Military Weekend ….

I don’t know what my deal has been lately about blogging 2-3 post in a day.

This weekend will be full of military events for my family. Of course R. has his Boot Camp Graduation. 

My Dad’s family is having a memorial service with full military honors for his cousin this weekend. Randy was killed in Viet- Nam in 1971.  The service will be on Sunday afternoon exactly 40 years from the date he was killed. July 24.

His helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission when it was gunned down. The medic pronounced him dead at the scene but because they were under fire the medic copter had to leave.

A US Army group returned to the wreckage the next day to recover personal effects, and the bodies they had to leave behind due to being under attack.  The Vietnamese stole the bodies and all personal effects and weapons.

There is a group who has been looking for POW’s and remains of soldiers since the war’s end. Randy’s sisters were informed in March of this year that the Army had a positive ID on Randy’s remains.

It’s been an emotional time for our family. Namely those in his generation. (My aunt’s and uncles, My Dad, Randy’s sisters etc.) Daddy has been asked to speak at the service.

Here are a couple of links regarding this story. It’s been a neat thing for my my Family to be able to have their dear cousin/ brother returned to American soil. My dad has had a tough time with this. He was in the Navy and I believe out at see when Randy was killed. During that time, My dad’s brother was also in the Army.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/illinois/article_9513a77e-aec3-52ee-b3a1-2427eb3a5eb2.html

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=152626241

 

On another note regarding my family and military stuff, My dad’s cousin posted a picture of a post card sent in 1943 from Navy Boot Camp. The post card was sent by my Pawpaw to his brother. He attended Boot Camp at the same base R. is currently at. My Dad also attended Boot Camp in these same facilities! How Neat is that!! Dad’s cousin also came across a picture of pawpaw’s ‘official’ navy picture!