World War II Memorial (Thursday Doors)

photo by Dan Antion

My father belonged
to the Greatest Generation–
he answered when called,
asked for no special accolades,
kept the horrors he had seen
to himself.  And when the time
came, he accepted the fact
that he was dying without
complaint.  During the last visit
I had with him, he said to me:
“I’ve had a good life.”

I recognized Dan’s photo in the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge right away. My younger daughter and I made a trip to Washington DC when she was a senior in high school, and the World War II Memorial was one of the things I remembered vividly.

Like Dan, I photographed it–the Ohio state arch is above. My father did not talk much about his service, but I knew he had landed at Normandy and ended up on occupation duty in Germany afterwards. My mother’s favorite cousin Paul, whom she spoke of frequently, was a pilot who died in the war. My grandfather also re-enlisted (he had served in WW I), but remained in the States.

I was also surprised by impact of the Korean War Memorial. My uncle served in Korea.

Ghosts. They continue to haunt us. All our war dead, and many who return, forever changed, as well.

I wrote earlier this year about this photo of my father and his mother that I’ve drawn, above, which must have been taken right before he left for Europe.

One of the main things I wanted to see in DC was the Vietnam War Memorial–where I cried, along with many of the other visitors present. I did not take any photos of it though. That was my generation’s war.

My poem is for the W3 prompt from Destiny to write on the theme of belonging. The Greatest Generation is generally defined as people born from 1901 to 1927, many of whom fought in WW II.

I, sadly, belong to the Baby Boomers.

And find more doors, as always, at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.