Memorial Day, Thanking Our Fathers !

This Memorial Day, we need to all take a moment and call our fathers, many of which served in World War II, the Korean War, and even possilby the Vietnam War (for the younger realtors out there ), and thank them for their sacrifice and service to our country.

My father is a retired Captain in the Marine Corps, and loves the Marine Corps almost as much as his family. He enrolled in the Marines as a student at UCLA, and as part of an officers training program was able to finish up his studies before shipping out to fight o Okinawa. He was in charge of a Marine contingent responsible for protecting the air base set up on Okinawa early after the invasion forces landed there. The air base was attacked many times, and even by an aerial suicide squad that landed at the base and set off explosives in many of the buildings!!!

American forces in Battle of Okinawa

My fathers best friend and best man at his weddingis “Buck” Compton, one of the leading characters in the book and HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers”. Buck was the one who had white hair andled the initial attack early in the film on the entrenched gun emplacements on the night of the Normady Invasion. He was shot in the rear end later in the movie and was carried away on a door by his fellow soldiers. Buck served in Easy Company, a paratroop brigade.

Buck was invited to attend the premier of Band of Brothers when it was shown in Normandie France and was able to invite my Dad. My Dad also was a guest with Buck at the opening of the World War II memorial in Washington D.C.

It is important to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and honor our Veterans who have given so much.