My grandfather was an amazing man, amazing father, amazing grandfather. I think it's still too hard for me to say much without getting overwhelmingly emotional. I'm tearing up over my hashbrowns as I type even that. The funeral is tomorrow and I don't know how I'm going to make it and I wish that my husband was able to be there with me. I don't know how I'm going to make it through, let alone read the Tennyson poem that I've been requested to read.
I have no doubt I'll write more about my grandfather in the days and months (and years) to come, but for now I'll leave you with some of his own words. My grandfather was a tailgunner on a B-17 during WWII and has been sharing stories over the past few years, which I am so grateful to have heard. A couple years ago, he gave me the collection of letters he'd written home to his parents and his brothers. I've transcribed them and have been slowly putting them together to share with the family. I had suspected the rest of the family did not know about these letters and as I brought a few along to share with them, my suspicions were confirmed. I feel so honored that he chose to share these with me.
Here is one I'll share with you. It's one of my favorites and gives me goosebumps to think about what it must have been like to celebrate V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), especially as a soldier.
S/Sgt. Paul J. Shasky 37556523
487 Bomb Gp. 837 Bomb Sq.
A.P.O. 559 c/o P.M.
N.Y.C., New York
Mr. R.F. Shasky
Forman, North Dakota
England
May
12th, 1945
Dear Folks,
Believe it or not, England finally has warmed up. The past
few days the sun has been shining and the temperature really went up. So now
I’m beginning to wish they had issued me some suntans instead of only O.D.’s.
One of these days I’ll probably be wishing just the other way around so it
doesn’t make much difference.
My last letter I wrote was a little premature in the respect
to the celebrating of V-E day. That night everything happened. I don’t know how
many flares were actually shot up, but those Fourth of July celebrations with a
fireworks display were just plain puny compared with this. From ten p.m. till
one in the morning the base was lit up like daylights. The haystacks had been
accidentally set on fire plus all those flares. Red, green, sparklers, and
everything else. To top it off, it was practically impossible to find a sober
guy in camp.
Well, I don’t have anything else of interest to discuss so
will close. Though tomorrow they are having a huge air review consisting of
every air arm in the E.T.O. I don’t have to fly, but my pilot will. It will
pass over London, Brussels Paris, and a few other places. Really is going to be
something to watch.
As
always,
 |
| Taken when I went to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. over Memorial Day 2010 |
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