Heroes

My first Blog/Post:

What to write about?

Ogre suggests Bloggers post about what they know and to post often. We'll see about often, but I want to write about what I know.

I know my heroes. My hero, as every boys first hero should be, is/was my dad. My dad was the coolest. He had curly white hair that he kept long (not crazy hippie long), long enough it would blow around outside when he took his hat off. My dad was older than my buddies dads. He was sixty three when I was born (and I have 2 younger brothers).

My dad creaked when he climbed stairs, that arthritis was getting to him good. He popped sometimes too. But as a boy I watched him build our house, climbers ladders to shingle the roof, laid tile on his knees, placed doors and windows (usually after they'd been broken by boys playing ball). Every night he'd tuck my brothers and I in bed, he'd climb the stairs to our room, we'd hear popping and clicking as he climbed upwards. Then he'd sing to us, tuck us in, and we'd hear him snap crackle and pop as he descended the stairs (stairs he put in by the way).

My dad was a patriot. I remember once seeing him cry in church when we sang the star spangled banner. I can still hear his voice tremble over those beautiful strains as he moved through the chorus.

My dad was a veteran. He fought in WWII. Growing up in a mostly retirement community he introduced me to all his veteran buddies, including a couple of british ex pats. I heard stories from guys who stormed Normady. I heard stories of guys who fought at Guadacanal! I heard my dads stories, stationed in Kunming in China flying with the Chinese Air Force. Listening to these brave old souls tell about seeing friends killed for something they believed in, stirred within me something deep. A love and understanding of the importance of love of this great country.

Since then I've had many heroes, guys in movies (Indiana Jones!), guys in books, guys in history (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Carlos Hathcock, Audie Murphy, Alvin Yorke). But I wanted to talk about heroes I've had the priveledge to know.

My best friend growing up was and is a goofy guy by the name of Gordon. He was crazy in the fifth grade, introduced me to the xmen and aliens. Arnold Schwarzenneger and SPEED. We read comic books, listened to rock and roll and later heavy metal. We grew into young men, his dad was in the Army and so he too had respect for this country (he grew up in Europe at the height and fall of communism). At 18 fresh out of high school he joined the Army Reserves. I sat in the recruiters with him while he filled out the paperwork. This was the spring before 9/11 that fall everything changed.

For the first few years members of his unit got called up and he waited for his number.
Even his beautiful sister served her time in Iraq as did her husband.
Eventually he got called out as well and spent his time in Iraq.
He came home, safe, unharmed.

This February you'll be able to see him in the Army ad during the Super Bowl. Check it out, because there you'll see my hero!

So more than anything this post, is one of respect, appreciation for all our armed men and women in our armed forces, past, present, and future! It is my pleasure to call some of you friend. It is my honor to call myself an American and much of that is because of you. Thank you for your sacrifices, thank you for your service.

Because all of you are Real American Heroes!