An American Hero

My grandfather

In honor of Memorial Day, I thought I would write a little post about my grandfather, Papa. Papa was a US Marine who fought in World War II. He passed away about 10 years ago, but before he did, he had the forethought to record his wartime experiences on audio cassette so that we would always know his story. Several years ago, my dad went back through Papa's tapes and transcribed them. He also did a great amount of research for pictures and background information about the places and people Papa mentioned. Dad then assembled it all onto a website for anyone who was interested to read. If you are looking to read the story of a real-life American hero, you can read my grandfather's story here.

Papa had told me one story about his experience, which I have always remembered. One day at Guadalcanal, he was working in a foxhole when bombs hit on either side of where he was. He was not hit, but the bombs pushed dirt into the foxhole, essentially burying him alive. Thankfully he was dug out by other soldiers and was alright, but was sent to the field hospital, where he was offered sleeping pills to get him through the night. He refused the pills because he wanted to be alert in case anything happened. Later that night, he had an uneasy feeling so he left his hospital bed and went to a dugout that was used for an air raid shelter. Then, the Japanese began bombing the area again. When the attack subsided, Papa went back to his hospital bed, only to find that a piece of shrapnel had pierced directly through his bunk, straight down to the dirt below it. How lucky that he was not there! I'm so thankful for his uneasy feeling!

Papa's Oral History of Service is divided into two parts. Part I discusses his first tour of duty, and includes the story I told above. Part II discusses his second tour, and includes many more interesting tales, including his marriage to my grandmother! If you're in the mood for a patriotic tale this Memorial Day, it really is a good read.

My grandparents (on the right) on their wedding day

In addition to being a soldier, my grandfather was a great man. He was quiet and reserved, but in a way that you knew he loved you without him having to say it. Many of my great childhood memories are thanks to Papa. For example, he loved to fish and took me fishing for the first time when I was a young girl. He caught a catfish on his line, but let me reel it in so that I could say I caught it (it was too big for me though, so I still needed his help!). I was so proud of that fish I caught! It sat in a bucket in our backyard for quite some time, if I remember correctly, because I couldn't bear to part with it but we didn't really know what to do with it. Papa also built dollhouses for each of his granddaughters when we were young, and my dollhouse was one of my most favorite toys. I can't wait to pass it on to my own daughter someday. Also, Papa loved to garden, and every spring he would come help me plant a garden in our backyard. We planted tomatoes, sunflowers, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, pumpkins, watermelon, lettuce, and on and on. That was always a great summer tradition - picking fresh vegetables from the garden, thanks to Papa's help.

Baby me with Papa and Grandma

So, today on Memorial Day, I am thinking of Papa. Thank you, Papa, both for your service to our country and you devotion to your family. Thank you for giving me those memories. I love you!