My maternal g’pa came here from Norway in 1915, married his employer’s daughter (the farmer’s daughter, literally), then went to war on our side in France to defeat the Kaiser’s aggression where he lost a lung to mustard gas and receiving wounds from machine gun fire. I’d say he earned his citizenship and if not the respect of this so-called president, at least to have his memory free from his insults. Bring back le Guillotine, I say. Voting him and Moscow Mitch out won’t balance the scale.
I’d like nothing more than a firing squad for traitors. Wasn’t that the way it was? Since Trump seems to want to go backwards death for traitors seems right.
These days they get to negotiate for 6 months in jail. Who are we where traitors are revered?
In any other society at any other point in the history of the world until about 25 years ago, the traitors would be tried, convicted, and executed. I can't see that happening here, but there has to be severe, SEVERE penalties when the dust settles. We can't just do the usual thing and kick the can/turn the page.
my grandfather, Conrad LaCarre, fought in the Pacific. he suffered from malaria and it’s after effects from his time not being a sucker or a loser. i hope this disgraceful disrespect of the military will finally be his GD undoing. basta ya already.
He went by Connie and he was the coolest grandparent. he helped us build rockets powered by m80s, jumped into the pool with us on his back, made the meanest sloppy joes/tacos out of chorizo infused shredded beef.
Has anyone made a comparison of Trump's views of military service to those of Don Corleone? As I recall Michael Corleone's service in WW2 was contrary to his father's belief that his sons should not risk their lives for corrupt politicians i.e. heads of state etc. Trump's worldview often seems to me to be the view of a mob boss, or wanna be mob boss.
That's the second time someone has said that today to me...Trump doesn't care about service because, yes, his worldview is informed by the mobsters who are his compeers.
My father was in every Pacific Naval battle of WWII except the last one after the bow of his ship was blown off. He was never a loser. I flew in the Vietnam war. Like my father before me, I did it out of love of my country. Loving your country does not make you a loser. Denigrating those who served does make you both a coward and a loser.
My father was a pilot during WWII in the Netherlands. My mother was a teen during the German occupation, she always shuddered when we spoke about that time, but refused to go into any detail, except to say that the SS were brutal men, who often did things to amuse themselves...omitting the rest, leaving it to our imagination. As I read about WWII in my research of the world’s combined history with our allies, I realize that many young girls and teens would have been hidden away as much as possible from the Nazis, SS and German military on furlough. America and Canada was to become home to many escaping from the German occupation in The Netherlands including Queen Beatrix and her children, Netherlanders will always remember America and Canada with gratitude for keeping her, her children, and other Dutch people safe from the Nazis.
Thanks for sharing this, Mary. There was so much horror during that war that it boggles the mind to try and comprehend it. Your father, most definitely not a loser or a sucker.
"The Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic is my new hero. His article drove a wooden stake into Trump’s heart.
That’s the final nail in the coffin. This election is going to be a total bloodbath for the Republican party."
If Greg wasn't going to use that line about the wooden stake in this post, I just had to include it.
In the mean time, however, I am having second thoughts. Yes, Trump ruining his reputation in the military, part of his core constituency, is a devastating blow. But I can't allow my enthusiasm to carry me away.
My wife just forwarded an article to me. Not pretty. It makes me pause and reconsider.
The author of this Boston Globe piece, John Ellis, makes one breath-taking point: swing voters, the spineless block that won't make up its mind until the last minute, will look to the person that appears to be the strongest. Appearances are precisely what DJT cultivates, and therefore uncertain voters who blow with the breeze are precisely the voters he is most likely to influence in his direction.
I am reminded of DJT's leadership strategy, which is to follow Hitler's techniques. Back in the late '80s, Trump was reading Hitler's 1941 self-evaluation of his speeches and oratory, according to a lengthy Vanity Fair article from 1990. Also note this review of a book comparing Trump and Hitler:
So Trump is inciting people, which influences the ones who are rudderless and therefore easy to manipulate. Read: swing voters.
I am heartened, Greg, by your family story of Diane and her father Frank. Having the Marines and our other patriots come out and take a stand is powerful. It's a statement against dictators, and a statement against regressive actions that take benefits and gifts and support away from the people (and the environment) and give it to the super-rich.
Donald Trump is a wannabe dictator. It should come as no surprise that the Americans who dedicated their honor and their bodies and lives to oppose dictators would have a say in this election.
We as a nation have a long history of having people come out of nowhere to fight dictatorship and oppression and attempts at domination and subjugation of nearby nations. Greg and the readers here are obviously in that camp. Jim Mattis, the Marine and recent SecDef, was my latest read, his book "Call Sign Chaos" is highly recommended. It completely shifted my opinion of the US Military, in particular the Marines.
My ancestors, the Germans, were guilty of the offense of subjugating nearby nations, and oppressing classes of people within its borders and in the countries they invaded. But America, since the days of the French Revolution, has stood by people who are oppressed. That's why Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, was instrumental in having the Statue of Liberty created and presented to the people of the United States, as a thank-you gift from France, and as a symbol of the light of liberty and goodness for a troubled world.
Remember, Ronald, that Donald Trump says very many things... most are lies...but other statements are smoke to cover what he’s really doing, we should pay close attention to his actions. It’s the things that Trump doesn’t say, the behind the scenes corrupt actions, even crimes that we need to worry about. It’s time that we keep the old guy busy defending his words so he’s too busy to do anything that will destroy our country. The moves he’s made in Portland, and Kenosha comes to mind. Those (black water) unidentifiable men are creating even more havoc there, and need to be stopped ASAP. Their actions are meant to create even more chaos and incite more violence even a war if we aren’t careful in the way we react to this Trump action. If we aren’t VERY careful, we may be drawn into a war of Trumps making, in order that he may change the conversation, maybe even stop the election, leaving Trump in place, in our White House, to our (combined) horror.
Not all Boomers rely on email forwards nor are those forwards about MAGA..that said I will say that our MAGA neighbours are beginning to see the error in their belief that Trump was somehow going to solve all of the problems (jobs given to minorities, affirmative action etc) that immigrants and minorities caused (in their own minds) and in their lives.
Yes, I do believe that our vets are special, not only when they were alive and protecting US but also our memories of their valour and service to the nation. We cannot forget the uncompromising actions of our veterans, those alive and those who have left us, because of them we can keep our lives of freedom in Democracy, we owe a lot to their sacrifices.
Therefore, when Trump defamed our service men and women for his cheap shot at getting a mention in today’s news, or a rise out of Joe Biden, he likely had no idea how important our vets are to all of us who live in freedom, to our country, their families, and to our Democracy. We think of their sacrifice often, while Trump continues to tear our country apart, causing chaos and division, this is not our way, this is not the America that our military fought for...so, let all of us, all patriots of America, honour all of our US military forces.
Of course not all, and it may be just the ones that I wind up seeing are MAGA email forwards, originating from god knows where.
Your assessment of Trump is spot on, but it's not just the living vets he insulted, it's literally every man or woman who ever wore a uniform going back to the Revolution.
Yes, and there’s the rub...Trump continues his assault on the country, including sending his (black water) “unidentifiable men with guns” to areas of protest, currently Portland and Kenosha, making an already fraught situation worse. We must be wary of Trumps next steps and stop those who are pulled into a skirmish with Trumps troops, because it’s just what Trump wants a way to postpone the election to scare Americans into believing only Trump can stop the violence, so may decide keep him in place with or without an election..
After all the blood that has been spilled, after all the effort that this country has put into fighting dictators and tyranny and oppression for close to a quarter of a millennium, it comes down to this:
A wannabe dictator inside our own house.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is the most important election in US history. Period.
All those overseas wars against belligerent foreign powers and dictatorships will be wasted if we cannot overcome the threat inside our own White House.
Thank you, Greg. I always learn from your great writing, but this piece got to me in a personal way. Thank you for allowing me to share this here. (P.S. Lots of Boomer emails are MAGA? If you say so; don’t associate w/maggites. But, not ALWAYS. This Boomer just sayin’:).
Like many, I've been doing what I can to help organize and get out the vote for Biden/Harris. This latest, however, has turbo-charged my efforts. I'm even angrier than before, and I didn't think that was possible.
My father was also a Marine. He also served at Guadalcanal, and got malaria, which followed him throughout his life. But this is not what haunted him about WWII, and all wars after that. He was traumatized - in that silent, soulful way men of his generation were taught to deal with stuff - by seeing his fellow Marines literally blown up right next to him. But what haunted him was the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fact that it probably saved his life. He was never able to reconcile the America he believed in with such evil. Agree with him, or not, he saw dropping the bomb not as a tactical military move to save American lives (as the common story goes, I think), but as the murder of innocents in the name of good soldiers, like himself. He believed America was better than that.
Born in 1917, he grew up desperately poor in Pittsburgh, PA, the oldest of five brothers and sisters. His father died when they were young. As the oldest, it was his responsibility to care for his mother and siblings. When he was a teenager, he was hopping rail cars and traveling the country looking for work. Passing through the freezing Rockies to and from California (fruit picking seasons), there were a few blankets and coats that were passed from arriving to departing “hobo’s”. Because he was a kid he usually got one, which he credits with saving him from freezing to death during the passage. His siblings, my Aunts and Uncles, have told me these stories, and more, from my own very young age. I'm grateful they did, because, while hardly meek or without opinion, my father was not the kind of man to boast, play victim, or draw attention to his own courage.
As a young man, he, too, had signed up after Pearl Harbor. He would later tell me it was because he was homeless and starving, and just looking for a bed and a hot meal for the night. The Marines were the only branch offering that on a cold, chilly night. He soon found himself promoted to Sargent and on a ship headed for the Pacific. They assigned him to "communications", which meant setting up two-way communications before the ground troops landed so the troops and commanders could speak to each other in theater. In the 1940's there were no satellites bouncing waves of texts through the air. He was the guy who had to string the wire; strap a wheel of telephone wire on his back and crawl on his stomach through enemy territory before the battle.
I doubt he was doing all this for a bed and a hot meal. As a child of the Great Depression, the loss of his father at a young age and the huge responsibilities that loss placed on him, America had not given him much, so far. Still, he believed in America. A place where, despite our ongoing sins, the natural state is forward movement to a place of honor, truth and decency. A place where wrongs could be made right and each of us has a duty to each other and to our citizenship.
After the war, my father went to college on the GI bill and began his career in a new communication system called "television". He married my mother, Irene, who was his sweetheart for 52 years, until his death in 2003. Together they raised my brother, sister and me as most Greatest Generation parents did: To want for nothing and have a better life than they did. They instilled in us their courage, unconditional love and belief in ourselves and each other. Most important, my parents taught us to stand up for what you believe in and to organize and fight to your last breath. To never be silent, even if you are the only one, and even if it is your best friend, your boss - or yourself - who needs to see the truth.
It’s an overused term, but my father really did believe in “the promise of America”. Injustice, cruelty and abuse of regular, working people is what pissed him off. I learned all my swear words hearing him rage when MLK was shot and Nixon pardoned, to name a few. But, he was also a man of action. As a highly respected Director with ABC Sports, in its heyday, he refused to work - in the middle of some important live sports event - when anti-Semitic statements and calls to fire his friend and colleague, Howard Cosell, arose. He took me to my first Union picket line, and it wasn't even his strike. His Union was doing a sympathy strike in support of another Union, and he had signed up for picket duty. Despite his [usually] private rantings, he never preached, but just quietly led by example, which, on occasion, definitely included kicking the shit out of assholes.
In America today, sometimes I feel like my father, crawling through enemy territory with the weight of this moment on my back. I refuse to acknowledge the person or refer to the comments that sparked your great piece, Greg. Not in the same breath as my father. I will only say that yes, my Daddy is here. Very much here. Because I am here. And your Great-Uncle, Frank, is also here, because you are here. And so many, many others. No matter other differences, this is America, and we will not have it stolen out from under us. The shoulders we stand on are too strong.
Kian, your beautiful reflections, along with Greg's, have brought me to tears, but these are different than the tears of late - - they're ones of hope and awe at the beautiful courage and strength of we Americans, present & past. Thank you both for the balm to my ravaged soul that are these stories of your Father and Greg's Uncle Frank. I, too, believe our heroes above are watching and will lend us their battle strength, their wholly holy convictions, in the coming crucial 57 days, as we unite to preserve our Constitutional Republic. Amen/So be it...
Hi Elle: Thank you for the kind words, and the inspiration. I agree - we stand on the shoulders of our great Vets, to whom we owe so much. I'm also grateful for the leadership of all the young people. They can "OK Boomer" me all they want; I'm grateful they are leading us and it brings me comfort knowing the future is in their hands. Yup, "Fight or Die" time - I know what Team I'm on!
Kian, I love your writing but I am responding to you for another reason. My father was also a director for Wide World of Sports! Small world. He was the first hire, I believe in about 1962. Andy Sidaris. Who was your dad if I may ask?
OMG! My father was Lou Frederick, started around same time, I think. Yes, Andy Sidaris - my parents knew him & name very familiar. Small world, indeed.
It really impacted the way I see the world, but we sure as hell grew up in wild times didn't we? I remember your father's name too. But my dad was lovingly referred to as being "to the right of Attila the Hun" by my brother and I. I hope life has treated you well.
Yes, the children of ABC Sports back then. So many incredible experiences, the travel, the different languages & cultures, Olympic pins! Seeing so many different parts of the world as a child & young adult really opened up my worldview.
My parents were the exact opposite. FDR Dems/Union folk all the way!
Yes, life has been good, but still one more ride for me - Fking WINNING it all, House, Senate & POTUS in Nov. Then, expand the federal courts & Greg is right: Every last one of these creepy, slimy snakes in jail, or worse if I had my way.
Take care, Stacey; great to meet a fellow traveler - we are a small group, I think.
Thanks, Greg. He's my father & Hero, but just one of many, past & present. Thank you for allowing me the space here. And, please, keep on inspiring us! 57 days, Fight or Die!
We are not being protected from Trump. Armed Forces, Generals, help us. Congress, my view, limping along. No help. DOJ, overthrown by Barr. Judiciary, blind justice.
Generals, bust down, or walk-in Whitehouse, take over until election. Please help us; we are scared retirees. I am a Vietnam Veteran Against War. My 93 year father who recently died, was wounded on the beach at Iwo Jima.
Serious question- do you really think voters hearing & reading what the POS traitor said will really make a difference at the polls? People have such a short memory & the narrative changes so fast every damn day.
I cry a lot these days. I can’t believe how the republicans have turned their backs on our country. I hope karma gets them all. Death penalty to traitors!
In addition to my grandpa Connie fighting in WWII, my father (Bob Donnelly) and his best friend (Harold "Jack" Weatherby) enlisted December 8, 1941. Harold went to the Navy and the Pacific. My dad went to the Coast Guard and NY where he attended Columbia University to become a Pharmacist's Mate. His assignment was with the dentist. He watched and learned, and the "dentist" soon let him "do dentistry." My father never talked much about these days, but it launched his career. He returned from duty and attended pre-dental classes at Compton College on his way to dental school at USC. For his "carving" test (to assess manual dexterity), he carved a trojan head and helmet that came on and off the head! He was a talented artist, but we never saw that side of him. My father loved his friend Harold, and my brother grew up with his nickname. They were all heroes. They all wanted to fight to save the country that is like no other. My hope and dream is that heroes will rise up again to rescue America from the international crime syndicate operating under Lord Dampnut (it really is an anagram . . . ). Everything depends on this vote. everything. Thanks Greg for your thought-provoking prose.
Another terrific article.
I know Uncle Frank. He’s my grandfather, my Uncle Robert, my Uncle Joe, Uncle Morris, Uncle Nick who all fought for this amazing g country.
Not one was a loser or sucker.
Amen to that. Thanks!
My maternal g’pa came here from Norway in 1915, married his employer’s daughter (the farmer’s daughter, literally), then went to war on our side in France to defeat the Kaiser’s aggression where he lost a lung to mustard gas and receiving wounds from machine gun fire. I’d say he earned his citizenship and if not the respect of this so-called president, at least to have his memory free from his insults. Bring back le Guillotine, I say. Voting him and Moscow Mitch out won’t balance the scale.
I’d like nothing more than a firing squad for traitors. Wasn’t that the way it was? Since Trump seems to want to go backwards death for traitors seems right.
These days they get to negotiate for 6 months in jail. Who are we where traitors are revered?
In any other society at any other point in the history of the world until about 25 years ago, the traitors would be tried, convicted, and executed. I can't see that happening here, but there has to be severe, SEVERE penalties when the dust settles. We can't just do the usual thing and kick the can/turn the page.
There needs to be consequences for this, real ones. I don't like capital punishment, but for treason, I make an exception.
my grandfather, Conrad LaCarre, fought in the Pacific. he suffered from malaria and it’s after effects from his time not being a sucker or a loser. i hope this disgraceful disrespect of the military will finally be his GD undoing. basta ya already.
Apart from all else, Conrad LaCarre is about as cool a name as you can have. Not a sucker, not a loser. Hero.
He went by Connie and he was the coolest grandparent. he helped us build rockets powered by m80s, jumped into the pool with us on his back, made the meanest sloppy joes/tacos out of chorizo infused shredded beef.
Has anyone made a comparison of Trump's views of military service to those of Don Corleone? As I recall Michael Corleone's service in WW2 was contrary to his father's belief that his sons should not risk their lives for corrupt politicians i.e. heads of state etc. Trump's worldview often seems to me to be the view of a mob boss, or wanna be mob boss.
That's the second time someone has said that today to me...Trump doesn't care about service because, yes, his worldview is informed by the mobsters who are his compeers.
Trump is mobbed up. born into it
My father was in every Pacific Naval battle of WWII except the last one after the bow of his ship was blown off. He was never a loser. I flew in the Vietnam war. Like my father before me, I did it out of love of my country. Loving your country does not make you a loser. Denigrating those who served does make you both a coward and a loser.
My father was a pilot during WWII in the Netherlands. My mother was a teen during the German occupation, she always shuddered when we spoke about that time, but refused to go into any detail, except to say that the SS were brutal men, who often did things to amuse themselves...omitting the rest, leaving it to our imagination. As I read about WWII in my research of the world’s combined history with our allies, I realize that many young girls and teens would have been hidden away as much as possible from the Nazis, SS and German military on furlough. America and Canada was to become home to many escaping from the German occupation in The Netherlands including Queen Beatrix and her children, Netherlanders will always remember America and Canada with gratitude for keeping her, her children, and other Dutch people safe from the Nazis.
Thanks for sharing this, Mary. There was so much horror during that war that it boggles the mind to try and comprehend it. Your father, most definitely not a loser or a sucker.
That's an impressive resume, for both of you. Thank you for sharing, and for your service.
Awesome piece. I love it.
I emailed Greg privately a day or two ago:
"The Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic is my new hero. His article drove a wooden stake into Trump’s heart.
That’s the final nail in the coffin. This election is going to be a total bloodbath for the Republican party."
If Greg wasn't going to use that line about the wooden stake in this post, I just had to include it.
In the mean time, however, I am having second thoughts. Yes, Trump ruining his reputation in the military, part of his core constituency, is a devastating blow. But I can't allow my enthusiasm to carry me away.
My wife just forwarded an article to me. Not pretty. It makes me pause and reconsider.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/31/opinion/biden-is-track-lose-electoral-college/
The author of this Boston Globe piece, John Ellis, makes one breath-taking point: swing voters, the spineless block that won't make up its mind until the last minute, will look to the person that appears to be the strongest. Appearances are precisely what DJT cultivates, and therefore uncertain voters who blow with the breeze are precisely the voters he is most likely to influence in his direction.
I am reminded of DJT's leadership strategy, which is to follow Hitler's techniques. Back in the late '80s, Trump was reading Hitler's 1941 self-evaluation of his speeches and oratory, according to a lengthy Vanity Fair article from 1990. Also note this review of a book comparing Trump and Hitler:
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/09/leading-civil-rights-lawyer-shows-20-ways-trump-copying-hitlers-early-rhetoric-and?amp
So Trump is inciting people, which influences the ones who are rudderless and therefore easy to manipulate. Read: swing voters.
I am heartened, Greg, by your family story of Diane and her father Frank. Having the Marines and our other patriots come out and take a stand is powerful. It's a statement against dictators, and a statement against regressive actions that take benefits and gifts and support away from the people (and the environment) and give it to the super-rich.
Donald Trump is a wannabe dictator. It should come as no surprise that the Americans who dedicated their honor and their bodies and lives to oppose dictators would have a say in this election.
We as a nation have a long history of having people come out of nowhere to fight dictatorship and oppression and attempts at domination and subjugation of nearby nations. Greg and the readers here are obviously in that camp. Jim Mattis, the Marine and recent SecDef, was my latest read, his book "Call Sign Chaos" is highly recommended. It completely shifted my opinion of the US Military, in particular the Marines.
My ancestors, the Germans, were guilty of the offense of subjugating nearby nations, and oppressing classes of people within its borders and in the countries they invaded. But America, since the days of the French Revolution, has stood by people who are oppressed. That's why Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, was instrumental in having the Statue of Liberty created and presented to the people of the United States, as a thank-you gift from France, and as a symbol of the light of liberty and goodness for a troubled world.
This is a beautiful piece, Greg, THANK YOU.
Remember, Ronald, that Donald Trump says very many things... most are lies...but other statements are smoke to cover what he’s really doing, we should pay close attention to his actions. It’s the things that Trump doesn’t say, the behind the scenes corrupt actions, even crimes that we need to worry about. It’s time that we keep the old guy busy defending his words so he’s too busy to do anything that will destroy our country. The moves he’s made in Portland, and Kenosha comes to mind. Those (black water) unidentifiable men are creating even more havoc there, and need to be stopped ASAP. Their actions are meant to create even more chaos and incite more violence even a war if we aren’t careful in the way we react to this Trump action. If we aren’t VERY careful, we may be drawn into a war of Trumps making, in order that he may change the conversation, maybe even stop the election, leaving Trump in place, in our White House, to our (combined) horror.
Thanks for this, Roland. I usually use "stake in the heart," metaphorically of course, when referring to Rupert Murdoch, who I think may be nosferatu.
Not all Boomers rely on email forwards nor are those forwards about MAGA..that said I will say that our MAGA neighbours are beginning to see the error in their belief that Trump was somehow going to solve all of the problems (jobs given to minorities, affirmative action etc) that immigrants and minorities caused (in their own minds) and in their lives.
Yes, I do believe that our vets are special, not only when they were alive and protecting US but also our memories of their valour and service to the nation. We cannot forget the uncompromising actions of our veterans, those alive and those who have left us, because of them we can keep our lives of freedom in Democracy, we owe a lot to their sacrifices.
Therefore, when Trump defamed our service men and women for his cheap shot at getting a mention in today’s news, or a rise out of Joe Biden, he likely had no idea how important our vets are to all of us who live in freedom, to our country, their families, and to our Democracy. We think of their sacrifice often, while Trump continues to tear our country apart, causing chaos and division, this is not our way, this is not the America that our military fought for...so, let all of us, all patriots of America, honour all of our US military forces.
Of course not all, and it may be just the ones that I wind up seeing are MAGA email forwards, originating from god knows where.
Your assessment of Trump is spot on, but it's not just the living vets he insulted, it's literally every man or woman who ever wore a uniform going back to the Revolution.
Yes, and there’s the rub...Trump continues his assault on the country, including sending his (black water) “unidentifiable men with guns” to areas of protest, currently Portland and Kenosha, making an already fraught situation worse. We must be wary of Trumps next steps and stop those who are pulled into a skirmish with Trumps troops, because it’s just what Trump wants a way to postpone the election to scare Americans into believing only Trump can stop the violence, so may decide keep him in place with or without an election..
After all the blood that has been spilled, after all the effort that this country has put into fighting dictators and tyranny and oppression for close to a quarter of a millennium, it comes down to this:
A wannabe dictator inside our own house.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is the most important election in US history. Period.
All those overseas wars against belligerent foreign powers and dictatorships will be wasted if we cannot overcome the threat inside our own White House.
Absolutely correct.
Thank you, Greg. I always learn from your great writing, but this piece got to me in a personal way. Thank you for allowing me to share this here. (P.S. Lots of Boomer emails are MAGA? If you say so; don’t associate w/maggites. But, not ALWAYS. This Boomer just sayin’:).
Like many, I've been doing what I can to help organize and get out the vote for Biden/Harris. This latest, however, has turbo-charged my efforts. I'm even angrier than before, and I didn't think that was possible.
My father was also a Marine. He also served at Guadalcanal, and got malaria, which followed him throughout his life. But this is not what haunted him about WWII, and all wars after that. He was traumatized - in that silent, soulful way men of his generation were taught to deal with stuff - by seeing his fellow Marines literally blown up right next to him. But what haunted him was the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fact that it probably saved his life. He was never able to reconcile the America he believed in with such evil. Agree with him, or not, he saw dropping the bomb not as a tactical military move to save American lives (as the common story goes, I think), but as the murder of innocents in the name of good soldiers, like himself. He believed America was better than that.
Born in 1917, he grew up desperately poor in Pittsburgh, PA, the oldest of five brothers and sisters. His father died when they were young. As the oldest, it was his responsibility to care for his mother and siblings. When he was a teenager, he was hopping rail cars and traveling the country looking for work. Passing through the freezing Rockies to and from California (fruit picking seasons), there were a few blankets and coats that were passed from arriving to departing “hobo’s”. Because he was a kid he usually got one, which he credits with saving him from freezing to death during the passage. His siblings, my Aunts and Uncles, have told me these stories, and more, from my own very young age. I'm grateful they did, because, while hardly meek or without opinion, my father was not the kind of man to boast, play victim, or draw attention to his own courage.
As a young man, he, too, had signed up after Pearl Harbor. He would later tell me it was because he was homeless and starving, and just looking for a bed and a hot meal for the night. The Marines were the only branch offering that on a cold, chilly night. He soon found himself promoted to Sargent and on a ship headed for the Pacific. They assigned him to "communications", which meant setting up two-way communications before the ground troops landed so the troops and commanders could speak to each other in theater. In the 1940's there were no satellites bouncing waves of texts through the air. He was the guy who had to string the wire; strap a wheel of telephone wire on his back and crawl on his stomach through enemy territory before the battle.
I doubt he was doing all this for a bed and a hot meal. As a child of the Great Depression, the loss of his father at a young age and the huge responsibilities that loss placed on him, America had not given him much, so far. Still, he believed in America. A place where, despite our ongoing sins, the natural state is forward movement to a place of honor, truth and decency. A place where wrongs could be made right and each of us has a duty to each other and to our citizenship.
After the war, my father went to college on the GI bill and began his career in a new communication system called "television". He married my mother, Irene, who was his sweetheart for 52 years, until his death in 2003. Together they raised my brother, sister and me as most Greatest Generation parents did: To want for nothing and have a better life than they did. They instilled in us their courage, unconditional love and belief in ourselves and each other. Most important, my parents taught us to stand up for what you believe in and to organize and fight to your last breath. To never be silent, even if you are the only one, and even if it is your best friend, your boss - or yourself - who needs to see the truth.
It’s an overused term, but my father really did believe in “the promise of America”. Injustice, cruelty and abuse of regular, working people is what pissed him off. I learned all my swear words hearing him rage when MLK was shot and Nixon pardoned, to name a few. But, he was also a man of action. As a highly respected Director with ABC Sports, in its heyday, he refused to work - in the middle of some important live sports event - when anti-Semitic statements and calls to fire his friend and colleague, Howard Cosell, arose. He took me to my first Union picket line, and it wasn't even his strike. His Union was doing a sympathy strike in support of another Union, and he had signed up for picket duty. Despite his [usually] private rantings, he never preached, but just quietly led by example, which, on occasion, definitely included kicking the shit out of assholes.
In America today, sometimes I feel like my father, crawling through enemy territory with the weight of this moment on my back. I refuse to acknowledge the person or refer to the comments that sparked your great piece, Greg. Not in the same breath as my father. I will only say that yes, my Daddy is here. Very much here. Because I am here. And your Great-Uncle, Frank, is also here, because you are here. And so many, many others. No matter other differences, this is America, and we will not have it stolen out from under us. The shoulders we stand on are too strong.
ORGANIZE...VOTE...ORGANIZE...VOTE...ORGANIZE...VOTE...
Kian, your beautiful reflections, along with Greg's, have brought me to tears, but these are different than the tears of late - - they're ones of hope and awe at the beautiful courage and strength of we Americans, present & past. Thank you both for the balm to my ravaged soul that are these stories of your Father and Greg's Uncle Frank. I, too, believe our heroes above are watching and will lend us their battle strength, their wholly holy convictions, in the coming crucial 57 days, as we unite to preserve our Constitutional Republic. Amen/So be it...
Hi Elle: Thank you for the kind words, and the inspiration. I agree - we stand on the shoulders of our great Vets, to whom we owe so much. I'm also grateful for the leadership of all the young people. They can "OK Boomer" me all they want; I'm grateful they are leading us and it brings me comfort knowing the future is in their hands. Yup, "Fight or Die" time - I know what Team I'm on!
Amen!
Kian, I love your writing but I am responding to you for another reason. My father was also a director for Wide World of Sports! Small world. He was the first hire, I believe in about 1962. Andy Sidaris. Who was your dad if I may ask?
OMG! My father was Lou Frederick, started around same time, I think. Yes, Andy Sidaris - my parents knew him & name very familiar. Small world, indeed.
Were you in Munich in 1972 with your father? I was there, that was intense!
Yes, WOW. I'll never forget Munich 72. Still chilling.
It really impacted the way I see the world, but we sure as hell grew up in wild times didn't we? I remember your father's name too. But my dad was lovingly referred to as being "to the right of Attila the Hun" by my brother and I. I hope life has treated you well.
Yes, the children of ABC Sports back then. So many incredible experiences, the travel, the different languages & cultures, Olympic pins! Seeing so many different parts of the world as a child & young adult really opened up my worldview.
My parents were the exact opposite. FDR Dems/Union folk all the way!
Yes, life has been good, but still one more ride for me - Fking WINNING it all, House, Senate & POTUS in Nov. Then, expand the federal courts & Greg is right: Every last one of these creepy, slimy snakes in jail, or worse if I had my way.
Take care, Stacey; great to meet a fellow traveler - we are a small group, I think.
Wow, what a remarkable story, and a remarkable life. Thanks so much for sharing. Your father is an extraordinary person.
Thanks, Greg. He's my father & Hero, but just one of many, past & present. Thank you for allowing me the space here. And, please, keep on inspiring us! 57 days, Fight or Die!
We are not being protected from Trump. Armed Forces, Generals, help us. Congress, my view, limping along. No help. DOJ, overthrown by Barr. Judiciary, blind justice.
Generals, bust down, or walk-in Whitehouse, take over until election. Please help us; we are scared retirees. I am a Vietnam Veteran Against War. My 93 year father who recently died, was wounded on the beach at Iwo Jima.
I hope you’re correct because I can’t take much more of this. I really can’t.
Serious question- do you really think voters hearing & reading what the POS traitor said will really make a difference at the polls? People have such a short memory & the narrative changes so fast every damn day.
I cry a lot these days. I can’t believe how the republicans have turned their backs on our country. I hope karma gets them all. Death penalty to traitors!
I'd love to believe this, but he was never running a campsign, but looking to steal an election. As always, i hooe u are right
In addition to my grandpa Connie fighting in WWII, my father (Bob Donnelly) and his best friend (Harold "Jack" Weatherby) enlisted December 8, 1941. Harold went to the Navy and the Pacific. My dad went to the Coast Guard and NY where he attended Columbia University to become a Pharmacist's Mate. His assignment was with the dentist. He watched and learned, and the "dentist" soon let him "do dentistry." My father never talked much about these days, but it launched his career. He returned from duty and attended pre-dental classes at Compton College on his way to dental school at USC. For his "carving" test (to assess manual dexterity), he carved a trojan head and helmet that came on and off the head! He was a talented artist, but we never saw that side of him. My father loved his friend Harold, and my brother grew up with his nickname. They were all heroes. They all wanted to fight to save the country that is like no other. My hope and dream is that heroes will rise up again to rescue America from the international crime syndicate operating under Lord Dampnut (it really is an anagram . . . ). Everything depends on this vote. everything. Thanks Greg for your thought-provoking prose.