(With
Memorial Day coming up, I thought I’d share this personal story about my
father, who was a veteran. Let’s take a few minutes to think of those currently
in our military branches and all of
the veterans, who through the years have served to preserve, protect and defend
our country and our democracy.)
My father served
in the Army during World War II. He was stationed in Europe, was wounded, and
received a Purple Heart.
He never spoke of
his service. He died in 2009. And that’s all we ever knew about it.
Until now.
In sorting
through our parents’ attic, my sister and I discovered a small box filled with
mementos related to his experiences as a soldier
He was drafted
into the Army and assigned to the 4th Infantry. We found his draft
card.
Dog tags Wallet
There are photos and accounts of the experiences of the 4th
Infantry. In the margins at several points, my father had penciled notes of his
personal experiences.
And in the back of the book are pages and pages of photographs of the men who fought in the various companies. Many of them look like young kids. And the sheer numbers in just the 4th Infantry begin to bring home a sense of the unimaginable numbers of service people who fought in World War II.
Tucked inside the
book, was one clipping:
My dad and I were never close. Finding
these mementos, which were important enough for him to keep all these years,
has given me an intimate look at a side of him I never knew. I wish he could
have shared recollections of his war experiences with me.
In a way, I guess, he
has.
Have you
discovered a side of a parent you didn’t know about when you were growing up?
