Remembering . . .

From last years' Memorial day tribute I shared a little bit about my ancestry and their involvement protecting our freedom's:

My dad was the youngest in the family, and his father, being a widower soon after my dad was born, remarried. Gramma who was also a Widow, had several boys whom joined the clan, and it was a nice size rural farm type family. My dad enlisted in the Navy, and is a veteran of the Korean War. The other boys, including Grampa, were all vets of WWII. Gramma had 4 Star flags hanging in her window. One for Grampa Otto, who was a mail carrier in WWII (Otto drove ambulances in WWI) and one for each of her boys, Vane, LaMoyne, and Bob.

Bob didn't make it home. He was a casualty in Europe. His body was eventually returned and is interred in the Dummer family plot in Henderson, MN.

And Mom's side:

My maternal background is more domestic. I only have to go back a few generations to find Civil War veterans (one even buried right here is St. Paul) and a few more generations to find Revolutionary War descendancy. In fact, an Eaton family homestead, in Green Lake Wisconsin, was acquired through a War of 1812 Bounty Land Warrant.

I will be in Mankato most of the weekend, refining the Govenaire's 2005 competitive field show drill. But there will be time, to detour to the neighboring cemeteries, and pay my respects to my ancestor's who risked their lives, to preserve the lifestyle we have today.

On Monday, the corps will be participating in a traditional Memorial day service in Minnesota Square Park right on 169 just south of downtown St. Peter. It will be the first time I have participated in this ceremony, and it will be an honor knowing that some of those we will be paying tribute to, are those from whom I descended.

Have a SAFE and HEALTHY holiday weekend.

Flash