My dad has been gone almost 2 1/2 years now and I miss him so. He was great at sharing his life experiences, which I told him (respectfully, of course) at about 18 that I thought experience might only be helpful when they became my own. His heads up about what to expect and good ways to approach problems was helpful indeed though. He was a complex man--had a very positive nature and always happy. Always happy until the last few weeks of frustration over losing control of his health and his life. He was a little short tempered and grumpy then to everyone and just wanted to go home. Thankfully we were able to bring him home for the last few days which relaxed his mood and his fight a great deal. He (and his whole family) saw arguing as a fun sport that also built character. He often tried to bate me into political and other philosophical arguments until he finally realized it upset me instead of building character. Once he was made aware of that (by my step-mother), he never tried to get me to argue again. To observe him with his 2 brothers by a campfire arguing and laughing "up a storm" demonstrated that it really was fun to them. I learned a lot of practical things, such as lots of mathematical tricks and worldly facts. I also learned about character. He was a man of integrity, who was quick to reach out and help others. He always treated me with respect and showed true interest in things I had to say, therefore teaching me that I had worth and that I deserved to be treated as such by all men. He is why I was drawn to a man of wonderful character and integrity--my husband.
Now to the Memorial Day tribute part: My dad was on an LST in WWII. I gained a sense of the intense attachment that develops among comrades in arms. There were reunions every 2 years from the late 60's to mid 80's, when numbers able to travel dwindled. The LST being brought to Evansville was such a delight to my dad. He was one that greeted it from the river front when it arrived and on several returns from excursions. He visited it several times and would have loved to have been a tour guide had he been able. He delighted in taking me through and having "show and tell" all the way. He kept a log during WWII in the South Pacific, which I typed and sent to the LST committee chairman. I am currently trying to locate that on a drive somewhere to share here. It is interesting to see where the ship went during its tour. I recall one story he told of arriving on the beach of one South Pacific island to see several blonde haired blue eyed children standing on shore. Apparently some of the natives had learned a little English from former visitors and when asked where these fair children came from, the answer was, "the Dutch came and the Dutch went."
My dad worked on the fog machine (I think it was called) to help camouflage the ship a bit. He also worked in the engine room, which fed his love of engines and mechanics. (This led to his many years of building race cars that placed #1 at Haubstadt.) At one point, while being attacked all around by Japanese suicide planes, one went down in his sight right next to the ship. I recall the day I showed up to surprise him with my new car (Japanese made), and his response was, "you know these people tried to kill me?"
There are thousands of other stories of those who fought in the world wars and other conflicts to protect us and our freedoms. I honor my dad and all those who are both gone and still here for their service.
