My Hero is Gone

February 4, 2007 | Delaney's Girl

[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.

[Cagey]

...a mechanic for the planes he often times was heard referring to as, "a bucket of bolts."

I've heard that same term from my Dad who served with the 14th Air Force in the CBI theatre during the Second World War. Your Dad is a hero to all of us as well.

The 14th Air Force Association sent the following poem to my Mother and you may find it fitting for your Dad.

`Empty Cockpit; To our Departed Comrade.'

His is a place no one can take,
The void he leaves cannot be filled,
For the mark he made, stays, fresh on us,
Although his heart has stilled.

Though the years pursue their relentless course,
And images are replaced,
And memories grow dim and fade,
And time obscures that familiar face.

And even a name be forgot,
And the things he said, and did,
And lives more noble may come and go,
But what he was cannot be hid.

The lessons he unknowingly taught,
By being what he was,
Have certainly changed the lives he met,
As his life touched ours.

So that the course which they now take,
Points somehow higher than before,
A true and gently comrade,
Has opened an unknown door.

So although his life on Earth is done,
His heritage will not rust,
For parts of him, that was, remain,
And live on as part of us.

[peggybac]

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my father on Feb. 1, 2002, and I still ache for him. Men of that generation gave their country and their families so much. My parent's marriage lasted from 1943 until the time of his death. He was a Yank from Scarsdale, NY, mom was s Southern Belle from Albany, GA. My mother passed away a few months ago and I am still adjusting to being an "orphan."

God bless you and your family. I thank God there are men these days with the morals and values your father, and mine, had.

[DollyCali]

love & prayers heading for you all.. burying my day 16 years ago seems like yesterday. I will always love & miss him as will you the same with yours. No easy answers but to cling to your maker for strength.

God bless you HoG,

[Dane]

My condolences. You were truly blessed to have such a special father.

[Smokin' Joe]

May God bring you His peace in your spirit, ease the pain in your heart, and mute your sense of loss with fond memories.

I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

It sounds like your Dad was quite a guy, and this world is a poorer place for his passing.

[WIladyconservative]

Prayers for you and yours.

I lost my dad this past November and he was also a hero.

Rest in Peace fellows.

[Elyse]

Heart of Georgia, that was a wonderful tribute to your father. My heart goes out to you. I lost my father 3 years ago. The hardest thing for me was to see the world go on without him. I didn't think that was possible and it took me a long time to learn to cope with my resentment and pain.

I'm praying that God gives you and your family the strength to get through the days of grief ahead. If you need someone to talk to that understands or a shoulder to cry on please freepmail me anytime.

[airborne]

My condolences to you and your family.

[Bommer]

My the Lord Jesus Christ bless and keep you and your family in your time of grief. To you father, from all of us that live and breathe the freedom we have today, a heartfelt "Thank You". May he find his eternal reward in the house of the Lord forever!

[knighthawk]

My condoleances and I wanted to add you can be proud

[Kathy in Alaska]

TAPS

RIP USAF Veteran, Father of Heart Of Georgia

Amazing Grace

[Spunky]

"My dad passed away "February 1, 2007"

A happy day for me, my anniversary. A sad one for you. I know you will miss him sorely. I will pray that the good Lord will comfort you in your loss.

[Dolphy]

Prayers for your dad and your entire family.

[lysie]

Prayers for you, your mom, family and friends. Thank you for sharing your love for your father and his love for his family and country.

[James Ewell Brown Stuart]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[LonePalm]

Prayers up for you, your father and your family.

Notre père, qui êtes aux cieux!
Que votre nom soit sanctificié. Que votre règne vienne.
Que votre volonté soit faite, sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donnez-nous aujourd'hui notre poindre ce jour.
Pardonnez-nous nos offenses, comme nous pardonnons aussi a ceux, qui nous ont offensés,
et ne nous soumetez pas à la tentation, mais délivrez-nous du mal.
Car c'est à toi qu'appartiènne, le régne, la puissance et la gloire, pour les siècles des siècles.
Amen.

Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâces,
le Seigneur est avec vous, vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes,
et Jésus le fruit de vos entrailles est béni.
Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu, priez pour nous pauvres pécheurs,
maintenant, et à l'heure de notre mort. Ainsi-soit-il.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

I am so sorry...I lost my dad when I was 16 and it is still one of the most painful days of my life. It doesn't matter if you are 16 or 56, losing a parent hurts.

BTW, my stepmom (Dad's widow) lives in Canton (she remarried just a few years ago).

Prayers for your mom, you, and all your loved ones.

[Ol' Sox]

God bless you and your family. Your Dad was blessed to have a child such as yourself who watched over he and your mother as they got older. Please accept the thanks of my family for your father's service and his contributions to the freedoms we enjoy. May our good Lord stand by your side during this time of grief.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

There's a huge knot in my stomach, and my heart is completely shattered.

You have my prayers and my sympathies.

My own father passed on 15 years ago, before I was able to tell him what a hero and a giant of a man I really thought he was.
I take comfort in the thought that he is now in a better place and knows how I feel about his life.

Be strong and take comfort in thoughts such as these.