My father, Allen M. Saffy, Sr. was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam war. He served his country honorably for nearly 30 years. Normally he was out of the house early, slipping into the predawn darkness as I slept; on rare occasions Id hear him leaving and Id peer out my window and watch as he walked into the shadows. I remember running up to him and jumping into his arms when hed come home - sometimes hed have a matchbox car for me or some other little thing. He took me camping and fishing - he and my mother and sister were the only thing I knew then, they were my security blanket. One morning when I was barely five he told me he had to leave and go serve overseas. I was devastated. He told me everything would be OK and he took me for ice cream. He left for a year, serving in Thailand while my mother and sister and I settled in Manville New Jersey. My mother Catherine made sure we remembered him by putting pictures of him around the apartment and talking about him and showing us his letters and pictures. Sometimes we even got to hear his voice on the phone. Over the years he would leave for months at a time, but he always came back - he served all over the world and earned numerous awards and citations - at my wedding he wore his dress blue uniform and I was never more proud. I salute my father on this day of remembrance, and thank him for his honorable, selfless service to his country.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:34:45 +0000