Today we celebrate Veterans Day, and it's one of my favorite days we observe each year.  A day that means more now to most than ever before, as events in the world have dictated over the past 20 years especially.  But veterans are amazing people, all with a story to tell. 

I will share this story only because it's the one I have.  But I want to be very clear, it is only out of pride on a special day like this. I am not saying it's "special", or "better than anyone else's," or comparing it to anyone who has been through the tough stories of war, especially with loss.  It's the story I have, and you are in my thoughts today.

My dad, Robert was a WWII Veteran as were his brothers Hank, Joe, and John. All gone now, but all saw significant action in WWII and all came home. Imagine thier parents, wondering if those boys were all going to come home - at all.  Not knowing where they were, and no real communication.  This kind of thing doesn't really happen anymore in that same way.

My dad gave up a full football scholarship to Duke University after being a three sport All-State athlete at Mansfield High School. He joined the U.S Army Air Corp as a tailgunner in a B-25 and was deployed to the South Pacific and later to occupied Japan after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  He flew over Hiroshima, and into Japan 3 days after the bomb, and was stationed there for about a year after the war was over.  He died of lung cancer at 53.  We think radiation. He was healthy and didn't smoke his whole life.

The Plane was very similar to this pic I took at the MAPS Air Museum (This is a B-26 I think)

This silk patch is from his flight jacket (on left 48 stars) -  It tells allies what to do with him in 7 different languages if he was shot down to get him home  (Yes, he is in those other pics from the Phillipines)

Hank was in Belgium during the war near ememy lines as a supply Seargent for bombers and fighters in the European Theater. He was there till the war was over.  He lived to be 87, after being married to Katherine for about 65 years.

Joe was in the Battle of the Bulge and D-Day.  His stories were amazing as he saw all there was to see in war.  He explained to me once, that there was a job to do, and they were there to do it.  He lived till the age of 95 and was married to Viola for 68 years.

John, was in Europe, but since he died when I was young, I know little of his story, but he too came home alive and well.

The dedication from these 4 was typical of the day, and or course today veterans show the same level of dedication we as non-veterans can't really relate to. But what we can do, is thank them daily in every way possible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to those who gave thiers, so the rest of us can have ours.  YOU are amazing as are your families.

Happy Veterans Day!

Thanks Dad, for everything....