In Memoriam

My  Dad was the first person I know of in my family who served in the military. He was drafted, was physically fit, and went into the Army. He was captured with his unit at Anzio and spent several years in a German POW camp at Braunschweig. He knew a little German, so he was the camp interpreter. It was a farm camp, they farmed potatoes, and were allowed into town weekly to trade potatoes for meat with the locals. He came home at the end of the war, my Mom drove to Texas to meet him, and that’s all I know about my Dad and his military service. He mustered out as a Corporal, and went back to banking in Milwaukee. I never could get him to talk much about his experience, but he brought home some trinkets, like his dog tags, a German canteen, and some maps showing where he’d been.

On this Memorial Day, I thought it fitting to recognize some people I knew in the military; those who went, and didn’t come home. First, my primary flight instructor, Lt Billy Ray, then squadron mates L.C. Knight, Chuck Pfaffman, and Senior Chief Wright, crashing a burning E2 on takeoff from the USS Coral Sea. Curt Cropper and his RIO, fighter friends next door on the boat, who unsuccessfully ejected at 600 kts from their hit and burning Phantom F4. Remembering the unnamed sailor I saw decapitated on the ship by a launched F4 and the Intelligence Office who one dark night fell out of the catwalk into the South China Sea.

There were those whose service had an effect on their lives, the Chief at Glenview who shot himself, my good friend Dave Miller, XO of the base, who hung himself, and Phil, the gentle, bird- loving area coordinator of NJROTC who took his own life. I know others have passed on, because they were elderly when I knew them 23 years ago. Some fellow NJROTC friends are also gone, Jim, Rick, Jerry and Denny. Thank you all for your service.  And those who I may have influenced to serve to protect our country deserve my special thanks: my son Daniel, and students Juan, Porfy, Javier and Andy. You all were and are the bravest, finest people I’ve known. You make me proud to know you! I remember you all today; let none of us take our freedom for granted!