[New post] The Older I Get, The More I Find I Want To Be Just Like Dad
donforrester1947 posted: " My dad was part of that generation who saved the world. Tom Brokaw defined it in his book as the "Greatest Generation" – that WWII generation where values, duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and above all, responsibil" Carpe Diem
My dad was part of that generation who saved the world. Tom Brokaw defined it in his book as the "Greatest Generation" – that WWII generation where values, duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and above all, responsibility for oneself, defined one's approach to life. That all set the precedent for who dad was and the values and courage he represented.
This is a picture of my Dad wearing his army uniform. I don't remember him looking like this. He looks very young. He almost looks like a kid.
One of the things I often noticed when the General and I went to visit Craig and his family when they were stationed at Camp Lejeune is how young the recruits who came for basic training looked. More often than not they could have been mistaken for high school students.
Dad really looked youthful as a newly enlisted soldier. Following the war, Dad opted to keep three mementos. They included a German helmet, a 1933 Standard Dress Dagger he took from a German who was being transported after being taken captive. The soldier was taking the knife out of his boot when Dad noticed him. He also kept a U.S. Army-issued overcoat. To my knowledge, Dad never wore the overcoat after his discharge from the army, but he also never opted to part with it.
At my insistence, my brother Larry took the overcoat after Dad was no longer on this side of eternity. As an older brother, I charged him with the responsibility to keep it for the remainder of his days since dad found it worthy of keeping. It was a selfish thing on my part for me to do. We didn't have the extra storage space to integrate it into our stuff. I stay in trouble with the General as it is because I'm reluctant to part with things that are too good to throw away but not good enough to keep. I feared Dad's overcoat would fall into that category.
Larry, reluctantly but amicably agreed to take the coat. I didn't want the responsibility of keeping the coat for the rest of my days, but at the same time, I thought we honored Dad by keeping it.
Karoni, dad's oldest granddaughter, has the German helmet and Craig, his oldest grandson, has the German dagger.
Craig is the reason I know the year and description of the dagger. He took it to an expert to learn about it and have it refurbished. It is a keepsake of Dad's that he will treasure for the rest of his days.
I think of Dad often. It is hard to believe the fifteen anniversary of his homegoing was last week. He died on June 10, 2007. I remember the day as though it was yesterday. I felt privileged to be with him when his time on earth was no more.
During my growing up years, Dad provided for our family, but he wanted more for me and my brothers than he had experienced for himself. He saw education as the key to a better future.
I don't know how he did it, but at one time there were three of us in college all at the same time. It made Dad feel good to provide for us with the college degree he never had for himself.
From a vocational perspective, I never wanted to be just like dad, but that may have been through his urging. As I said, he sacrificed to ensure our opportunities would be beyond his own.
It is a startling realization to know that dad was only eight years older than me when he went to be with the Lord. Now that I am approaching the closing chapters of my life, I find that what I want most is to be just like Dad.
My Dad represented strength and sacrificial commitment I have never known. The last fourteen months of his life were filled with one physical difficulty after another, but the overriding passion of his life had little relationship to himself. His primary goal was to take care of my Mother. He simply lived with a reliance on God that somehow the need would be met.
Dad refused to give up, retreat to bitterness, or fall prey to depression. He had the sense that God was with him every step of the way during the last chapters of his life, and he was a testimony to how faith can make a difference.
If I could attain the stamina and perseverance I saw in my Dad, I'd think of myself as finishing the course in the best possible way. It was a faith walk for Dad, and he never wavered. I can think of no more victorious way to cross the finish line to an eternal new beginning. I want to be just like Dad.
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