My Grandfather, who passed away in 2005, didn't like to talk about the war. If we asked him about it he didn't usually say much. But that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot in his head. I've come to realize that what was in his head was to terrible for him to want to tell, or even remember.
My grandfather is the person in our family that everyone aspires to be. He was kind, gentle, loved life, smart, generous, and loved his family to no end.
Before he passed away he told his story to an author who published his story along with a number of other POW's. It is in the book called "We Flew, We Fell, We Lived" by Phillip Legrandeur. I read his story a couple of years ago, but it didn't really touch me until this year. On Nov 7 we (my brother, dad and mom) had the opportunity to meet Mr Legrandeur at a library event. He gave a recount of what POW life was like, and when it was done he told my family that what we just learned was not what our grandfather lived. The camp he was at was much more brutal, and the march he was forced to go on that much more terrible. I re-read my grandfather's story after listening to Mr Legrandeur, and my grandfather's sacrifice for his unborn family and the world as we know it now took on new meaning.
I wish he was here now so I could tell him that I will never fully understand, but how much more I understand now, and how much I love him.
His story is posted at this website, if you have time to read:
http://www.trasksdad.com/Don%20Hall/hallindx.htm
Grandpa, I never thought it was possible to love you more, but I do.
1 comment:
AWESOME POST!
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