Another Great American Patriot

My dad used to call himself a Great American Patriot. As in, if we were driving through his old neighborhoods in St. Louis Park (Minnesota), he would say, "this is where a Great American Patriot used to ride his bike", or "this is where a Great American Patriot used to go to grade school".

Which would be confusing, because we (our family, my mom and me, maybe my brothers) would be looking at a vacant lot. And then my dad would explain that the school had since been torn down, but it was still a "shrine".

When I was a kid, growing up, I was entertained by these stories, but I was also constantly reminded that, indeed, my dad WAS a patriot. He served in the Navy during WWII, he was a welder on aircraft carriers, and was in Pearl Harbor on that fateful day.

But more than that- he loved America, and truly believed in what it means to love our country.

Which brings me to today's post (long story, forgive me). Growing up in my house, I am also a Great American Patriot, and very patriotic. Yesterday, Scott and I were about to leave the house on errands, and Scott told me there was something outside that I was going to love. I said, was it Grommitt? (our neighbor's cute puppy) He said, no, but that it was great. And this was it:

This is on the front porch of our neighbor's house. I couldn't read the smaller print, and when Scott read it to me, he got choked up. He's a patriot, too.

No more words necessary. Just glad that Tim has made it home, and grateful for his service for all of our freedom.

I miss you, Dad - thanks for teaching me to love America.

Great American Patriot

I married an Army man. Or, an ex-Army man, to be more exact. Scott was in college during the Vietnam War, and had a low draft number (you oldies out there know what I'm talking about!). As a result, and not wanted to go to Vietnam, he enlisted in the Army after college graduation. He had heard about the Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus from his college voice teacher, had auditioned and was accepted, so off he went to serve our country as a singer. He served stateside, at Fort Meade, Maryland (near Annapolis), and toured around the U.S., doing over 100 concerts a year in towns both large and small. He even got to perform in Marshall, Minnesota (his hometown), which I know was a treat for his family, and for him.

Last night, Scott, Hannah, and I attended a local concert by the Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus, and it was a real treat. It was especially fun for Hannah to see what her dad did for three years! And since Hannah is also a musician/singer, she was even more interested. The concert was very good, and fun to see how much it was appreciated by the audience. Like Hannah said, the audience was a "field of blue" (hair) - Scott and I felt so young! and Hannah was easily the youngest person there! It has been 35 years since Scott sang with the group, so all of his old friends have long since retired, of left the Army, as he did.

My favorite part was the Armed Forces Salute, which is a medley of the songs of all 5 branches of the U.S. military. As each song was played and sung, we were to stand up if we had served, or if anyone in our family had served. My dad served in the Navy during WWII, was at Pearl Harbor, so of course I stood up to honor his memory and service. My dad often referred to himself as a Great American Patriot, and indeed he was. My brothers both also served in the Navy. When I saw some old veterans stand up for the Air Force song, that got me. Those guys flew bombers during WWII. God bless them! Then, we all stood up for the Army song. Do I need to say that Scott sang along on all of the songs? Of course he did. And we are all Great American Patriots!