My parents at 18 and 20, desperately in love in a time and place where the whole world had gone mad. The paper is aged and darkened, and the edges are frayed, but the words leap off of the page.

Every single letter he sent my mother while he was deployed, every single letter she wrote back. Today I found a tattered, much taped box of letters. But that short, succinct telling of his time in France, Belgium and Germany didn't tell even half the story. By the time Dad wrote his 'tales', he was the last of the three sons left. What a nightmare that must have been, to send all of your boys into harms way. My Grandmother had three gold stars hanging in her front window, in honor of her son's in the service. All three of them served during WWII, before the law that 'Saving Private Ryan' is based on came about. My Dad had two brothers, Edward and Robert. It took me a while to understand what it meant. But two years ago we wrote a family history, and he outlined his war time experiences in an essay he titled 'Tales From the Last of Three'. Until I was over fifty years old, he never discussed it. None of his men were killed, even though they fought in the Battle of the Bulge and several other conflicts. He was a half track commander with two vehicles and ten men under his command, and the top rank he reached was Sargeant. He spent the next 291 days in a war zone. My dad went into the Army when he was nineteen years old and was sent almost immediately to Europe.

Today, I found the story of my parents lives. But today I found things I simply cannot bear to part with. I can only take so much to a two bedroom apartment, especially when my daughter already lives there. If not, we'll just be doing it again until they do!Īfter visiting with Dad, I came home to continue the work of packing my parents house. So I had a little 'come to Jesus' meeting with the staff today, and told them to take an additional two minutes to explain to him what they're going to do, rather than just grabbing him and taking care of things like changing his clothes or showering. He was uncomfortable having me help him dress and undress and use the bathroom, and so was I. It was what made the assisted living decision for us, ultimately. My father has always been a very private person even after taking care of him for more than a year I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him without his socks on, let alone anything else. He's doing really well, although I think sometimes the staff forgets the residents are people who still have the capacity to be embarrassed. My dad is settling into his new home, a Clare Bridge facility in our local Brookdale Assisted Living complex.

A reason to believe by diana copland