Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day weekend and I'm thinking of my dad. He was born May 18, 1923 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. In December, 1942, he was drafted into the army and received training as a radar operator. In 1944, dad was on a ship headed to the South Pacific. He spent nine months guarding his radar equipment on the island of New Guinea. In 1945, he was shipped to Manilla in the Philippine Islands where preparations were being made to invade Japan. The United States dropped atomic bombs August 6th and 9th on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered. The war was over. He witnessed the signing of the peace treaty between General Yamashita and General Wainwright on Luna Beach, Philippines. Dad was sent home and entered the San Francisco Bay on January 5, 1946. He said he will never forget the cold night he returned home and saw Mt. Timpanogos covered in a glistening blanket of snow under a full moon. Dad died March 6, 2007 at the age of 83. Today, he has over 100 descendents and leaves behind a legacy of courage and faith. He was one among many who served his country to preserve our freedoms. Thank you, dad.