MY DAD, US NAVY

This is my mom's favorite picture of my dad. He is in the Navy, 1947 to the Korean War. I don't doubt that she loves this picture. He has just graduated high school. He was quite the the athlete. Not according to him, but according to his siblings and his yearbook. He represented the flower of the youth of this country.

I remember that I talked to him about being the greatest generation and he was shocked that I would think that. He considered that he had done his duty, or as he told his children, he had done it because it was the right thing to do. If I remember anything from my dad, it was that a man does what he does because it was the right thing to do. After all, we are Americans. Simple, but profound.

The greatest generation wasn't just a catchphrase, they accepted their duty and they did it. My father-in-law was in the Army Air Corps in WWII. He proudly wears a hat that says so, but he is always taken aback when people thank him for his service when he is out in public. I have one of his hats hanging in my classroom. The kids ask why that hat is there and I tell them that my father-in -law was in the service during WWII. These men saw their duty, accepted it and then went on with their lives. They are a model to us all.

ANCHORS AWAY AND RIP, DAD.