Entrance to Maple Hill Cemetery on Memorial Day
Today we remember those who serve(d) and sacrifice(d).
My father tried to get into every branch of service during WWII, but was unable to because of his congenital nystagmus. (If he had been, would he have married my mother? Would there have been a me?) He was accepted as a Civil Air Patrol Cadet at home.
My Uncle Mike, my mother’s brother, served in the Navy during WWII, and Mom’s great-uncle was killed in France during WWI.
My brother Bill was a member of the Air Force in the 1970’s and served in the States.
My husband’s Uncle Bob Ladd (Lt Col) served with the Air Force in World War II and Korea as a bombardier/navigator. He also served in Vietnam and the Pentagon.
Uncle Kenneth King served as a pharmacist’s mate aboard a Navy battleship in World War II. Because “loose lips sink ships,” he wrote that his ship had “as many guns as the Shumaker’s have kids.” That meant a dozen.
Cousin Harold died as a result of asphyxiation and burns suffered in an explosion on board his ship in 1954.
Great Uncle Irvin served in the Army in World War I, a member of the 91st Division. He was killed in France, the first young man in Eaton County, Michigan to die in the war–the battle of Meuse in September of 1918. He was a liaison, or runner, and the news arrived that he had “just delivered an important message to the officers in command at the extreme front and while there saw one of his intimate buddies killed and he at once picked up his rifle and began to fire into the Huns and while he was thus engaged, outside his line of duty, he was shot and instantly killed.”
His body did not arrive home until three years later, and a regulation military funeral took place on October 2, 1921. The wheel horses in the photo below were King horses, and the rest belonged to local farmers.
Our local American Legion Post 42 (Greenawalt-Flaherty) carries his name along with that of of Francis C. Flaherty, recipient of the Medal of Honor. He served aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor and died while helping crewmates escape.
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV)
Amazing Grace by LeAnn Rimes.
Still and remembering,
Sandy
Post harvested from the archives and updated
Andrew Jackson Duffield, my Grandfather (yea, he was named after that President) was a WW I vet who was gassed in France. My Mother’s Uncle, Walter Hughes, was a cook in Patton’s Army in WW II. And my Father In Law, Albert Beatty, served on a troop ship during the Korean War.
I’m grateful for their service and sacrifice. Thanks for coming by, Jeff.
Gassed in France? Was that WW I or WWII? 🙁
Thank you, Sandra! I have so much appreciation for all you share here. Many names come to mind of those we have known and served with as well. My husband was a Marine Corps officer who served in Vietnam. It can sometimes be forgotten by those who are enjoying this day what the origin of the day is about and was meant to remind us of. Fewer still would know it was instituted in 1868 following the Civil War. Blessings on you and yours who offered so much for this country.
Thanks, Pam, for sharing that tidbit of history. And thanks to your dear husband.
Giving thanks to these brave men in your family who payed the ultimate price for our freedoms. So glad you shared with us today, Sandy.
Blessings!
Thanks for remembering with me, Martha.
Just read this on my phone…a day late. What a moving tribute;so many memories. Thank you, Sandy.
We had so many friends who were in Vietnam. My husband never served. He didn’t pass the hearing (he has it selectively at home) or blood pressure readings. He said he was scared to death–that he’d never had high BP before or after. He was classified 4F. Together we watched news reports in the evenings. Just awful.