It’s Veterans Day and I have a day off from my county job. (I thank Veterans for both of those freedoms: to work in a job I love and to have time off to spend with my family). The kids are still sleeping and I have some free time to sit at the computer.

I’ve been thinking of my Dad a lot lately. Maybe because a friend recently lost hers; maybe because I spent the last week with a few thousand National Guardsmen; or maybe because recent events in our lives have reinforced the importance of family.

Regardless, I’ve been thinking about my Dad a lot lately.  I’m reminded of him whenever I look at a flag and I think of him every time I pick up a tool.

I’m blessed to be the keeper of a three-ring binder that details my father’s entire military service history from his enlistment in World War II through his survival from the Korean War. Military campaigns, the boats he traveled overseas on, the camps he received his training at, the medals he received, and more — it’s all detailed in this book researched and compiled by my first cousin Jim Schmittendorf, my father’s godson and a retired Lt. Colonel in the US Army. I thank Jim for devoting the countless hours it took to chronicle my father’s service to our country and especially for interviewing him and relating his memories in writing to the rest of us. (more…)