San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery
My father was a veteran of Pearl Harbor stationed on the USS Nevada. For most of his life, after Pearl, he never spoke of that day but in his final years he met a group of men who were all survivors (one of whom was among the handful of survivors from the Arizona). Eventually my mom and dad would travel to Pearl Harbor to the Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. And even more eventually, he would write of that day.
I have his words but I've never read them. Today seemed like a good day to finally read what he wrote of that day. I'm also going to scan his document in the computer as well as type up his words. I'll be posting them later this year on December 7th.
But for today, Don and I went to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella, CA and we left flowers for dad and mom who are interred there together. I caught them up on the news of the family as I knew it and spent a few quiet moments with them. Odd how the drive of almost an hour can be reduced to such a short 5-10 minute visit. I would like to go out there sometime with a lawn chair and book and just settle in for a while.
2 comments:
This is so nice. And you actually have something from your father you can read. Pardon my levity, but my dad wrote to his family after being inducted in the Wehrmacht and wrote home to his mother and sisters and my mother. I have it and can't read it, but it was so important, it changed his service life. In our retirement years we can look back and see the events of our parents' lives and how they changed the world. Thanks for letting me know. Biene
Lovely and sorrowful pictures you post here today, Annie. Were you afraid to read this before now? And what gave you the strength and resolve? Many of these men were never able to speak of it. But I think the writing would have been a help?
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