In Memory

my father is no longer here but I still have memories like the letters from his high school buddies in the armed forces at the tail end of World War 2. these letters, thankfully, were saved by my grandmother he missed his senior year to learn how to fly an airplane for the war with Japan Hitler had been defeated but not yet Tojo I'm lucky Dad wasn't a few years older and he wasn't deployed in Normandy he never saw any action because the war ended but he was ready we disagreed about many things but I'd rather be sitting with him now than with anyone in the world what I love about these letters even though they were to (not from) him is that they reflect the time in history and show the love his friends had for him which I understand because I know my dad and I can feel the humor and the camaraderie in those words written in the individual scrawls of the young servicemen who, at the time I would think of now as young boys they were proud to do their duty and anxious to come home and begin the business of young men education, recreation friends, family and then business, courtship, marriage, and children I like to think of my dad as a young man full of fun health and vigor I know he was proud of his service it meant something to him it means something to me and he means something to me - a lot here's to you Dad and to the ones who weren't so lucky in memoriam