At age 17, my grandfather went with his parents to the local recruiting office
\nand signed up for World War II
\nTo save his country, to save his family,
\nTo do the right thing.<\/p>\n
He wanted to be a pilot.
\nBut the Navy didn\u2019t need pilots, so he sailed away on a transport ship
\nDown the mighty Mississippi, through the Canal,
\nand into the endless blue of the Pacific
\nNot knowing whether he would ever see his family again,
\nThe family he intended to save.<\/p>\n
After the war ended, the much older 18-year old
\nSailed on LST 652 into a Japanese harbor, the first Allied ship to enter the port
\nafter the surrender
\nthe start of the occupation
\nWhite cloths tied to the greenery onshore waved in the sea breeze
\nA massive aircraft carrier was under construction but no longer needed
\nHundreds of Japanese sailors lined the edge of the ship in full dress uniform
\nwaiting for them
\nsilently
\nOn command, every man on the carrier bowed to the waist in unison
\nMy grandfather stood at the helm.<\/p>\n
Finally, he returned to his family in east Texas,
\nEarned a college degree,
\nMet and married the love of his life,
\nRaised my mother and uncle in Wichita Falls,
\nGot a good job at the air force base
\nand even got to fly a little.<\/p>\n
Years passed, and grandchildren appeared
\nHe and his wife built a big house so all of us could visit,
\nA warm house with heated blankets, delicious food, laughter,
\nand almost more love than you could handle
\nJerome Hines thundered \u201cThe Holy City\u201d through their hi-fi system at Christmastime
\nAnd taught me what a bass voice could sound like
\nMy grandfather retired while I was young,
\nSo he had plenty of time to take us out for roller skating, putt-putt golf, movies,
\nBowling, arcade games, underage driving lessons at the stadium,
\nand Japanese hibachi lunches
\nPlus they could drive down to see our recitals, plays, matches, and concerts
\nwhich was a treat once I began singing bass myself.<\/p>\n
We often sat at the kitchen table, the whole family, and talked for hours –
\nBooks, sports, war stories, history, politics, the goings-on of the family
\nPerhaps a bit odd for a shy kid like me,
\nBut if I talked, he listened like I was the most important person in the world\u2026
\nso maybe what little I had to say mattered more than I thought.<\/p>\n
My senior year in college, when I got my first real job offer, I called my mom
\nand then my grandparents \u2013 always both of them –
\nbecause they genuinely wanted to know.
\nThey had proven that my entire life.<\/p>\n
A few years later, they moved to Irving to be closer to my mom and uncle
\nand all of the grandkids
\nWe started getting married, raising our own kids.
\nWhen my wife went into labor with their first great-grandchild,
\nwe were at their house
\nThe house was different, but their kitchen table stayed the same
\nWe sat at that table and talked for hours over lunch \u2013
\nBooks, sports, war stories, history, politics, the goings-on of the family…
\nand flying
\nHe still listened like I was the most important person in the world.<\/p>\n
Next summer, my wife and teenage sons will cross the Pacific
\nAnd sail around Japan, nearly 80 years after my grandfather did
\nNot for war, but to enjoy the freedom that my grandfather won for us
\nas a teenage boy who wanted to do the right thing.
\nAs we pull into port, I\u2019ll remember him standing at the helm of his ship,
\nbarely older than my sons,
\ngiving thanks that the war was over, that he\u2019ll get to see his family again.
\nAs we sail, I\u2019ll give thanks as well
\nFor one of the greatest men I\u2019ve ever known
\nFor the James Michener recommendation
\nFor always sounding happy whenever I called or stopped by
\nFor waving to us until we drove out of sight
\nFor building us a fire on cold winter nights and letting us roast marshmallows
\nFor teaching us to never stop reading and learning
\nFor listening patiently without judgment
\nFor the amazing prayers
\nFor learning the Internet
\nFor being humble, patient, and diplomatic no matter what
\nFor loving Grandmother so well for their entire life together
\nFor loving all of us more than we\u2019ll ever know<\/p>\n
Tailwinds and clear skies, Granddaddy. You finally got your wings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At age 17, my grandfather went with his parents to the local recruiting office and signed up for World War II To save his country, to save his family, To do the right thing. He wanted to be a pilot. … Continue reading