This Memorial Day is a memorable one for me.  It is the first Memorial Day I am not able to tell my dad in person how much I respect and honor him for his service in World War II.  He passed last July but I remember distinctly our last Memorial Day together.  Recovering from a hip injury in a rehab facility, I encouraged him to attend with me a Memorial Day celebration the center was sponsoring for patients who were Vets and their families.  He agreed very reluctantly (I had to bribe him with the prospect of the ice cream cones and watermelon that would be available).

As many veterans are, my dad was very humble and private when it came to tales of his service as a Machinist’s Mate, Third Class, USNR in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  Aside from immediate family, few knew that he was a World War II veteran.  He never liked to call attention to himself or his service.  Yet, the experience he had as a young man serving in the Navy from 1944-1946 was life changing. A history buff, he loved watching old World War II movies and documentaries.  I would often tease him that surely he must know how the movie ends by now, but he was fascinated by the stories about our greatest generation.

Last year, during the Memorial Day celebration, he shared stories of his experience which I had never heard before.  Out of curiosity, I would often query him about his time in the Navy but he rarely responded in any detail.  Clearly, wartime was difficult beyond words and his time in the Navy provided memories that were both significant and painful.  He lost friends to the War and his brother Chuck returned home after serving on the front lines without a leg and with shrapnel still lodged in his body.  

That’s why I am so grateful I had the opportunity to hear from my dad in his own words what serving on a Navy ship in World War II was really like.  From 1944 to 1946, my dad was stationed primarily in China and the South Pacific.    He shared how difficult it was for him and his Navy mates to see hordes of poor children and their families lining the dock waiting for the ship to pull in the hope they could get some food.  As the sailors departed the boat for leave the children would beg them for money or food.

He also talked about what it was like to face down unimaginably high waves as his Navy ship sailed through rough waters.  My dad admitted that more than once he questioned whether they would survive.  He talked about what it was like sharing cramped quarters with his mates and how the one thing he really craved was fresh milk which was unavailable on the ship.

Perhaps most surprising, my dad shared with me what must have been a terrifying experience for him.  Alone on deck, late at night, he happened to spot what appeared to be an underwater naval mine heading straight for the ship.  He immediately alerted his superiors who were able to quickly change course and avoid the bomb.  It was a close call.

Experiences like these are life changing.  My generation has been very fortunate not to have experienced a world war.  We can only imagine what it was like for young men and women of that time to have served in the Armed Forces, far away from home and often facing uncertainty, death and injury.  My dad can be counted among those in the greatest generation that ever lived.  His stories, like those of his wartime service peers, are truly among the most important ever told.

If there is a Veteran in your life, encourage him or her to share their stories with you.  They are some of the greatest stories ever to be told. 

Perhaps  President Harry  S. Truman said it best in a letter he sent my dad and other veterans:

“To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful Nation.  As one of the Nation’s finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform. Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace.”

Thanks Dad for your service.  Thanks, especially, for sharing your stories with me.  You’ll always be a hero to me.