Posted on 02/04/2007 7:15:40 AM PST by Heart of Georgia
My dad passed away February 1, 2007. He was a veteran of two wars, and he was truly a hero, but you couldn’t get him to agree to that, ever. He’d always say, “No, I was just doing my job.”
You could try, but a more patriotic man you would never find. During WWII and the Korean War, Dad was a builder of bridges and a mechanic for the planes he often times was heard referring to as, "a bucket of bolts."
He was born in Rosemont, West Virginia, the son of a coal miner. Not an educated man, he never thought of himself as very smart, but tell that to the USAF. He won an award for his invention of a valve that's now standard on all jet engines. And he devised a way to make one model work better mechanically by swapping out engine parts of another model. The Air Force deployed him all over the country, and at times overseas, to train others in this technique.
Above and beyond his service to this nation, he's my personal hero. A man dedicated to his family first and foremost. He's a true picture of what our heavenly Father intended fathers to be. There's not a time in my life when he wasn't there for me, and I know everyone in his life would say the same thing.
Cherish the memories,as I know you will,of the times with your father.Always tell your children about him too. He will live forever.
Thank-you for sharing a beautiful story with us, Heart of Georgia. Its always great to see the customs upheld with military honor for deserved individuals who garnered such respect from those around him during his life. The world is a safer place today because of he and many others that answered the call in turbulent times. May God bless you and your mother.
I can see and feel the just pride you have in your dad, Heart. God bless you and your family, and may he rest in peace, after a job well done. :-)
That was a wonderful tribute. Your dad was certainly someone to be proud of.
You described the ceremony beautifully, Heart of Georgia. Your father would be proud.
My regards and sympathy. America is rapidly losing these remarkable men and women who made this nation great. Your loss is a loss for all of us.
"I love him so much, and I miss him. There's a huge knot in my stomach, and my heart is completely shattered."
God bless you. I know how you feel and while the pain lessens with time you'll still miss him terribly. It completely destroyed me for a year and I still miss him badly.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful tribute to your dad!
BTTT
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Of course I'll say a prayer for you and your family. I lost my dad in 1980 and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. He'll never leave you, sweetheart.
I'm so sorry to read about your husband's cancer. I know you would do anything within your power to help him.
I believe in miracles, too, and my dad would always call me because he knew I would pray for him and my mom. No matter what the diagnosis, I've always said to my dad, "I'm praying for you, and you're going to be okay." One day, not long after my parents had moved in with me, he answered me by saying, "You can't pray me alive forever." I said, "No, but I'm gonna try." That's all I could do. The rest was in the Lord's hands.
I do understand your feelings about what I've posted. There have been many prayer threads over the past few years that I just couldn't bring myself to click on because I didn't think I could bear someone's grieving experience, and all I could do was offer a silent prayer for them.
I never wanted to go through this, but now that I am, I can say with assurance to you that there is a Peace that passes human understanding. I have experienced evidence of it at times, but never quite like this. The Peace that I have now is in a totally different realm.
As difficult as it is to talk about, I'm sure you know your husband should be honored, and I can tell you from our experience, it helps to know that others honor and appreciate the man that he is. The service they provide is so much more honoring than my words could describe. I am so proud of my dad, and even though he wouldn't want this, we wanted it for him.
At the service, there was someone assigned to us as a contact person, so if we have any questions, we can call her to direct us to the dept. we need. I'm certainly no expert at any of this, but if I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you for your prayers for us. I'll be in prayer for you and your husband also, for yet another miracle.
Please tell your husband how much I appreciate his dedication and service to his country. I know there are burdens he carries even today, and I don't take his sacrifices lightly.
God bless you both. Take care.
Thanks more than you will ever know
Maria
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