Frank Sutton was an actor who died half a century ago.
He starred in one episode of "The Andy Griffith Show".
He starred in every episode of "Gomer Pyle: USMC".
Sutton died fifty years ago today at the age of fifty.
People were sad because he wouldn't be coming back.
Sutton's life came to an end when he had a heart attack.
He starred in "The Twilight Zone" and "Town Without Pity".
He starred in Armstrong Circle Theater" and "Naked City".
He starred in "Love, American Style" and "Valentine's Day".
Sutton would be 100 years old if he hadn't passed away.
[Dedicated to Frank Sutton (1923-1974) who died half a century ago today on June 28, 1974]
My Father died at 63
I’m now 75
I remember the day
I turned 63
Thinking I would finally know
What he knew
Be able to feel what he felt
See what he saw
And to be who he was
But I wasn’t a decorated
World War 2 Marine
The last of his platoon
To survive
The Solomon Islands the graveyard
Of most of his friends
He died on a Thursday
But we were estranged
‘Another woman who was not my Mom’
Looking back I wonder
What could I have changed
What words would I have used
To say to him …
(To Edward F. Behm U.S.M.C.: March, 2024)
Military gear ~
Table to table veterans
Search out memories.
For James H. Beachboard
1928-2011
USMC 1947-1951
One of the Chosin Few
Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, 1950
britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Chosin-Reservoir
My father never was the man
I expected him to be
He wasn't the drunk
who would lose his temper
and out lash at the ones he claimed
to love
Nor was he the man
who raised his fist out of anger
to every women who did him wrong
My father wasn't the man
who though bragged about his time
spent serving the usmc
was dishonorably discharged
He wasn't the man who claimed us
as his little girls
yet allowed our virtue to be taken away
by a complete stranger
For you see
that man was merely a creator
not a parent
and certainly not a father
he simply was a what not to be
guide for life
My sperm donor created me pain
for years
it wasn't until i truly looked around
and saw the evil that he created
that i knew
The man that I pushed away for years
the one who showed
nothing but love
and support
to both my mother
and the kids she added
the man who I rudely labeled
as just being a stepfather
the one who held me
during every
break up
every lost of a friend
through
everything
He's the one who is
MY FATHER
not the man who fooled me for
years
The following is something my father wrote to my mother while he was stationed away from her.
On Separation
Is fate, that has long denied me thy arms,
About to give me the pleasure of thy many charms.
Doth not these pleasures too soon fade away from me.
Oh when will the time come that together we will always be.
Each time we part, something inside me dies.
When will life give me the time when there will be no good-bye.
Is not this life apart from you death.
Rather than this death, is it not better to be in my grave without breath.
Death is the coward's way; the brave must face life.
Must we long suffer heartaches, is there no end to this strife.
My dear, I hope you can understand this, for nothing else can explain my mood. Tell me what you think about it...if you like it I might try to write more.
23, Mar. 1958
Capt., Thomas M. Bland, Sr, USMC
Dec.13, 1934- June 26, 1975
(BTW- she loved it so much she made a copy to carry with her. Hers is the pencil copy)
I have a great friend and his name is Tim McCravey.
He joined the Marines instead of the Army or Navy.
He bravely fought in the Persian Gulf War.
It's people like him who Americans are thankful for.
During the war, I wrote to him and he sent me twenty bucks.
Anybody who has Tim for a friend, has plenty of luck.
He and I were friends thirty years ago and we're still friends today.
It's very nice to know that he's patriotic to the USA.
(Dedicated to Timothy McCravey.)
We talked at length
The hours we passed
The life you lived
Oh the horrors
So many men's live snuffed
Oh Arizona, a dedication
Whose souls be at rest
Amidst oily scum
And so many others
Sightless eyes watch
The world in disintegration.
Yes, you’ve seen
Many unimaginable horrors
Those only Man can inflict
You’ve grasped my heart
I watched you whither away
A hero by all accounts
God rest your soul
Oh gentle man.
God rest ye gentle man.
My heart aches
With your passing
Now I have your cherished one
She that you know
Rested in my heart
For years and years and years
The one that tended you
All that time
Oh yes, that woman of women
She is in my arms
Forever… my very first love
The thought of whose love
Brings tears to my eyes
Together… finally…
Forever.
Never
Worry…
Never
Forget…
Just so you know…
Semper Fidelis... you are my hero Donald Canan,USMC, WWII veteran Western
Pacific... he told death to get bent. May God Rest your soul.
As I watched you step off that bus
Standing so tall and true.
I wiped a tear from my eye
It didn't seem like you.
What happened to the little boy
I sent away that day?
The one so full of boyish charm
Always ready to play.
I took a minute, and looked real hard
I gazed into your eyes.
I couldn't put my finger on it
And then, to my surprise...
I realized the boy had gone
and a man had taken his place.
This man before my eyes
had seen another place.
A place not many understand
not sure he always had.
But still he went willingly
to protect against the bad.
Of things he's seen, of things he's done
I'm sure I'll never hear.
But the fact he stands before me
eases all my fears.
He took his hand, and wiped my face
then asked, "Hey what's wrong today?"
I placed his face between my hands
then whispered, "My baby went away."
He smiled, and kissed my cheek
then wiped another tear.
Then stood real tall, and squared away
and said "Mommy, I'm right here".
(This poem is dedicated to my son LCpl Richard Caseltine, USMC
Fighting the fight way away from me
Reunited in my dream
I stand motionless
Eyeing his stillness
I inquire about his thoughts
His attention I caught
A silent conversation we had
Feeling everything but sad
Our brotherhood takes root
As I wake up to salute
U.S.M.C.
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