My Father-in Law, "Doc", turned 87 last week. Still very healthy except for severe arthritis in the knees and his hearing is almost completely gone.
He served in the Navy in World War II, and his ship, the USS Colhoun, was sunk at Guadacanal. 
The USS Colhoun
The USS ColhounWhen the ship went down, there were 149 crewmen aboard. Fifty one were lost, and eighteen wounded, including my father-in-Law.
"Doc" doesn't talk about the war too much.
I talk about Doc Johnson and his service to our country not because anything he did was particularly special.
The singular thing that strikes me about Doc is his humility regarding his role.
He says, "I don't see anything special about what we did in the war, we were just doing our jobs".
That fact alone is perhaps what makes Doc Johnson and thousands of other veterans special indeed, and why we honor them on this day. Without the unquestioning willingness to do their duty, and the understanding of their responsibility, in spite of danger and overwhelming odds, The United States of America might not exist as the most powerful nation on earth.
And the fact that this country is the most powerful nation of Earth is a testament to the courage and the diligence of the humble American servicemen and women who we honor on this day, Veterans day.
I don't think we can say thank you nearly enough to all of them, but once again, Thank you, Veterans.
6 comments:
This link is to a site honor Medal of Honor recipients. It lists them all. How many such honorees can you name? Audie Murphy, I think Alvin York, then who...? I think such people who are heroes even heroes respect need more appreciation and acknowledgment by the general public. Admittedly, even with this site posted under my "Places of Interest" list at my blog, I don't spend enough time there learning of these special people. I DO know who Brett Favre is, or Kobe Bryant, or a ton of actors and entertainers. Not one of them stormed a machine gun nest to spare their comrades. It's humbling to read of these people and it's humbling to know of anyone who's seen combat at all. God bless those who defend our right to rant on blogs.
Veterans are just normal Americans who found themselves caught up in a bigger deal than some of their peers. Their excperience does sometimes give them a deeper understanding of how precious our freedoms are however...
Amen!
we were just doing our jobs
WOW!
What does one say in the presence of such an honorable man?
The HEROES of our Armed Forces are such humble people. As I wrote on DD2's blog...They ask for so little and get even less...
It is such a tragedy that so many people these days would never in a million years consider joining the military. It is an experience like no other. It gives people attitudes, insights and skills that will serve them the rest of their lives.
Tell your father-in-law thank you for me.
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