66 years ago today …

… Americans received word that the Japanese had surrendered. I don’t usually mark government anniversaries, especially military ones.

But I received an email from a friend, a Marine whose family has been through multi-generational hell serving a country that … well, I’ll just let him tell it in his own words, without editing or embellishment. The man he honors is known as “LD, Jr.”

some of you knew my Grandfather, most of you did not

he was a ‘card’ – a little stumped up man of 5’4″ smoking his pipe

he drove too fast, too close to people’s bumpers (maybe 2 feet – no kidding) and yes, sadly, was fond of drink

if anyone had reason to drink it was him

he flew in the AVG (American Volunteer Group) – you’d know as “Flying Tigers”

he returned and flew out of the same base in Kungming China (as many did) in 326th combat cargo for the OSS (prelude to CIA)

he flew P51’2 P47’s, C47, C54, P38’s … basically – he flew everything

two of you on this email have 13,000+ hours flying (few in the world do anymore) – you know how perilous flying “The Hump” was (over the Himalayas)

many thought it was many times more dangerous than flying bombers over Germany – from sheer weather and altitude

his instruments froze, he told me, most every time he did so … he would take his watch off and drop it to see what his ‘attitude’ was (angle plane was flying to horizon) I still have the watch

I heard all of his tales lying in bed in the wee hours when I was a tike of 4 to 7

he could not sleep – because of his war, and my Father’s death in Vietnam

I could not sleep because of the loss of my Father

I thought all Papa told me was bull … the ramblings of too much Jack Daniel

in 1999 my father was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star … (35 years late because of typical Army screw-ups)

an Air Force Historian saw the notice, however, in the Washington Post and recognized my name – (I am named for Papa) – he called the Post and asked to be placed in touch with me

he brought me photos and stories of Papa I’d heard but never believed – all true and many wilder

one of the stories Papa had told me was of flying the surrender terms into Japan after the nuclear bombs … he told me this cock & bull story of breaking the officer’s sword over his knee

turns out … it was true … 66 years ago today

my Grandfather was the first ‘white man’ of the Allies to enter Japan and end the War

if you knew him (and some of you did) … you are probably as amazed as I was

he was not the likely image of a War Hero

he had to stand on his tiptoes by my 5’11” Grandmother, he was quirky funny, smoked a pipe and was … well, near opposite of what one would think compared to John Wayne

but Papa and many of our Grandfathers left their families (often for years) went and ‘did their jobs’ and then came home and built up our Country into the Industrial Super Power we were

in a small way I am glad Papa passed from Alzheimer’s in 1991 … he would not recognize what we have become

I am not sure he would feel like his sacrifice and the death of his only child, my Father, would be worth it

on this anniversary of VJ day please, think of Papa, and think of those still overseas …