I don't remember my father's birthday.
It's sometime in July.
I don't remember when My father died.
He was 29 years old.
I was less than six month old.
Jim Sullivan, Suldog, kinda inspired this post.
I posted a relatively terse comment to his Memorial Day post, attempting to keep from distracting from the original post.
It raised his curiosity.
My father.
He was drafted into the Army in 1942 and sent off for basic
training.
Evidently, when he came home on leave, my mother was fertile.
Then, not long after I was born he shipped out to India with the
Army Air Corps.
So he was an Air Force guy before there was an Air Force.
Then one foggy morning he and about 15 other guys were in a
converted B-25 that flew into a mountain someplace over the Ledo
Road on the way to China.
Sgt Willis O'Brien, Jr. was buried with all of the others at
Jefferson Barracks in 1947.
We never met.
I miss him anyway.
My grandmother was extremely happy I chose the Navy.
She wasn't happy at all to find out I could have been deferred
entirely.
I've been to visit twice.
Each time I forgot flowers.
I guess I will have to go again... maybe even on Memorial Day.
Anyway, I remember this holiday is for honoring those who've made the ultimate sacrifice.
We already have a day to honor those who are currently serving.
Armed Forces Day was last weekend.
We also have a day, in November, to honor those who've served and are still with us, Veterans Day.
I could go off here about how the politicians have screwed things up but today is not the time.
I commented, but... well, maybe I only thought I did. In any case, if this is a double feel free to delete one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sating my curiosity, Skip. And God bless.
Thanks, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI know all about those phantom comments.
I've made a bunch.
Thank you for telling your story.... and his story.
ReplyDeleteSkip, thanks for sharing that with us.
ReplyDelete