It is almost Veterans Day
Veterans Day is one of those times a year I think about my father and wish he was still here. He wasn’t a great man by traditional standards. He was a man of honor and service. His honor was based on hard work and honesty, with more than a bit of stubbornness thrown in for good measure.
Dad was an over-the-road trucker lucky enough to own more than one truck, but the 1970s were a rough time for truckers. It is strange how a short war on the other side of the world could impact a Midwestern trucker. During Yom Kippur of 1973, Israel’s neighbors attacked them and defeated them after a short war. The United States supported Israel, which led to an oil embargo by the Arab states, which led to gas lines, inflation, and trucker strikes.
In Richmond, Missouri, the world’s troubles seemed far away. From that time, I only remember Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, a war hero, and Dad hauling gravel in the morning, roofing houses until it was time to go to his evening job at a gas station. Later in life, I realized that Dad working three jobs to support his family was a small part of America’s support for the greater good of a free Israel.
Things settled down, and Dad was back on the road, and I was fortunate to go with him some summers and see the Country from the cab of a truck. I saw flames shoot out of the exhaust over the mountains and inside many truck stops. On one trip, a man handed Dad a small red button that said WIN (Whip Inflation Now). I asked Dad about the button; he said, “Only a damn fool thinks a button will bring down prices.” Then tossed the button out of the window.
These are the type of things I think about when missing Dad. He passed away in 2018 at age 90. I wish he had been here the following year to comfort my Mom as my sister was dying of cancer. But I am glad he didn’t have to experience the heartache of seeing his daughter die. He missed COVID, January 6th, politicians tearing apart the Country he loved. He served in the United States Army from 1952 to 1956, a time of both a hot and cold war.
