This story starts in April of 1940 when my Grandparents got a divorce.
Now we all know that at this time this kind of thing was kept hush hush
and was just not right.
My father was crushed, he dropped out of school and joined the Navy.
He went to the great lakes and after about a year he had become a corpsman
and was sent to the wonderful city of San Diego. California.
Here was a guy at the beach in the sun having a damn good time.
Then the bombing of Pearl harbor happened.
Well one day while he and a few friends were playing cards in walks what
was described to me as a squared jawed guy in a strange green wool uniform
an announces you, you and you come with me you are now in the Marines!.
Well that started a 26 year journey through the South pacific with stops at
Guadalcanal,Peleliu and Okinawa.
Then after meeting my Dad only knowing him for three years he was gone again.
The year was 1950 and the Korean war was provide him a chance again to serve
with the 1st Marines and have the Chinese chase them down from the Chosen Reservoir
where I was told about making sure they did not leave any of their brothers behind.
Having to drag them behind in the snow like so many sleds in the snow.
Stories of keeping finger tips warm by leaving them in a wound a few seconds longer.
I lost he again in 1966 when he went to Viet Nam and missed my graduation from High
school, now this little thing was something he never got a chance to do.
In the year 1988 I sat by my Dad's bedside for about two weeks while he finally
had a chance to dump his guts and tell me everything a man of his past had been through.
It finally told me why my father for years would wake in the middle of the night
yelling I am Coming. I am Coming!.
Now years later I have my memories of him and two wooden foot lockers with his name on them.
Even though they must be very strong ,because I know where they have been, I will never
know how they could hold all the memories they must have held for him.
Attachment 24573