Another Memorial Day is almost over. The vast majority of people remember this day in simple ways. A bowed head, a whispered pray...moments of silence that count in the eyes of God.
Those of us who have been lucky enough not to be touched by war can only imagine what it feels like to be in one.
Down through the years, I've had many a conversation with older generations who have participated in war. What I have been told is not a pretty tale, they are stories of bravery, stupidity, comradery and tactical brilliance.
My Greek grandfather was a doughboy in World War One, "the war to end all wars". If only it had been true. He had only been in America a short time before enlisting to defend his new country. He did so with pride. Thank God, he returned in one piece and went on to produce children - which I'm thankful for or I wouldn't be.
Papoo's two sons joined the navy during the second World War. Both of my uncles survived. Uncle Billy had a nervous breakdown, due to working on the ships that came back from Hawaii. He was stationed in Norfolk, his hometown. In later years, both of them would just say it was something that they had to do.
My own father was a Marine. He started out in the Asian theatre. His story is different from most. All his life he had been involved with horses and racing. He was stationed in Hawaii on the island of Maui...well, they raise horses there too. One of the hot-shot generals found out about my Dad and wanted him to be a jockey for his racehorse. You know, sometimes just sometimes, the fates are very fickle.
My Dad was removed from his unit, and did what the general wanted done. Raced his horse. On one such race the leather girth under the horse split, causing the saddle to slide and my Dad was thrown off the horse while it was running at top speed. Landing from such a fall would be bad enough, but the old horse parks used to have these wooden/metal spikes set around the track on the inside lane. My dad's head landed directly on one.
They thought he was going to die. Then, as now, it was a case of uh-oh cover up the dirt for the general. Dad was placed in a hospital to recover. While this was going on his whole unit was shipped out. They were headed to the worst fighting of the war...the small islands. Now, the ironic twist to this story is that almost all his friends were killed. Dad was trained as a machine gunner, they were given less than five minutes to live in a fight. So a horse, a crooked general and Hawaiian humidity saved his life.
There is more to his story but that will be for another day.
Now, my father-in-law Jim was amazing in his war experiences. He was with the European front for a while and then also in the middle east. He was an expert marksman and won the army's rifle medal. They had engaged the Germans in a battle somewhere in Italy. Unfortunately his unit was over-run and captured. Jim was placed in an Italian prisoner of war camp. Well, being a stubborn New York kind of guy, sitting there didn't sit well with Jim. He and another prisoner escaped, they managed to commandeer a motorbike with a sidecar. They were being chased, his friend was speeding as fast as he could. They came to a spot where a train was coming across and his friend tried to make it across. He didn't. Somehow Jim was thrown from the sidecar, quite bruised but in one piece. The train hit the motorbike and his friend was gone in an instant. Within minutes the Italians had Jim back in custody and back in prison.
He was told he had one strike against him. It was decided that he would be sent to a camp in Germany. He decided to try again and did. Joe has his Dad's prisoner of war tags showing the stalag that he eventually wound up in. I hold that small piece of metal in my hand and I know that he must have suffered much during that time.
That was the spirit of the American soldier...never give up, never say die and don't let them see you sweat.
Jim never told his stories easily. My husband was amazed that his Dad would speak to me about his experiences.
To all our past, present and future soldiers. I salute your courage, your compassion and your unending bravery.
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