Local articles for the holiday and notes on my dad

[Omaha Steve]

Sent to my friends that are fans of the popular 60's TV show COMBAT!.


Midlanders flown to D.C. to see WWII memorial: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10340685

Rendezvous With Destiny: http://content.omaha.com/media/maps/video/soby/sobyfinal.html

I took mom in the rain to see dad Thursday. Dad left us 14 years ago this month. We trekked up the muddy hill. We put a new flag and flowers on his marker. 35th infantry, 25th division. Guadalcanal and Luzon. Came home on points before the bomb. Married mom after meeting her for the first time 10 days before. They met threw the mail when a soldier mom knew said "Johny doesn't get as much mail as the rest of us". Mom sent a dear John to her former guy in Europe. I wore a mock up of my dad's uniform and medals at RECON 2000. How he got the good conduct medal I'll never know. He stayed a private because he never wanted to be in the chain of command. He was so proud of his combat infantryman badge. His squad had to shoot and kill one of it's own. The buddy had lost his mind and was shooting everything including his own unit members. Dad was a sole survivor of his platoon when sent in to clear out a cave. He suffered with malaria and a short term disability after coming home. Watching COMBAT! was a rare exception to his not wanting to ever talk about the war. The forecast is more rain all through the holiday. I wish dad had better weather for his holiday. He earned it.

TOMMYGUN-OUT

[riverwalker]

1. Memorial Day

Today I am taking my 92 year old Dad to Fort Snelling to honor other Veterans in the family. My Dad is a WW2 Veteran, survived Utah beach to be captured on Halloween night 1944, and was a POW until July '45. If not captured he would have been at the Bulge.
His uncle came to America from Norway in 1909. His dream was to study agriculture, he worked his way through school until drafted by US Army into WW1 in 1918. He was sent to Europe and came back deaf and injured and had to leave school. Ended up a cook in a lumber camp and never married.
A cousin served in Vietnam and returned with a heroin addiction that eventually killed him.
We will bring flowers and flags today.

[midnight]

3. My uncle served in Vietnam as a gunner. He returned too.

Agent orange disease eventually killed him.

[midnight]

2. It sounds like his great principals of working for a better life have

been adopted by you. Enjoy your family this weekend.

[Omaha Steve]

4. The sun is out for now

The cemetery down the street was hit by a bad storm last night. Crews are on overtime cleaning up downed trees etc... Some of the crosses put up for the weekend were damaged too.