A Very "SPECIAL" 4th of July Story

Last year was a very "SPECIAL" 4th of July! 

Friday, July 3rd we took all of the family downtown to celebrate in the streets of Provo, to eat dinner, go to the carnival and see all the vendors with their goods for sale. It was about 8:30 P.M. when my phone rang. It was my oldest brother asking me if I had seen the news tonight. I told him no, and he said to be sure to go home and watch it!

He told me someone had found an old WWII uniform in a military case in the basement of our grand-parents old store in my dad's hometown. The uniform was our dad's! Man... I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. How incredible was this!

Needless to say, the next day, Saturday the fourth of July, My Prince Charming and I, and our two sons made a trip down to the place where my father grew up to pick up the uniform from the nice man that now has the store. One of his employees had come across the uniform as he was cleaning the basement cellar located underneath the now Ace Hardware store.

When I walked into the store, memories of my childhood flooded my mind. I remembered the times we came from Texas as a family to see Grandma and Grandpa. I remember how they stayed at the store all day and so we played down in the basement there.

But it wasn't until I saw the uniform, that tears flooded my eyes. I couldn’t stop from crying! For a minute it was like I had walked back into my father’s past without him there.

Finding this uniform on the day before the 4th of July would have really pleased my dad as he was very patriotic and loved that special time period of his life. My daughter said that finding the uniform on that particular day had to be Grandpa’s doings.

We guess that the uniform had to have been in that dark basement from the time he, or grandma put it there, shortly after returning home from the military. It most likely stayed there from that very day. It still had the original dirt marks on it from the last time he had worn it. Dad must have forgotten about it when he left home. The store of course had sold several times so I don’t think he thought that there might be things left down in the basement of the store that belonged to him.

We also found Dad’s old trunk that he used to go over seas with. It was not in as good of condition as the uniform, unfortunately but still unbelievable! There was also a rocking chair that belonged to my grandfather. It was the one he sat in while at the store. It too was not in great condition.

What a great blessing this has been in my life!

This was truly a “Walk in the Past”.

Info on my dad:

Dad joined the U.S. Army Air Corp in the year of 1944.

He (center back) served in the Southwestern Pacific as a bombardier on B-24 Liberators with the Jolly Rogers as part of the 5th Air Force in the 319th Bomb Squadron, 90th Bomb Group. He was a 1st Lieutenant. He told us his stories of this special time in life and of almost being shot down and how his job as a bombardier was a very critical one. The work of a bombardier required the highest degree of coordination along with a keen mind and sound body, which became his ultimate goal.

He (bottom right) received his advanced flight training in high level bombardiering and dead reckoning navigation from the Carlsbad Army Air Force at Carlsbad, New Mexico. He graduated May 1, 1944. Upon his graduation he was awarded his silver bombardier’s wings.

He then was assigned to the West Coast Training Center bombardier school in California for a very intensive course of instruction. After completing this he was awarded his wings and rated as a qualified Bombardier. He served over seas from October, 1944 until July, 1945. He was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corp at Fort Douglas, Utah, on October 28, 1945.

My father (bottom right) pictured here with the remaining members of his squadron died in 2005 unaware of this small part of his legacy that still exists.

Today I honor my dad and all of those brave men and women that are fighting and have fought for our Country to preserve the freedom of our Nation.

The Fourth of July will always have
an extra special meaning for me~

God Bless America!