Thursday, May 25, 2006

Remember Your Favorite R.I. Veteran for Memorial Day


I like Carl Sheeler's idea! So no politics. Just "Comment" on your fav veteran for Memorial Day. Carl started & I'll add. For others who add, I'll read & send a quick prayer.

Can you share this entiment for Memorial Day?I found as a Marine leader that the greatest impact one has is when there is a viable connection with individuals. Might I suggest that while celebrating Memorial Day to select one person who either gave the ultimate sacrifice or has since passed and honor him or her? It personalizes and humanizes.I have never met LTC William J. Games, USA, but he was a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, a Korean War veteran and recipient of the Silver Star. The Silver Star is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. military, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force. He served with 9th Infantry Regiment 2nd Infantry Division. The former US Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) had submitted a bill on his behalf to obtain relief from overpayment of income taxes. He was honored by our General Assembly in 2004.I will give honor to him as my personal connection to those who have come before us.
My Favoite Veteran

I miss my uncle, John Rice. He was a WWII veteran who served for almost 20 yrs. in the Army. He was a Master Sergeant who was talented in languages & worked for the OSS after the war in Europe. He was in in the Battle of the Bulge. My husband knows all the pertinent military details as he was also in the service during the Vietnam era. He was lucky & served stateside as an M.P. which left him with a lifetime of adventures to share (which he frequently does!).

Everyone liked my uncle. He was always full of laughter & fun. He was a bachelor who never owned or wanted for much. He loved the good life on occassion. Much of his life he spent with my grandmother. My Uncle was known for his generosity & adored my two sons & myself along with my brother & sister. He died at age 77 fairly quickly from an awful disease - cancer of the pancreas. I miss him a lot. Especially this past year which was my family's "annos horribilis." I miss him along with my dad who was 4F & never served during the war. But not for lack of trying. He tried all the armed forces & could always make it through the preliminaries until he rec'd a physical. He had a perforated eardrum from botched surgery when he was young. So he was deaf in one ear. I miss them both. I remember.

So click on Comments & tell us about YOUR favorite veteran.

1 comment:

Thomas Kalinowski said...

By an interesting coincidence, my favorite veteran was also my uncle, Leon Kalinowski. I don't know anything about his military career except that he served in the US Army as a young man. I knew Uncle Lee many years later, when he lived with my grandfather and the two of them would come to visit my father's family in New Castle, Delaware. Uncle Lee was a gentle man, and a devout Catholic. Even though he lived on a fixed income, he always managed to find a way to donate every month to a few Catholic charities. Uncle Lee passed away seventeen years ago, and I'll be remembering him on Memorial Day.