All of our parents and senior citizens have wonderful stories to tell. I put those in two different categories because our parents certainly can’t be considered senior citizens. That would be aging me in a way I am not yet prepared to be labeled. Heck, even in my few years on this green and blue planet, I have seen a lot of changes. But for now, the stories of the ages go to our parents. Oh, if we could just record everything they know, everything they have experienced. How much more enlightened and entertained and wise would we be?
During our recent trip to Jann’s folks I was reminded of this treasure as we packed their things and reminisced along the way over the once thought trivial artifacts that mark baby steps and milestones in a family’s life. We must do a better job in recording these stories. If only we could talk everyone in to writing their own biography, like my Aunt and Uncle Clifford and Anna Sawyer have.
Jann’s folks, Herb and Iris, are veterans, having served in WWII in the Pacific Theater. I won’t pretend to provide all the details here because surely I will make mistakes. And if I do, please jump in with your comments and correct and add to the story. Herb was in what was then the Army Air Corps (Air Force) and flew P51 Mustangs. Iris and her sister Oral (Scottie) served as nurses. They met while in the service and married. One of Herb’s many experiences included a stint as a commander of a Japanese POW camp. After the war, they were stationed in Japan for a while and were there when Jann was born. Yep, Jann was born in Japan.
Here are a couple of the treasures we brought home that mark these memories. A cedar lined, veneer surfaced clothes chest, complete with the years of marks and chips and peeling veneer that make it family. Iris and her sister bought this chest new to store their clothes in when they left for the service.
During our recent trip to Jann’s folks I was reminded of this treasure as we packed their things and reminisced along the way over the once thought trivial artifacts that mark baby steps and milestones in a family’s life. We must do a better job in recording these stories. If only we could talk everyone in to writing their own biography, like my Aunt and Uncle Clifford and Anna Sawyer have.
Jann’s folks, Herb and Iris, are veterans, having served in WWII in the Pacific Theater. I won’t pretend to provide all the details here because surely I will make mistakes. And if I do, please jump in with your comments and correct and add to the story. Herb was in what was then the Army Air Corps (Air Force) and flew P51 Mustangs. Iris and her sister Oral (Scottie) served as nurses. They met while in the service and married. One of Herb’s many experiences included a stint as a commander of a Japanese POW camp. After the war, they were stationed in Japan for a while and were there when Jann was born. Yep, Jann was born in Japan.
Here are a couple of the treasures we brought home that mark these memories. A cedar lined, veneer surfaced clothes chest, complete with the years of marks and chips and peeling veneer that make it family. Iris and her sister bought this chest new to store their clothes in when they left for the service.
And then there’s this box. A metal reinforced wooden equipment box complete with some Japanese labeling inside that Herb used as a shipping crate to send some artifacts home from Japan when he first returned to the States.
No comments:
Post a Comment