A Veterans Day Tribute to a WWII Veteran
When I think of Veterans Day I always think of my daddy. He was and is my definition of the word ‘veteran.’ When he was a young man, barely 20 years old, he, like many others, enlisted and left his home not knowing if he would return to his family. My daddy grew up in an agricultural setting in northeast Georgia and had never traveled more than a few miles from his home. I cannot imagine how overwhelming that was; but, I can imagine that my daddy, being the man he was, left without much emotion and set his face toward what he was expected to do.
Service
Daddy joined the Navy. He went to basic training and then boarded the U.S.S. Randolph to set sail into the Pacific theater and to the unknown that awaited. The U.S.S. Randolph was an aircraft carrier, a giant ship where jets would land and take off to do missions. My daddy worked in bringing planes up and taking them back down. He was out in the middle of the Pacific basically on a floating target. Being right in the middle of active conflict, he never knew if suddenly death would come from above or below. He only knew it was his duty to serve so that is what he did.
My daddy did come home from that war. He never wanted to talk very much about his experiences but it was clear that it changed him in profound ways. It was also obvious that he was very proud of having served his country in this way.
I bought him the WWII veteran cap pictured above for Christmas one year and I wondered if he would wear it. Before that, he wasn’t really the cap wearing type of man. To my surprise he wore that hat pretty much everywhere he went. When someone would comment to him, “Thank you for your service,” he would smile and reply, “Well, you’re plumb welcome.” I loved hearing it every single time.
Veterans Honor Flight
After giving him the cap and seeing how much he liked being recognized for his service I decided that there was something more that I needed to do to honor and recognize his service. I had seen Honor Flight groups on a trip to Washington, D.C. with my family a few years before. I started checking into how it worked. Amazingly, I found that there was an Honor Flight group in Conyers, GA, only a couple of hours away. After talking with a representative, it was soon all worked out that he would be able to go on the next flight. Only a few months later, he and my nephew, Matt, left in the early morning hours to head to Atlanta airport to visit D.C., the WWII Memorial, and other memorials with many other WWII veterans. It was an incredible trip for them. They were welcomed, applauded, greeted, thanked, and honored everywhere they went on the trip. All of which was truly merited and deserved.
This post is, of course, a tribute to my daddy. I am deeply thankful for his service and his part in keeping our country free. Also, I am thankful he went to do his duty and that he was blessed to be able to come back home.
In addition, I am writing this post to say, “Thank you for your service,” to all those who have served and all who serve. You deserve our thanks, our respect, our support, and so much more.
Thank You For Your Service
Since I gave my daddy that WWII Veterans cap and saw what it meant to him for people to recognize his service, I have also tried to give recognition and say thank you to the veterans I encounter. Some quietly nod, others say, “You’re welcome,” and others will talk with me a little bit. I have met some very fine people this way. It has helped me to see veterans as individuals, to feel personally connected to those who served and do serve. If you have not ever done this, then I recommend that you personally tell a veteran thank you. It just might make their day and yours too.
For Information About Honor Flight
If you have a veteran in your life who has served in the military at any time and would enjoy this trip with other veterans, or if you are interested in learning more about Honor Flight, or how you can donate to this organization, then click to visit their website, HonorFlight.org.
More Posts To Check Out
Be sure to check out this special Veterans Day post by Kristin about her grandfather. Much of it written by him years ago!
World War II: From a Veteran’s Perspective
Here are a few other posts you might also enjoy:
Five Ways to Focus on Gratitude
My Horses: A Lifelong Love That Brings Me Joy
My Grandmother’s Needlepoint – A Lasting Reminder of Her Love
You’ll Love Feeding the Birds and Making Sweet Memories
I am so thankful your Daddy was able to make that trip.
Heartfelt thanks to all our Vetrans and their families
Yes, thank you to all veterans and their families. We can never know the true extent of their service and sacrifice.
This is a beautiful tribute to our Daddy!! So proud of him for his service and for all who served!! So grateful he was able to make the honor flight!! We have wonderful memories!!
Thank you! We do have wonderful memories! I am thankful he was able to go on the flight as well!