30 Days of Being Thankful- Day 11

I've been sitting here knitting for a while, and I figure it was time to write my post this evening.  Today, like most others on Veteran's Day, I am thankful for the men and women of the armed services who serve and protect our country.  Both of my Grandfathers served in World War II, and each of their "war stories" makes me feel so blessed that they lived so I could know and love them.

My Grandfather Frick passed away 10 years ago, and he was a member of the Merchant Marines.  He was a gunner on the ship, and had the task of helping to spot Japanese torpedoes heading for the ship and shooting them before they hit the ship.  He was in the turret when a torpedo was heading directly to his ship, ready to hit the spot underneath him, and he couldn't get a clear shot off to detonate the torpedo, and it hit the boat.  Luckily, the torpedo was a dud and never went off.  I only learned of this story a few months back, and I'm sure he had many more tales of his time in the war, but I am so blessed that that torpedo never went off, and I was able to have 20 wonderful years with a man whom I deeply admired and loved very much.

My Grandpa Ferguson was in the Army and was stationed in the South Pacific during the war.  He never spoke about his time there, and I've only heard the stories second hand from a sibling, but I know he watched as men were shot and killed by enemy fire.  He could have been one of those men, and I am so grateful he wasn't.  He will be 89 next year, and he has lived a good, long life, and I'm so fortunate to have had him in my life as long as I have.  He has had grandsons and great-grandsons named after him, and we all love and appreciate him for the great example of strength he is. 

Both of these men hold a very special place in my life, and I am just to blessed to be related to them both.  As I have embarked on a mission of family history over this past year (thank you, wonderful mother-in-law, Nancy for your amazing help with that!) and I have discovered that I've had so many other family members who fought in the Civil War, and the Revolutionary War as well.  I'm thankful to come from a line of men and women who are proud of their nation and their right to freedom, so proud that they are willing to fight for it, no matter the cost.  So thank you, dear family members, for your service to our nation.  I will always love and appreciate you for it.