My wife is a realtor. There is a closing that is condition on the home being cleaned. I find myself helping clean out this old house. On the counter in the kitchen is a pile of framed pictures, old photos in shoe boxes. Right next to it is a Unit Year Book for the 187th Parachute Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne. In the back room is a pile of old clothes, including a very nicely pressed Class A, Command Sergant Major uniform.
The sad part is that all of this was considered junk, to be thrown away. A lifetime of everything, just junk to be hauled away. I went through as much as I could, looking for names, dates, etc. Many pictures go back to the 1930's and 1940's. A boyscout certificate from 1969, Okinawa. It was essentially a mystery thriller, tracking this family down.
This is in Clarksville, Tennessee, home to the Fort Campbell and the 101st. Photos had information from Chattanooga, Kentucky, etc. Many hints indicate that this Command Sgt Maj was a verteran of combat during the Korean War. Likely this included the little known combat jump behind Communist lines to help break out of the Pusan Perimeter, sometime around then. If I had to guess, grandpa or grandma finally passed on. Kids long gone, handling final affairs for the family from across the country. No one is able go to their home to gather the final momentos representing their life.
Just sad. Makes me think about other things right now, besides my 60hour work week, and constant stresses. For starters, my 15-year old daughter wants to learn how to fly Aces High. I guess she gets to learn on my account.
Boo
