17 years ago we lost dad, mom will walk up the hill to see him again tomorrow (I hope)

[Omaha Steve]

He died a month before Memorial day 94.

Dad didn't bring home any special medals.

His pride was his Combat Infantryman Badge:

He also got the Good Conduct Medal. Strange because he was known to throw a fist to avoid advancing in rank. He never wanted to be above PFC. Even corporals sometimes have to make who lives or who dies decisions.

Dad was drafted before the "Day That Will Live in Infamy". He saw action from Guadalcanal to Luzon. He was a member of the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Div. He left many good "buddies" behind. He never ever opened up on his experiences. One of the few stories I did learn was he was one of two or three in a platoon that cleared out a Japanese held cave that managed to survive.

Mom will be 87 in July. She is to sick to make the trip to see dad today. I hope she is well enough tomorrow. She hasn't been to the cemetery since I hurt my shoulder back in Dec. She has never driven a car. I want to surprise her by taking her to the portable "Wall That Heals" too. She could never make the trip to the real Nam Memorial in D.C. I haven't been to the traveling "Wall" to see Dennis in ages.


OS


http://www.omaha.com/article/20110527/NEWS02/705279837/0

Vietnam wall replica coming to Omaha

The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display near the entrance to Memorial Park from Sunday through June 5.

The 250-foot wall will include an information center and traveling museum. Onsite computers and volunteers will help visitors locate names on the wall. There is no admission fee.

Visitors also can participate in the National Call for Photos launched by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund to collect a photo for each person whose name is on the wall. A scanner will be set up at the information tent so family and friends can scan photos.



http://www.vvmf.org/twth

http://www.vvmf.org/userFiles/image/The%20Wall%20That%20Heals/TWTH_Apalachicola,FL(1).JPG


On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund unveiled a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities throughout the United States.

Bringing The Wall home to communities throughout our country allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings. The traveling exhibit, known as The Wall That Heals, allows the many thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with the prospect of facing The Wall to find the strength and courage to do so within their own communities, thus allowing the healing process to begin.

The Wall That Heals also features a Traveling Museum and Information Center, providing a comprehensive educational component to enrich and complete visitors' experiences. The Museum exhibits are based on the concepts being pursued in the Education Center at The Wall: putting faces to the more than 58,000 names on the Memorial, telling their stories and chronicling the Vietnam War and the creation of The Wall. The Information Center serves as a venue for people to learn about friends and loved ones lost in the war. Equipped with a scanner, the Information Center also allows visitors to upload photos and remembrances of loved ones on The Wall to VVMF's Virtual Wall. These photos and stories are being gathered for use in the Education Center as well.

Since its dedication, The Wall That Heals has visited more than 300 cities and towns throughout the nation, spreading the Memorial's healing legacy to millions. In addition to its U.S. tour stops, the exhibition made its first-ever international journey in April 1999 to the Four Provinces of Ireland to honor the Irish-born casualties of the Vietnam War and the Irish-Americans who served. It has also traveled to Canada.

For more information or to learn how to bring The Wall That Heals to your community, please contact Jason Cain at [phone] or via e-mail at [e-mail]. Download an application: pdf or word.

[cliffordu]

1. K&R. Memorial day isn't about Barbecue and Beer

Well, it IS, but that ain't the first thing it's about.

Hope your mom makes it tomorrow.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. What a good thing you're doing, my dear Omaha Steve...

I hope your mom can make it...

Inside my heart, I am thanking your dad for his service. I think he can hear me...

Recommended.

[GKirk]

3. I thought you were saying your mom was dieing...

...she's juct going to the cemetery, right?

[Omaha Steve]

4. Correct

Mom suffers from Fibromyalgia and other ailments. She had a break down a few months after dad died. She misses him as much today as she ever did.

[Frustratedlady]

5. I hope your mother can make the trip to the cemetery and that the weather is nice.

I wonder if future generations will decorate the graves. That used to be a huge day for my family. We would decorate the graves with irises, peonies and other spring flowers, then have a picnic with fried chicken and all the great salads, deviled eggs, cole slaw and homemade lemonade followed with homemade ice cream, cakes and pies.

In those days, I didn't know of one family that didn't honor the military and relatives. Now, my neighbor and I are about the only ones around the neighborhood that do it.

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone.

[malaise]

6. Hope she makes it tomorrow

but if not show her photos of your dad.

[roguevalley]

7. 4 years ago today my mother passed on. I am glad her pain is over but

I miss her. Celebrate them while they are here and ask them to tell you everything they can remember. Its your legacy.

Something odd by the way. :)

Yesterday, an OSHA gal came to the job site and began interviews over a simple thing. What was interesting is that her name, Bishop is the same as mine. And this is the weird part. Her Bishop ancestor came from Nova Scotia the same time as mine. We are actually distant cousins. In a world with 7 billion people what are the odds that a girl from NJ and one from Oregon with common ancestry from Nova Scotia should meet?

I sat at a desk and thought about it when the calculating machine began to tick away. No numbers, just blank space in the feed. When it paused I considered something. I said, "If that's you Grandpa Charles (my g. grandpa and sib to hers) make the calculator click three times."

It did. Then stopped.

I said, "Make it click three more times."

It did and stopped.

The world is a mysterious place. Many hugs and much mystery to you, Omaha Steve. They never leave us. They just transform.

[Omaha Steve]

8. Mom won't get there today

Weather sucks and she has a cold. I'm hoping tomorrow works.