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Patriotism was number one
for Bill by the time he was 5
We have a wonderful
memorial in this week's paper from a daughter to her deceased veteran
father. What a nice thing to do this Veteran's Day week. It got me to thinking
about our veteran, Bill.
He was such a patriotic kid from the time he knew about the United States
flag and patriotism. He always insisted we fly the flag everytime the occasion
came up, complete with the usual ceremony to raising a flag.
After graduation from Chamberlain High School, he joined the U.S. Navy at
Oklahoma City with his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Base. An
"Our son is in the Navy" sticker was adhered to the window of the front door.
It was while he was at Great Lakes that he and his cronies
became "Docs." From there he went to Long Beach, Calif. where he trained as a
medic and worked at the naval hospital in all phases of the profession.
About every three months we would get a call and he would be in
administration, O R, E R, whichever, and he was going to change his vocation to
whichever department he was in at that time. The most exciting call came when he
had made an ambulance run and delivered a baby. The saddest call he made was
about a baby who was delivered stillborn (as the father watched.)
He always regretted that he didn't re-enlist. Upstairs, in his belongings,
is a folder full of his
commendations, etc, all of them full of his going "above and beyond," "superior
attention to de- ,
tail," "exceptional asset to the US Navy" letters. Kind of does a mother proud.
His headstone is a
military headstone. He would have wanted it that way. Looking back, I'm
surprised we hadn't discussed that little detail.
Bill was ten different people rolled into one. His ups and downs sometimes
wore us all to a frazzle and sometimes getting a letter from him was wonderful,
but the next one could put a fella in a slump he didn't think he could ever come
out of.
One of our friends was in Mitchell the other day and upon turning a comer
at the end of an
aisle, bumped into a man who caused her chin to fall to her chest and the blood
to run from her
face. He immediately asked if she was alright and she said he looked just .like
someone she used to know. He told her, "Before you say another word I have to
tell you something. I'm from Iowa and was transferred to Sioux Falls for awhile,
then down to Vermillion and now here. I don't know who this Bill is, but he must
have been one heck of a guy. Everywhere I've been, people have been stopping me
and calling me Bill." Then he said he understood Bill had passed away and was
that right? She concurred. She was still chattering like a chipmunk when she
got back to town and called me about what had happened.
The man was right. Bill was a heck of a guy and a gloomy old letter from
him now would be wonderful! He was our yardman and house painter, the sour cream
raisin pie baker and Christmas decorations assistant to his father. Thanksgiving
Day, immediately following dinner he would dig out the Christmas decorations and
by dark, we would be lit in all the Christmas glory..
I understand Casey will be making the sour cream raisin pies this year.
Wonderful! Tradition goes on. I even think the Christmas village is going to be
set up.
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