In remembrance of Dad.. all the fallen and all those who serve

[Peacetrain]

You are in my heart today..

To my two young family members in the National Guard right now.

You are in my heart today.

To all who have served, To all who have lost loved ones in service..

You are in my heart today..

Story about Dad.. a Democrat to the bone.. he was a FDR Democrat, but always said that Eleanor was one who really understood and worked the hardest for equality for all

He was in the CC Camps when he was a teenager.. and fought in WW2

He was so quiet about his service. Found out after he had died he had been injured three times.. like so many veterans..He kept much to himself.. truly deep waters

Dad was the one who first told me about Barack Obama..He was this crusty old Irish man and he saw the then Senator Obama speak about no red states and no blue states.

He called me and told me.. here is the man we need.. He loved Senator Obama.. and died four months before he was elected President. Never got to see him take the oath of office..

He saw in Barack Obama the man for the foxhole of politics.. the person we needed to have our backs.. and he was so right

So to all in DU who have served.. and all your family members
and friends of service members who serve now or have passed over.. I shared this story.. And I mean this with all my heart.. Thank you for everything you did..

[mia]

1. Thank you for this beautiful post.

Your father sounds like he was a wonderful man. Thanks to him and to all of those who have served.

[Peacetrain]

3. He was mia

Like most of us.. My true appreciation of all he did.. I really did not understand until he was gone..because after all he was Dad to me.. I miss him..

[JonathanRackham]

2. Ditto

Your dad and my uncle, near identical stories.

The greatest generation indeed.

My uncle survived the USS Arizona.

[Peacetrain]

5. I was talking to some one at the VA

after Dad passed.. and he said that the older vets did not share their stories as much.. because they came from a different reality and era.. I think it would have helped if they could have talked about their experiences more ,,, Keeping your Uncle in my thoughts today..

[SCantiGOP]

16. Same with my Dad

He merely saw WW2 as him doing his job, doing what was required of him.

I sure gave him enough grief when I was a teenager. Wish I could tell him how much I miss him.

[Peacetrain]

17. Yep me too

And I was a pain in nether regions myself.. Kind of embarrassed of him.. God what an idiot I was.. but that passed.. like all teens and young people.. those we thought were completely out of touch with reality.. are the ones we miss the most.. I miss my Dad also..

[CincyDem]

4. Wow - you hit close to home on this one.

As I spend my first Memorial Day without him I appreciate the day more than ever before.

Democrat to the bone. Check. Dad was Adlai Stevenson's driver during the '56 convention in Chicago and often talked about grabbing a smoke behind the bleachers of the International Amphitheater with Eleanor.

WW2. Check. Got sunk 3 times in the North Atlantic and spent D-day 1/4-1/2 mile off the coast making sure no bodies got pulled out into the current.

Quiet about his service. Check. Until he took an Honor Flight to DC and spent time at the WW2 memorial. Even got a chance to meet Bob Dole who was there coincidentally. He may be a republican but to the WW2 guys, he was a vet first.

BHO supporter: During his convention speech in 2004, Dad said without question "he's going to be president someday soon."

So this is my first Memorial Day without him. And our first election season without him. I can only imagine the conversations we could have given what this year has, and will likely continue, to looked like.

Thanks for posting this. It really hit home.

[Peacetrain]

6. Cincy...

I know how hard this first one is.. especially Thank you for sharing his story..

[CincyDem]

12. Ya know PT...

...I was just doing fine today minding my own business until I read your damn post! lol

Opened my eyes to why I was feeling so draggy today without being able to put my finger one. Thanks again.

[Peacetrain]

15. ........

[Peacetrain]

8. Let me add while I am thinking about it

I knew so many of the old vets.. they have all passed now.. but nearly to a person they had the same deep feeling for Barack Obama.. it was amazing

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. Rec. nt

[TexasProgresive]

9. Thank you for this story.

My Dad served in WW2 as a combat infantry man. He somehow made it from Normandy to wherever Pershing met the Soviets with out injury. He receive something from a non-human enemy, severe frostbite in the battle of the Bulge. Like your Dad mine never spoke about the awfulness of battle. He would tell stories about comical things that happened in the war, never about his combat experiences.

He, like your Dad was a life long Democrat. He was FDR's man through and through. While he didn't have to work in CC camps he milked the cows of the family's dairy. He never got to see Mr. Obama as a Senator much less as President, but I feel sure he would've been pleased. He was a remarkably unprejudiced man, although he did not have much use for people who were prejudiced.

I am in the middle of 5 generations of veterans. So thank you for your kind words to all of us. It has been 12 years and I miss Dad every day.

[Peacetrain]

11. Love tho story of your Dad so glad you shared it

They were just that way weren't they.. Dad told funny stories too.. but later did we know everything..And we are the same.. people in service generational..

[840high]

10. ....

[Bayard]

13. I SO miss my dad!

He served in WWII. He was actually stationed in Alaska, when the U.S. thought the enemy may invade from that direction. He learned to be a pool shark! And always wanted to go back to visit.

My grandfather was in WWI. He quietly recalled being waist deep in water in the trenches of the Argonne Forrest. I have a very cool sepia toned portrait of him in uniform.

To all those who served, past and present, in the military, we thank you. Not just today, but always.

[Peacetrain]

14. Awesome story Bayard!

I guess one of my uncles who was stationed in the South Pacific said that there were attacks on the West Coast.. I am not sure what happened..but yeah they had troops out looking for that

Love the pool story.. that is awesome.. kind of reminds me of the movie "The Russians are coming..The Russians are coming".. if you have not seen it .. do, and you will think of your Dad..

Argonne Forest.. wow.. you have quite the family history of service..