-We Salute You-

A family scratched out an existence on a depression-era MS delta farm.The oldest son, Woodrow, left as a teen to work in the C.C.C. camps building public works projects. As the world was thrown into war, he was deployed to North Africa to fight. The second son, Edward, received orders that sent him storming the beaches of Normandy & seeing first hand the horrors of war.

As the North African campaign ended, Woodrow’s company was sent to work their way up Italy, fighting the Nazi war machine into France. As fortune would have it, the two brothers, that hadn’t seen each other in years, found their companies’ intersected in the Argonne Forest in 1944. Edward’s platoon leader allowed him to join his brother, where they were allowed to spend Christmas Eve together catching up. They went their separate ways the next day & continued to fight across France until V.E. day in 1945.

Wayne, the next brother, enjoyed a year deferred to help work the small delta farm. He then joined the Navy where he was sent to the Pacific. Fortunately, by that time the major part of the war had ended as the A-bombs had been dropped on Nagasaki & Hiroshima. As a gunner’s mate, thankfully he only came within a mile of a battle once. Knowing little of the effects of radiation poisoning, the sailors were sent ashore to Hiroshima just weeks following the explosions.

I’m glad Wayne, my dad, is 84 & never experienced any radiation poisoning. He came home to build a life & family far from the South Pacific seas & the aftermath of atomic war. Uncle Woodrow had a German grenade explode next to his head & lost much of his hearing. Otherwise, he came home to be one of the kindest, most gentle Christian men I’ve ever known. You’d never known he had to man a flame thrower & take the lives of others. Uncle Edward, who possibly saw some of the worst at Normandy, came back to build a life & family. Dad said that Edward had always loved to hunt but when he came back he never did much hunting. Growing up, as we went to deer camp, I remember he always cooked & took care of the dogs & everyone else but seldom picked up a gun. Once asked about the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” he simply said, “I don’t care to see it or talk about it. I had to live it.”
Three brothers were flung across the globe to defend & protect freedom. I’m glad each came home to enjoy its fruits. For over 200 years men & women have placed themselves in harms way to ensure we, and others around the planet, have freedom. Many families & communities have welcomed home these heroes, while others have been carried home in a flag-draped box. To each of those who served, and to the families who have sacrificed loved ones, WE SALUTE YOU! Thank you for you service.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” John 15:13 NLT

Make it a point to thank a veteran for their service! If you have or know of a loved one that has paid the highest price for freedom, please share their story with me!

Here’s a link to a video I made for our vets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HIzryZLBk8

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ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
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