Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
Grandfather says he is a veteran, and his son served during Desert Storm.
With the help of the local newspaper, Grandfather compiled a list of veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Many of the letters that came in with the names of their boys were heartrending.
Using an Apple Lisa and a nine-pin printer (that’s all a we had back in those days) Grandfather printed all the names on 8.5- by 11-inch paper, pasted them onto an insulation board, and then put the list on a float in the Union, West Virginia, Farmer’s Day parade of 1991.
The list was also printed on acid-free paper and placed inside a veteran’s monument, and erected the following year on the courthouse lawn.
Grandfather, and son behind him, marching with the veteran’s list in the Farmer’s Day parade. (Click to enlarge)
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is an octogenarian from West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
What memories…. 28 years ago today, as-a-matter-of-fact, VII CORP received orders for deployment to SWA. Iron Hogs!
More memories: Your Mom (“Grandmother” here) was distraught.
Newly prominent Rush Limbaugh offered optimism on his radio program and eventually CNN did a great job offering us real-time, on-scene reporting of you guy’s Dessert Storm.
What a labor of love, Dad. Were the names of those from Union, Monroe County, or the state?
Monroe County only, Dear.
There were several thousand of us on that list and I’m sure we couldn’t find all of them (e.g. nobody left to remember WWI veterans) but we tried.
Our population today is about 13, 400 and declining slowly.