WIWAK [meaning: When I Was A Kid], we usually stayed home to celebrate Memorial Day. Many will recall that this was a traditional weekend for remembering those who had died - by 'decorating' their graves with flowers and wreaths. This day was formerly known as 'Decoration Day'.
I remember riding along with my parents to Grove Cemetary where we would decorate the graves of my Grandma Haire, Uncle James Archer, and a few others. Then, we would drive to Beaver Falls and decorate the graves of my mother's relatives from the Walton family. I could walk you to each of these graves today with little difficulty as a result.
Sometimes my dad would allow me to help plant flowers or trim the grass from the grave markers. I could tell he was remembering because he would share stories from his childhood. This project took hours, but I never minded. It seemed important that we do this - and do it together.
Don't get me wrong, we still had the traditional cook-out in the backyard with all the expected picnic trimmings. But this only came AFTER going downtown New Brighton to watch the Memorial Day parade. Then we would follow the parade to the park and participate in the Memorial Day services. This was one of the few things that my dad and I did together annually.
He had not served in the military, partly because of his age and partly because he worked at Townsend Company where they were busy making shrapnel for the war effort. I remember him occasionally bringing home the one-inch-square pieces of metal. I didn't like to think about their purpose!
My brother, Ira, told me that dad was designated as a community appointee when we still lived on Mt. Washington in Beaver Falls. Those were days when we were still practicing 'black-outs' and dad was to go out and make sure that everyone was complying with the requirements.
He and mom were very supportive of our military! My first memory is of dad walking me to the upper end of Beaver Falls on Veteran's Day to see the parade. I was born in 1952, so this would have been around 1955 - I was small enough that he held me during the parade. It had very few bands, but many men and a few women marching in units. The war was still fresh in everyone's mind! He was teaching me that day to take my hat off every time the American flag went by - which was MANY times!
Many years later, I taught this practice to my sons. One year, while we were attending a Potters football game in East Liverpool, Troy and his friends were playing football at one end of the stadium. The band came to that corner of the field and began to play the national anthem. I watched with interest from the stands. All of a sudden, I saw Troy perk up and turn his attention to the band and the flag. Off came his stocking cap as he stood rigid and respectful. Within moments, his friends joined him and also took off their caps and held them over their hearts. One of my proudest moments! :-)
As I grew up, my dad always took me to the Pitt/Navy football game at Pitt Stadium in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The game was close enough to the Naval Academy that they would bus a lot of the plebes (and other midshipmen) in for the game. Every time Navy would score, the plebes ran into the endzone and did push-ups to match the Navy score. It was SO EXCITING!
Years later, after Travis joined the Navy, he ended up attending the United States Naval Academy from 1996-2000. We attended many Navy football games during that time since we lived nearby in Spencerville, MD. We attended two Army/Navy games in Memorial Stadium! Later in his career, Travis returned to the Academy to serve as the 'Flag Secretary' to the Admiral serving as the Superintendent of the Academy!
Over and over I thought: how proud my dad would be!
When raising our family, some things stayed the same and some things changed. I tried to instill in our kids a high appreciation and respect for those who served in the military. However, we chose to go camping over most Memorial Day Weekends. We built memories as a family that I hope our kids still cherish! Most of those weekends were shared with Deb's sister, Laurie and her husband Charlie and their three kids: Marshall, Barbie (Bubsie) and Jesse. Deb's father was also a veteran, having served in the United States Army!
Today, we still camp with friends and family at the Bayshore Campground on Pymatuning Lake near Andover, OH. It's our tradition! Flags fly! Games are played! Good food is consumed. We tell stories and reminice about the past! Some are veterans: Charlie Mahosky, Marky Noel, and probably a few others.
Deb and I think a lot about Travis on these days! He'd be forty-seven if he were living. The breakdowns are far-and-few-between, but the ache is persistent!
We're genuinely grateful for the young and old who have dedicated themselves to service in our nation! Our son-in-law, Jon Kerstetter will be finishing his career within the next year - a stellar service of over twenty-two years - most of it served as part of our submarine force! We're so proud of him!
May God continue to be gracious as we move into the future. We trust Him even in the midst of an environment of chaos and cultural deterioration. Our cry shall always be 'GOD BLESS THE UNTIED STATES OF AMERICA'.
Amen!
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