Monday, May 27, 2013

2013 Memorial Day thoughts...

My Dad fought on the front lines in WWII, which included action in the famous battle of the bulge. He was one of three GI's from his original platoon that made it home alive. Growing up, he never thought of himself as a hero and believed that the idea of fighting for God and country were only pondered from the safety of one's lazyboy long after the war was over. Scared kid that he was, jumping from foxhole to foxhole and dodging mortar shells, all he ever wanted was to make it through another day and get home to his Mom, Dad, and his bride to be, my Mom. He never spoke of the war, until toward the end of his life when the stories that he had kept inside for so long came pouring out. Many made me cry and marvel not only at his courage during the war, but for the 50 years he kept them inside and went about trying to live a "normal" life following such horror. I think he would have said "Amen" to this article by Derek Flood. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/veteran-suicides_b_2134685.html
 
Also, on this Memorial Day, remembering Erik Rudziak. He was my kind hearted, big, next door neighbor in Carlisle, Pa., when I was a kid. He played high school football and took the time to play backyard football with a little shaver like me when I was 7 or 8. I will never forget the day we received word that he was killed in Vietnam. It was January of 1969 and he never saw his 20th birthday. Rest in peace, buddy, you are not forgotten. We will meet again one fine day.

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