The term veteran can sometimes seem so distant and impersonal. The holiday veterans day can sometimes mean nothing more to us than the fact that the bank is closed or theres a parade downtown. But for every veteran there is a face, family, and legacy. The one I remember and honor today is my grandfather, Ed Brooker. As a kid, I didnt know him as a soldier or a war hero. To me, he was pappaw. He taught me how to drive, how to fish, how to work, and how to scratch a dog right behind the ears just right. He loved to bird-hunt, loved the Atlanta Braves, and loved his wife, children, grand-children, and great-grand children. But as I grew older, I begin to see him in a different light. I learned that my grandfather served in World War II in the U.S. Navy. He spent time on Morotai island in Indonesia and in the Philippines. I remember being mesmerized by the stories he would tell around the dinner table of packing parachutes for the B-52 bomber and hearing Tokyo Rose on the radio the night before a raid. I remember him describing what it felt like to jump out of a plane and parachute to the ground and hearing him talk about men that he lost in the service of duty. I am incredibly grateful for the legacy of selflessness and service that my grandfather passed on. I believe he lived his life to the fullest in his later years because he saw just how precious and rare life and freedom was in his youth. So to my grandfather and the men and women who have served to preserve and protect the freedom that we enjoy and so often take for granted, thank you. You gave a lot for us and it wasnt cheap. And some of you even gave all. Thank you, thank you, thank you. May we never lose our honor and gratitude for those who taught us what it meant to sacrifice.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:43:11 +0000