Sapphire:
A few years ago I had the sad ocacasion to attend the funereal of my uncle, Thomas Hay. My dad's sister (Aunt June)'s husband. Uncle Tom had always been very unassuming and modest about himself. He went from being a watch maker to becoming an optometrist. He was a VFW memeber but never tried to get into an office with the VFW. Very religious and an all around nice guy.
At his funereal Aunt June had written to the Veteran's Administration to get his war records, which she knew nothing about. Hew was a medic in WWII and saved lives in Italy, at the landing's on the coast there. Even my aunt was shocked to learn that he was a war hero. He had a bronze star, with clusters (which means he won it more then once) and a purple heart and The Soldier's Medal. The Soldier's Medal is almost like the Congrssional Medal of Honor, but it given by enlisted men to one of their own. We were all in tears as a delegation from the U.S. Army showed up to give him full honors and a folded flag. No one knew about his bravery becuase he didn't talk about it. That's how real heros are.
A few years earlier, I was a team captain on a VFW bowling league. I was a social member, since I was never in the military or fought in a war. I got to be a social member because of my dad and other family and friends of his. There were fewer and fewer VFW members who were joining the bowling league. Only eight teams. Since I had one of the highest averages they made me a captain of one of the teams.
All of them were really nice guys. And they always talked about the "now" in their lives. Family and friends, house repairs and picnics, etc. Almost never about the war. Until the week before Memorial Day one year. The last day of our bowling league for that year. Everyone one was talking about the upcoming holiday and what they would do for the day. All of us social members were joining them that day to put flags on graves and be on hand for their ceremonies. As they talked about the holiday they began to talk about their war experiences.
Suddenly, as I half listened, while I kept score for our team (we took first place on that last night). Suddenly it dawned on me that my team of four veterans were ALL heros. Not only had they seen action but all of them had medals. One Bronze Star, two Silver Stars and one man, the smallest and quietest in the group, had the Medal of Honor. Three of the four had purple hearts and one had been in a prisoner of war camp after his B-17 had been shot down.
I didn't say much that night. I just listened. And I had the best night of bowling I ever had in my life. A 659 series, that pretty much won the first place trophy for us. Those heros were cheering for me all night and I never felt so humble before or since. I was just a pretty good bowler, not a war hero.
It's funny how some things happen in strange ways at times.
They didn't talk about themselves just as my uncle didn't talk about himself.
I tried, later, to interview each one to write an article about them for our local newspaper, where I was a newspapper reporter. But they never got together with me to talk after that one night.
For me it was a night I will never forget!
Dennis A. Lederle
