I was a little hesitant to post this at first. I know that most of you prefer the "cliff notes". However, for those that have and do serve, there are no shortcuts. And likewise to properly set the tone of what I am sharing here, I must ramble a little.
My grandfather did not share many details about the "big one" with me. Like so many others who enlisted, he seemed to take the attitude that they were just doing what had to be done. It was not for future glory but rather for doing their best to preserve this country's values for future generations. My grandfather has been gone for six years now and the older I get, the more I wish I had more time with his insight. Unfortunately his Alzheimer's condition seemed to take him away from us even long before then. As President Reagan said it best, it was a "long goodbye". While helping my grandmother clean out the garage a few months ago I was taken back by the amount of his personal belongings that had collected years of dust upon them. Many things seemed as if they had not been picked up or moved since long before his passing. In doing so, I discovered a treasure trove of insight to his life that I had long been missing. Thankfully, with proper storage I will be able to save most of what I have found from further deterioration.
Most of the content that you find about WWII describes the carnage and destruction. This deteriorating memo I found in my grandfather's belongings describes in detail a glimpse into another side of the war front not so frequently covered. It may not be the most eloquent document; but, I feel that its insight is more important to share on this "day of infamy".
My grandfather did not share many details about the "big one" with me. Like so many others who enlisted, he seemed to take the attitude that they were just doing what had to be done. It was not for future glory but rather for doing their best to preserve this country's values for future generations. My grandfather has been gone for six years now and the older I get, the more I wish I had more time with his insight. Unfortunately his Alzheimer's condition seemed to take him away from us even long before then. As President Reagan said it best, it was a "long goodbye". While helping my grandmother clean out the garage a few months ago I was taken back by the amount of his personal belongings that had collected years of dust upon them. Many things seemed as if they had not been picked up or moved since long before his passing. In doing so, I discovered a treasure trove of insight to his life that I had long been missing. Thankfully, with proper storage I will be able to save most of what I have found from further deterioration.
Most of the content that you find about WWII describes the carnage and destruction. This deteriorating memo I found in my grandfather's belongings describes in detail a glimpse into another side of the war front not so frequently covered. It may not be the most eloquent document; but, I feel that its insight is more important to share on this "day of infamy".
I already knew that he was a B-17 pilot; but, I never knew the extent of his missions over Europe from his perspective until now. I'll keep posting items here as time goes by for as long as everyone remains interested.
