Anyone who knows me knows that my heroes are the veterans of World War II. They are, to quote Tom Brokaw, “The Greatest Generation.” I have never tried to hide my unbridled admiration for, and desire to get to know, the men and women who saved the world during the 1940s. Two of my uncles served in the War, two of my great uncles served, and my step-uncle was killed in action on Iwo Jima in 1945.
The heartbreaking part of having these vets as friends and acquaintances is that there are fewer and fewer of them every day. Time marches on and the number of surviving WWII vets gets smaller each week. I try desperately to enjoy my time with, and express my admiration to, these wonderful folks as often as I can. It’s important to me that they know how much I admire them and what they did for all of us. If you know a veteran, please take time to tell him THANK YOU for the service he provided to us and to future Americans.
The vets below are some of the ones with whom I've spent time in Europe. Each of these guys is a true American hero. Forrest Guth, pictured on the far left side, died in 2009. I feel blessed to have spent time with him in the Summer of 2006. He and his beloved wife, Harriet, are now reunited in Heaven.
