I could have told you he was kind. And gentle. My mother reminded me he often came into the house from his farm chores just to sit for a little while and watch us play with our dolls. I could have told you lots of details. But today I learned something I'd never known. He was a hero.
Well, I knew he was a hero the way all fathers are heroes to their little girls (and to their little girls' friends). I didn't know that among other things, he earned seven bronze stars during battles in World War II. Seven. That is a lot of stars for one young man from a small farm in Missouri. When that information was read in the obituary today, I felt a swell of pride. I was proud to have known a man with that kind of valor. Proud to have sat at his kitchen table, to have slept under his roof, and to have played in his yard.
So, tonight, when I heard the latest war reports on the national news and considered the state of our troubled nation. I thought about Kermit Bane. And I wished I could see him one more time just to tell him, "I'm proud I knew you."
There are fewer and fewer of that generation left to thank each day. I wonder if my Dad knew him? There were several "boys" from this area that enlisted around the same time, and many have already passed on. I say "boys" because I know my own Dad fibbed about his age so they would let him enlist. His Eisenhower jacket fit me perfectly when I was a senior in highschool, so that tells you a bit about the size they were at that time. They saw and dealt with things we only hear about on TV. Many didn't make it home to start families...
ReplyDeleteSo I heartily join you in saying "I'm proud I knew you."
Wonderful tribute.
ReplyDeleteI didn't learn that until the funeral either, Kathy. He never talked about it. Thank you for this post. I want to write one for him too but I just haven't been able to do it yet.
ReplyDeleteValerie Rosene