monday's mulling: veterans' day

A story of a veteran, my father-in-law. 

Dad was the 7th out of 11 kids. He grew up in small town Ohio, played sports, excelled in Industrial Arts and working with his hands. He was 17 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He and three buddies were ready to enlist right then and there to "Fight the Japs," but his mom gave him a firm, "NO," and told him that he would  graduate high school before joining the military. After he turned 18 and graduated from high school, he joined the US Navy, eventually serving in the Pacific Theater.

After his military service, Dad came back to the States, married his sweetheart, worked for a lumber yard, a sporting goods business, went to college and got his teaching degree, and taught high school Industrial Arts. After retiring from teaching, he and a couple of his brothers had a home remodeling business. 

For a long time Dad didn't talk about his military service but slowly and surely he opened up. During his time in the Navy, he made a scrapbook with photos and captions and we are fortunate to have it. It gives a glimpse into 2 1/2 years of his young life. 

On November 11, 2017, Dad's hometown, Bloomdale, OH, (population 656) had a celebration to dedicate a memorial honoring its veterans. He was the oldest veteran in attendance and rode in the parade's escort car which was followed by an old fire truck, a police car, the high school marching band, a Marine corps honor guard, a patriotic semi-truck, and a stream of vintage cars, with a lunch afterward in the village community center. 

Veterans come from all walks of life, and they live in small towns and big cities, in red states and blue states.”  ~ John Delaney

Their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.”  ~ Daniel Webster