HONOR
THE VETERANS WHO SACRIFICED FOR US
World War
II - North Africa (Dec 6, 1942)
My
daddy was a first generation American. He
enlisted in the Army on January 27, 1941. He was only 18 years old.
By December that year, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States joined in on World War II.
He was
so loyal, and so proud to serve his country.
He
taught me what it means to be an American. His
parents emigrated here from Poland. They insisted that he learn
English. They instilled in him a deep
faith and a strong work ethic. They
believed that if you came to this country and worked hard, you could live a good
life. My dad passed these ethics
down to his children.
My
dad was proud to be a WWII vet, in spite of having malaria eleven times; in spite of the scars on his soul.
Let's face it, war is hell. Especially
if you're in the trenches for four years.
When
he retired, my parents moved from New Jersey to Quitman, Texas. He was
Commander of the Wood County Disabled Veterans Chapter 158, a member and past
officer of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.
Every
year, he proudly marched in the Veterans Day parade in Wood County. In
an interview for the Wood County Democrat, Dad spoke of landing on
Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. "You just didn't know who saved
your life," he said. "The only way I made it was by stepping in
the footprints ahead of me one step at a time."
He
encouraged other veterans to join the veteran organizations. "We need
to still stand as one, together for this nation," he said. "We
are one country and we must stick together as one people. People have died
for that flag. We must never desecrate the flag or what it stands
for."
When
Dad passed away, we honored him with a military funeral, complete with the
21-gun salute.
My
nephew Zachary followed in his grandfather's footsteps. He joined the
Marines when he was 18, and served faithfully for five years. Grandpa is
so proud of you, Zack!
I
think Dad would be disappointed to see that the country he loved so much and
fought so hard for has abandoned its veterans.
Many are homeless. Many are
jobless. Many don't get the medical
care that they need. They are
suffering from the physical and psychological effects of bodily injuries as well
as exposure to toxins and dangerous chemicals.
They
fought for us. Now
it's up to us. We need to defend the
men and women who fought so valiantly to defend our freedom.
I
saw this article listing 14
ways to show your thanks to veterans.
Need
more ideas? Here are 100
ways to honor a veteran.
Perhaps
most important of all, we need to go beyond thanking or honoring
those who served. We need to help
them in more tangible ways.
I
liked #98 in the above list: Support veteran-based legislation.
Let's
be vocal. Let's help them get the
help they need.
May God bless America. And may God bless our veterans.
Thank you, Daddy.
connect
|