Thank You To Our Veterans

We all owe an incredible debt to those who fought for this beautiful country we have. All of the thanks in the world wouldn’t ever be enough. So instead, allow me to share some short thoughts about a man that always comes to my mind every Veteran’s Day. My Grandfather.

My Grandpa served in our United States Navy during WW2. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatre’s, stationed aboard the USS Almaack until he was honorably discharged in November of 1945. While I definitely heard his stories involving the horrors of war, and boy were there some pretty crazy things he went through, one thing about his stories always stood out. He mostly told the good ones.

He spent much more time talking about cool things he experienced. Like the time they came upon a literal fish feeding frenzy, and catching fish was so easy, the fish were biting bare hooks with no bait. Being an avid fisherman, this was absolute heaven for him. He also told a story about how an octopus had come aboard, and they made it their mascot for a time before returning him to the sea.

The fact that he always talked more about the good stories than the bad taught me something very profound that I’ve carried into adulthood. My Grandpa was in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of America’s most dangerous war, and he still concentrated more on the good than the bad. He found happiness in a place one would think there should be none to be found. There’s certainly something to be said for always looking on the bright side of life.

The man who shaped me.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all of those who have served. I hope this short story about my Grandfather and personal hero left you with a little something extra to think about today. His lessons certainly shaped me, and I hope they can shape others as well.

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95.7 The Rock's nerd of all trades. I love video games, nerdy fandoms, and sports (Packers/Badgers/Brewers/Blackhawks). Husband and father of 2. I'm also a huge pro wrestling fan and master of 1,001 holds. Hold #1: Armbar ...

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