Everyone have a good Memorial Day

[Barryh]

We also need to remember the leaders of our great nation, and pray that they are just as honarable as our young men and women that they send into harms way.

A men to that....

 

[pajoube]

My dad shot down a P-38... well, not really... the story goes like this...

He was on some island in the south pacific, extending a runway. There was a swamp at the end of the existing runway. Dad was, among other things, a demolitions officer. So his commanding officer tells him to blast the swamp. Dad consults his field manual, and it tells him to put one stick of dynamite every so many feet, a couple feet down. He does, pushes the plunger, and the swamp burps some mud into the air and falls right back where it came from. His C.O. tells him to halve the space between holes and do it again. He does, pushes the plunger and the swamp burps again. So the C.O. tells him to halve the space once more AND double the dynamite. He asks the "Are you sure about that?" question, gets chewed out for asking, and follows orders. He pushes the plunger, the swamp vaporizes and a huge chunk of coral flies through the air and smashes a P-38 parked on the other side of the air field. His buddies painted a P-38 on the side of his jeep.

Dad went on to finish college after the war interrupted it, become an architect, painted watercolors, studied archeology, astronomy and geology, become a construction specifications writer, build his own home and raise 5 kids with my mom. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, volunteered his time at the church and school, worked with the Campfire Girls (I had sisters) and the Boy Scouts, and took care of his mom in her old age, while he had (unknowingly) cancer. He fought that battle with courage and dignity, and refused to give in until the very end. If ever there was a role model for me to follow, he was it.

David,

Thanks for the note on your father. You are the product of that great up-bringing.
PJ

 

[MossRoad]

David,

Thanks for the note on your father. You are the product of that great up-bringing.
PJ

Yeah, I am fortunate. Mom was a biology teacher out of college, but switched to art. So not only did she know what things looked like on the outside, she knew what they looked like on the inside, too. Between her and dad it was kind of like growing up in a science and history school where you had to illustrate all of your assignments! We had art collections, book collections, rock and mineral collections, fossil collections, telescopes, star charts, Egyptian stuff and plants all over the place. Plus, dad liked to blow stuff up.... picture Gomez Adams without the cigar. It was interesting growing up in that house, to say the least.

 

[MossRoad]

I thought of all you folks here on TBN when I was taking my flag down Monday evening. Hope everyone had a good, reflective weekend.

 

[NJBill]

Thank you all for your thoughts, wishes and gratification, Naturally I add
my prayers and wishes to all who are serving their country, in whatever capacity they have been assigned, and to their families and loved ones.

My World War II time was spent partially in England, during most of the heavy bombing, those were very interesting times, to watch those people go about their daily lives as though nothing had happened the nights before !!
I ended my days of that period with a West African Regiment in India and Burma, another step in my education of people under pressure. Although I am not a U S veteran, I was a member of a Royal Artillery, Anti Aircraft Regiment. God bless you all.