21 Jul 2006 11:56 AM

In Remberence of My Dad, My Military Hero

     My father at the age of 14 went to the miltary compound and begged to fight for our country, they told him to come back at age 18. He came back at age 18 with a pregnent wife in tow. Yuma, Arizona was the Marine base I was born at. Mother got on a train to Florida when I was 8 months old and left us behind.

    Daddy's military dreams were cut short due to the new responsibility he had. We were very poor and I remember daddy riding me on the handlebars of his bicycle to school everyday. Dad had 5 brothers and 1 sister and every chance we had we were visiting them. I was taught by actions that family was very important and how treat people respectfully.

    Dad was never very lucky with women and when I got older, married and moved away, he would call me and talk to me about his love life and things that were going on with. Anyways he always made me feel like I was an important part of his life. Also any ideas I had, he always thought they were great and was proud of me.

    One day out of no where I was called by hospital, that I should come to Florida. Daddy had a stroke at 56, after he had some tests done they found a cancer tumor in head the size of an orange. It was too late for any treatments, I brought him home with me, quit my job and took care of him. He lived another 6 months, 5 of them were good. He was most proud of the time he spent in the military an regretted that he could join before the vietnam war was over. Daddy had taken pictures out the photo album and wrote notes on them for me. The one of him standing in the desert with his military gear on said " Remember Me Like This".

   It has been 3 years since he passed away, I still wish he would call. Daddy did not serve in the military long, nor did he fight any battles but he will forever remain my hero.

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