Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 561
Location: Belleview, Fl | Subject: A day of rememberance,
For a number of you today you remembered your friends whom have passed and some others that you have known, for me this weekend is always tough because I remember my hero's of my youth and those whom I have met in my career and in passing.. While some are now thinking of Roy Rogers and others I remember my family a family of hero's, a sweet dear friend to me yesterday asked me what was wrong and I told her that this weekend is painfull because when I grew up I was surrounded by hero's and I don't believe on any account no matter how much "chest candy" I have that I will ever be one.. Yesterday I attended the USS Scorpion Memorial in Norfolk, Va to honor the memory of those who's life was cut way too short and this morning I got up and made steak and eggs and hashbrowns in honour of my Grandfather who lived to tell the tale about his friends didn't return from the south pacific in WWII(he was a SeaBee) and my uncles (Mick and Joe) who were shot down in WWII(one in fighters over Germany and the other in a bomber in our around Japan, both spent a few years as POW's) sadly both have passed in the last few years. Today I hoisted a toast to my uncles who survived Korea one just barely, to my mom's dad whom I never met (US Navy WWII) sadly he passed in '70 in a plane crash, to my Grandpa Nimon who was a Pearl Harbor survivor who passed in the mid '80s of cancer, to my grandpa Ralph a P-51 Mustang Mechanic in Africa in WWII who passed in the early 90's.. I toasted another for my Uncle Art who was a Viet Nam era vet who passed last year in a hospice home, I toasted one for my pilots that have been shot down and not returned (one who's body was drug through the streets in Iraq) and one more to Nick Carmona who crashed his AH-64D in Savannah, Ga on a training mission. I toasted the memory of the men whom passed that I sent to the road alive in April '99 who were in a UH-60 crash at Ft. Campbell, Ky and to the ones that perished that fatefull day.. Today I toasted the memory of a former Master Sergeant of mine in the 101st who perished in the opening days of Iraqi Freedom to save the lives of others (one of whom is Jessica Lynch)... And yes I toasted the memory of my former students killed in Iraq who were killed in an IED attack, sadly I didn't find out about them until the following year when a friend of mine told me. To Bill Moore USMC ('68 Tet Offensive) I toasted you today hoping that you are still amongst us, To Bob Kramer (USN Signalman WWII) who took care of the damaged cars and snowmobiles of my youth sadly I missed yours and Shirley's funerals. And yes to the crews of the 52 submarines of WWII and the USS Scorpion and USS Thresher and to Joey Ashley you may be gone but you are not forgotten..
To those whom have touched my life know who you are and I say thank you. |
A day of rememberance,
