American Heroes
Today we honor America's fallen heroes. It is a special day for my wife who never knew her dad. Lieutenant Charles Struck was shot down over the South Pacific on July 19, 1944. Charles Struck and the entire crew of the B-24 Liberator died in the service of their country. His baby girl was just 1 year old.
The Greatest Generation saved the world from totalitarianism, only to be faced with the spectre of Communism and the threat of nuclear destruction. They persevered.
In many ways the current generation fighting bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other trouble spots are the rightful heirs of the Greatest Generation. The great Ben Stein wrote of his gratitude (The American Spectator, June, 2006):
Now I am about to go to sleep in front of the fire. My dog's head is silhouetted by the flickering flames. I am safe. I am free. I have my dogs. All thanks to the men and women in the uniforms. I sleep in a cocoon of peace thanks to men whose names I will never know. What a gift they are from God. They guard the gates of Eden with their lives. They guarded me from Hitler and from Stalin and now from Zarqawi. I LOVE THEM. Thank you glorious men and women in uniform.
My daughter Carolynne sent me the picture above. The soldier is stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt (U.S. soil), fertilizer and some grass seed. When the men of the squadron have a mission they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the American soil to bring them good luck. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we take for granted.Charles Struck's great-grandson John Walton served a tour of duty in Iraq and is scheduled to go back there this summer. God bless your son Carolynne, and our Brian Weiss and Dave McCarthy and Rob Barry and all the other warriors who fight to keep us safe.
posted by Bill Lama at
8:21 PM
7 Comments:
AMEN! Its too bad the younger generation don't know history!! There are many lessons to be learned.
Helen
Actually, the younger generation understands history too well, and they're dying as they make history. You, Helen, need to take a history lesson.
Great !!. Thanks for the thoughtfulness in it.
Marie
I agree with Helen.
anonymous apparently thinks the revised history young people are now learning is better than truth?
Dying for freedom has always been noble. Great blog, Bill!
Pamela
Um, no Pamela. We young people understand our history very well. It is you older people who didn't fight and now no longer have to fight that support this idiotic war in Iraq. To compare Iraq to the real threat from Nazi Germany is intellectually dishonest. Save your breath and go save the whales.
I agree with Pamala.
Anon obviously thinks that the group of people who "Hate women, Hate Jews, and Hate freedom" are somehow less of a threat than Hitler.
Both want to take over the world, and those who appease, will be the first to be beheaded because they are preceived as spineless.
Their stated goal is to have a "One World Government" with their Imams at it's head.
Now why would anybody think that they were a threat at all?
FAR.
Bill,
I came across your blog by doing a google search for "Charles Struck" whom I just learned was your wife's father. My grandfather, Francis Dennis "Nooks" Landre was the Co-Pilot on the B-24 aircraft. His only child, my father was only 2 years old when his Nooks died. I have no further information about the plane's whereabouts in the Coral Sea, but I just wanted to get in contact with other relatives of the 12 men aboard that plane to share any information that may be available. I have a box full of letters from my grandfather sent to my grandmother that I've only begun to look through. If I find mention of Charles Struck, I would be happy to share it. You mentioned that the B-24 was "shot down." In my research, I have not seen any mention of that. According to the following site, after takeoff this B-24 was not sighted or contacted again.
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-40814.html
One bit of information that I would like to know is the purpose of their mission. Why were two crew and 11 passengers going to Brisbane, Australia?
I read that Charles Struck was originally from Wisconsin? Is that true? Where?
Please have Linda contact me at Landre.michael@gmail.com
Thank you,
Michael Landre
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