In memory of the many hundreds of veterans who made this world a safer place to be I am writing this to insure that the one most revered by me is mentioned. On a cold snowy morning in 1945 my mommy dressed me in a new sailor suit trimmed in red. I was two! We ate breakfast with my grand parents, and after I had my hands washed up, and the butter wiped off my chin mommy said, “yes, you can wait for your dad on the porch.”
He was supposed to arrive early. A lite snow was falling, the sky was cloudy, and still very dark for a little boy two. Dad did arrive after three or four trips inside, and a cup or two of hot chocolate. I was so thrilled. Dad was a handsome man, of course for a boy of two he was tall. Mommy said he was good looking. Stories were told, hugs were given, gifts exchanged, it was Christmas time. Then, daddy went back to the war. Everybody cried, like I am now. It was two whole years later, half of my life time then, that my grand paw, and some uncles built my mommy a house across the road from grand paws. There was a knock on the door. The young Army officer standing there said he had a letter from the President of the United States. My mommy broke down, and after a spell, received the envelope and the salute from the young officer. Before she was seated to open it, it was covered in tears. 66 years later the tears stream down my face as I recall this vivid memory. The next memory was the twenty one gun salute fired over my fathers grave. Be good to our veterans coming home!
JMC
