Who? My parents, my sisters, my sons & me
What? The dedication of a new World War II memorial
Where? The Minnesota State Capital; St. Paul, Minnesota
When? Saturday, June 9th, 2007 (3 days after the 63rd anniversary of D-Day)
Why? To pay well-deserved homage to the 6000 Minnesotans who died in World War II as well as to all the living veterans
Was it fun and were we proud? You betcha!
My father is a World War II veteran, (2nd Marine Division; 8th Marine Regiment), having served in the South Pacific from 3 November 1942 to 30 July 1945. He was one of about 4,200 veterans who attended the ceremony.
While it may seem strange to be smiling so broadly while standing in front of a tank, we did feel very happy. We love our soldiers. We love our dad!
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
I guess he was “lucky”!
Not surprisingly, I found myself overcome with emotion at the sight of all these vets. I went over to shake their hands from time to time and say thank you. One dear old fellow blinked up at me and inquired politely, “Do I know you?” “No,” I said, smiling down at him. “I just wanted to say thank you for fighting for us.” “Oh!” he replied, with a wide smile of his own. “You’re welcome!”
My little man who makes me both smile and sigh when he says that he wants to be a soldier.
My favorite photo from the day.May God continue to bless our soldiers, and may God bless this great land.
I have such a soft spot in my heart for these men and their families. Thank you for sharing your day with us and give your dad a big hug from me!
What a wonderful day, thank you for sharing!
A big thank you to Margaret’s dad and all the vets! God bless you!
What a great way to honor your dad, and ALL vets. Fantastic!
I had to laugh, b/c my oldest has the exact same hat and shirt as your oldest….
🙂
We’re big fans of tanks around here, too. Maybe ’cause Daddy’s a tanker! It looks like it was a lovely day and I’m so glad you got to go!
Your favorite photo is awesome!
Wow – thanks so very much for sharing. You must be so incredibly proud of your Dad!
So special. What a handsome man your dad is. I bet your boys love to hear his war stories!
Oh that looks like so much fun. What a way to honor the vets!
Nice post…
Being from MN – I love your picture of the capital! Thanks for all your great posts (I just found your blog). Inspiring!
What a great day!!! As you know, I have a soft spot for soldiers. Give your dad a big thank you hug from us.
Margaret,
I have been unable to leave comments on your blog for a while! 🙁 For some reason, blogger was giving me problems–finally fixed it and wanted to let you know that the picture of your dad with his grandkids was so heartwrenchingly sweet. Your father sounds like an amazing man…God bless you and yours!
What a very cool day. Ditto on the soft spots (a pilot dad in the Air Force, a husband who was a Marine ….) 🙂
What a special day to share with your Dad! How precious it is for you to have that GREAT picture of Grandpa and Grandsons!!! Priceless!