Volume XVIII, Issue XIV: Those Who Died Defending Liberty
The World War II Memorial.
Vietnam Memorial...
...and a hero remembered.
This is the view of Arlington Cemetery from the Old Post Chapel at Ft. Meyer.
Spring buds in Arlington National Cemetery.
In Flanders Fields
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Remembering a Great Mentor
There was a Man who Convinced Me I Could Do This
Reconstructing my model of Ellicot's Mills for the B and;O Railroad Museum.
A Milestone Monday Feature
It might be a real good thing to stop inviting politicians, yea public figures in general, to do commencement exercise speeches. Instead, could we hear from those who inspire? If I were a college president I might invite Mike Rowe. There are so many ‘ordinary’ people who inspire greatness. There was one such person in my life and his legacy is worth remembering:
In Chapter 14 of Chuck Balsamo's book Make Me a Legend Pastor Balsamo talks about the importance of finding a good mentor. He brought back some important memories as I recalled the influence of a man named Reggie. Reggie served in the Navy during World War II and achieved the rank of Aviation Machinist's Mate, Second Class. He was a first class mentor.
I met this amazing man because I went to school with his daughter. He was a Chevrolet mechanic and an avid outdoorsman. He introduced me to the wonders of Coastal New Jersey as I happily paddled for hours through marshes and creeks. At about 50 years old, Reggie became an instructor at the vocational technology school. There he discovered his true gifts and passions.
At an age where most men are thinking about taking it easy, Reggie enrolled in Rutgers University and pursued a degree in administration. Education and young people had become his true calling and he graduated from college the same time one of his daughters did.
Days at Reggies place where full ones. He lived in a little postwar bungalo and when his children and their assembled friends were descending on the place around ten in the evening, he'd put on a pot of coffee. It came as no surprise that Reggie enjoyed lively conversation and sometimes these talk sessions would end in the wee hours of the morning. Good coffee, however, always made up for sleep deprivation.
Reggie went on to become a high school principal, but I have to believe that the best classes he ever taught were at his own kitchen table. He noticed that I was a hands-on guy struggling with an academic world. He found information on architectural model making and shared it with me. "You'd be good at this, Bob." Years later I was literally living off of this compliment. My little studio built models for architects, including one famous one. I worked on several models for resort projects in Japan, though I'm not sure how a man who served in the Pacific Theater would feel about that.
No doubt, this man has influenced many young lives in a similar manor. I am priviledged to have known him.
The Sermon on ‘The Mount’
