When my father got his draft letter for WWII, he had rarely been further from home than the State Fair. The only islands he’d seen appeared each summer when the Chariton River got low. And Europe seemed as far away as the moon.
Even so, my dad climbed on the bus with lots of other farm boys from Macon County. Together, they left home to do their duty. Some would serve stateside, others would go overseas. Some of them would never come home, and none of them would ever be the same.
These brave young men would become known as The Greatest Generation. For their sacrifices. For their courage. And for their contributions to our world. But, in the beginning, they were just a bunch of boys a long way from home.
Their history helped form the character of Elmer Grigsby in Thirty Days to Glory. And his journey is part of my tribute to them. On this Veteran’s Day, here is a round of applause for all the boys and girls who have left home on behalf of the rest of us.
A grateful nation salutes you.
This is great Kathy. I was always amazed that Dad’s eisenhower jacket fit me perfectly when I was in highschool. That made me realize what size and age Dad was when he left for the war. This current generation really has no idea how much the whole nation sacrificed during the two world wars. We can never be grateful enough.
It is amazing, isn’t it, Carol?
That picture could be Bryan dressed up for a musical or something. : )
Thanks to Grandpa and all his friends!
I thought of Bryan, too!
What a wonderful tribute. Their generation made us who we are.
Thanks for that tribute, Kathy. We’re seeing once again how much war changes a generation of young people.
May this generation pull through as well as your father’s generation did.
Yes, Jane, that is a good way to pray. I just sat in a room full of WWII vets at lunch. Quite amazing.
What a cutie! I was moved to write about my dad today, too, in my blog.
Our great minds always think alike. But maybe that is because we had great fathers.