To Remember

As luck would have it my husband was actually off Sunday. I wasn't confident this would happen as they recently had a few babies born that will require surgical care. And also because he was scheduled for Saturday and Monday of a holiday weekend which normally translates to him being asked to cover Sunday as well. Because he was off yesterday we decided to drive down to the lake to see the family for the day. They were all there to share Memorial Day weekend together.
As we drove home late last night I thought about what Memorial Day means to me. When I was younger I used to attend Memorial Day services at a local cemetery. They would often give a beautiful speech and then call out the names of those placed to rest there and their branch of service. No Memorial Day service touched me as much as the service I attended at the cemetery my grandpa is buried in. He was laid to rest in one of the national cemeteries in Oregon. Perhaps it was because it had only been a year since his passing but to see an entire cemetery covered in American flags at every head stone brings chills to ones arms. Or at least it did mine.
My grandpa was the type of man that could make a friend from a foe. He was quite the comedian and yet had a very serious side as well. He used to tell some of the best stories. I loved to sit around and listen to them knowing full well they likely were at least partially exaggerated. He was the type of person who could give you life advice that you knew was genuine, honest and impartial. He retired as Chief Petty Officer in the Navy with 20+ years of service in the CB's (also referred to as the SeaBees). In those years he received many awards and excellent evaluations. His highest honor was receiving the Bronze Star with a combat "V" for valor while in Korea (for those unfamiliar with the Bronze Star it is awarded to those for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone). He liked to occasionally throw in from time to time that despite all of those years since retirement, he could still always fit in his dress uniform. To which he was actually laid to rest in so many decades later. My grandpa was not killed in action, however, his non-Hodgkin lymphoma was suggested to have been caused by his direct exposure to agent orange during the Vietnam war.

And so this Memorial Day I honor his memory. He will always be one of my heroes. Besides his many years of service to our nation, he was an amazing human being.