of the more lasting memories for
Ethel while stationed in Fiji. As
told by Ethel in 1994 to Michigan
Jewish History:
“My only exposure to anything
Jewish was a seder on Fiji. A
Jewish chaplain on Fiji man-
aged to secure matzah, wine and
Haggadahs for a Passover obser-
vance for all Jewish personnel on
the island.”
A fitting memory for Ethel’s
children to cherish this holiday.
Sadly, Ethel’s sister Dorothy
Siedband, 88, of Wisconsin,
passed just nine days after
Ethel. Surviving sibling, Sylvia
Schneider, 85, lives in Maine.
Check irakaufman.com in late
April for details about a local
tribute honoring Ethel. Those
wishing to honor Ethel’s mem-
ory may contribute to Doctors
Without Borders at doctorswith-
out borders.org/donate. •

Watch Ethel Shilmover Grossman’s
Veterans History Project interview at
bit.ly/2odmSjK.

