Veterans Day: Thanks to all who served and all who fought, all the missing and all the dead. And most especially to my dad, Lt. Edward Abrahams, USN, 1924-2021.
Happy Veterans Day to all who served, and to their families who served beside them and upheld them. As I drove onto the Boise Veterans Administration campus to visit hubby in the VA Hospice Unit, the roads and parade ground were lined with American flags, fluttering in the breeze. Fills my heart with pride and patriotism!
I think we are all touched in one way or another by this day and what it commemorates. In my case my dad was actually on a warship in the middle of the Pacific in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan when the war ended. He spent the next six months on Okinawa before returning stateside. I do have a picture of him at his encampment on Okinawa, which is a treasured photo.
My Dad was buried at the Miramar National Cemetery on his birthday, October 15. I made sure one of the photos was him in his Army uniform. He was drafted for the Korean war and served most of his time in White Sands New Mexico repairing tank radios. When he enlisted I guess they found he had an aptitude for electronics and trained him. When he got out he used the GI bill to go to college, the first of his generation, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. That is what he did his entire life. He designed test equipment to test the electronics for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights, working for General Dynamics/Convair, Ryan, and Solar. For this he had military clearance. After the space flights he continued to work for the military as a civilian electronics engineer in California and Ft. Huachuca in Arizona. He even taught basics to recruits at the Naval Training Center, now Liberty Station. He never saw action, and while he was initially unwilling was always proud of his service and grateful for the opportunities it gave him.
My Uncle had a much more interesting military career. When still children, my Mother, Uncle and Aunt and my Grandparents returned to Germany to visit relatives. My Grandparents were U.S. citizens and their children were born here. While there my Grandmother became ill had had to be hospitalized for several months. During that time WWII broke out and they were not allowed to leave. By the end of the war, my Uncle was 16 and drafted into the German Army and eventually sent to the Russian Front. He attained the rank of Corporal and at the end of the war he and a friend escaped the Russian internment camp and made their way to the U.S. side where my Uncle told them he was a natural born U.S. citizen. Eventually he and my Mother returned to the U.S. When the Korean War broke out my Uncle enlisted and because of his service in the German military they promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant, recognizing his training in the German army and he served in Korea, also doing electronics. He was trained as a machinist in Germany but moved into electronics as his civilian vocation. Eventually he moved into computers and did that even after he retired from work. I think he worked for Burroughs. He lived just outside of Boston, MA. He wrote a book called “Two Shades of War” by Edward Weiss. Not the greatest prose as he only had an 8th grade education, but interesting stories. It is a thin book but available as an e-book for those interested. Not sure all the family stories are in it. I have some from their time in Germany.
My brother graduated from the Air Force Academy and flew C130s and eventually worked as a TALO. He is retired now and living in Florida.
Thieves, yes! Those patriotic lights brought HP great cheer! Some school children also visited the Hospice patients with hand written and decorated papers thanking them for their service! And they were served a special meal at supper time.
Dad!….My friends Dad did not have to serve in combat because of the “Saving Private Ryan Rule”….snort!….Her dad was the youngest brother while her two uncles were serving….wheeze!….After the war He did actually serve in Germany in a tank division. I have no idea what he did there besides drink beer with his buddies. But he had a lot of great photos in uniform which we all get to see now and then. He told my friend he loved traveling in Germany but when he eventually came back he was done with traveling….sniff!
11 Comments on “Veterans Day”
Greetings!
Lt. Abrahams…so handsome.
Thanks to all veterans past and present who served and laid down their lives for our country.
A very good day to all!
Happy Veterans Day to all who served, and to their families who served beside them and upheld them. As I drove onto the Boise Veterans Administration campus to visit hubby in the VA Hospice Unit, the roads and parade ground were lined with American flags, fluttering in the breeze. Fills my heart with pride and patriotism!
I think we are all touched in one way or another by this day and what it commemorates. In my case my dad was actually on a warship in the middle of the Pacific in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan when the war ended. He spent the next six months on Okinawa before returning stateside. I do have a picture of him at his encampment on Okinawa, which is a treasured photo.
My Dad was buried at the Miramar National Cemetery on his birthday, October 15. I made sure one of the photos was him in his Army uniform. He was drafted for the Korean war and served most of his time in White Sands New Mexico repairing tank radios. When he enlisted I guess they found he had an aptitude for electronics and trained him. When he got out he used the GI bill to go to college, the first of his generation, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. That is what he did his entire life. He designed test equipment to test the electronics for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights, working for General Dynamics/Convair, Ryan, and Solar. For this he had military clearance. After the space flights he continued to work for the military as a civilian electronics engineer in California and Ft. Huachuca in Arizona. He even taught basics to recruits at the Naval Training Center, now Liberty Station. He never saw action, and while he was initially unwilling was always proud of his service and grateful for the opportunities it gave him.
My Uncle had a much more interesting military career. When still children, my Mother, Uncle and Aunt and my Grandparents returned to Germany to visit relatives. My Grandparents were U.S. citizens and their children were born here. While there my Grandmother became ill had had to be hospitalized for several months. During that time WWII broke out and they were not allowed to leave. By the end of the war, my Uncle was 16 and drafted into the German Army and eventually sent to the Russian Front. He attained the rank of Corporal and at the end of the war he and a friend escaped the Russian internment camp and made their way to the U.S. side where my Uncle told them he was a natural born U.S. citizen. Eventually he and my Mother returned to the U.S. When the Korean War broke out my Uncle enlisted and because of his service in the German military they promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant, recognizing his training in the German army and he served in Korea, also doing electronics. He was trained as a machinist in Germany but moved into electronics as his civilian vocation. Eventually he moved into computers and did that even after he retired from work. I think he worked for Burroughs. He lived just outside of Boston, MA. He wrote a book called “Two Shades of War” by Edward Weiss. Not the greatest prose as he only had an 8th grade education, but interesting stories. It is a thin book but available as an e-book for those interested. Not sure all the family stories are in it. I have some from their time in Germany.
My brother graduated from the Air Force Academy and flew C130s and eventually worked as a TALO. He is retired now and living in Florida.
ML, what a fascinating history! Thanks for sharing it!
We here are grateful for all those who did and do serve including our kind.
Did we put red, white and blue ground effect lights in HBs hospice bed in honor of Veteran’s Day? Youse tell us…
Thieves, yes! Those patriotic lights brought HP great cheer! Some school children also visited the Hospice patients with hand written and decorated papers thanking them for their service! And they were served a special meal at supper time.
Thieves! Please ask your Lady to check her SDD.
Wose: Our wayward Lady has checked and responded. Yeep!
Amazing story from mlaiuppa!
Dad!….My friends Dad did not have to serve in combat because of the “Saving Private Ryan Rule”….snort!….Her dad was the youngest brother while her two uncles were serving….wheeze!….After the war He did actually serve in Germany in a tank division. I have no idea what he did there besides drink beer with his buddies. But he had a lot of great photos in uniform which we all get to see now and then. He told my friend he loved traveling in Germany but when he eventually came back he was done with traveling….sniff!