Excerpts from Chapters of 2008 Blog Version of "Growing Up With G.I. Joe's"
Part I
Beginnings
In 1947, My dad, Edward Orkney, started his first war surplus store in Salem, Oregon, in partnership with another World War II Army Air Corps pilot.

Part II
Our HomeWe lived close to the Columbia River, which was about a half mile away, with the Interstate Bridge a few miles further away..

Part III
The Store and Neighborhood

 I believe G.I. Joe's was more than just a fun place. Looking back, the store represented a wave of the future for the Northwest...

Part IV
Store Growth and Family ChangeMy father, Edward Orkney’s main focus, from the time he left the Army Air Corps in 1945, was to build a business, and he did.

Part V
Edward Orkney’s Story

Another quality my father had was modesty. Bragging was not something he did. A simple statement of the facts was OK, but not drawing attention to oneself...