November 11, 2004
Taps & Flourishes: Two Marines Remembered
[Bugles & Trumpets, 2004, by Catherine King]
by Jerome du Bois, with Catherine King
Today we remember Howard Fredric King and Alan van Fleet du Bois, United States Marines and WWII veterans.
Catherine and I, and our fathers, come from very different backgrounds, at least geographically, and yet there are some amazing parallels between our fathers and their actions after Pearl Harbor.
Both of them went to volunteer right after the bombs fell, the ships sank, and the men and women died. They were both refused twice, my father because he was too old, Howard because he was too skinny.
That didn't stop them. My father, the sporting-goods salesman, sailed from Hawaii to California, to see if his old National Guard cronies could help him out. They could, with help from his marksmanship. He entered the Sixth Marine Division.
Howard, the professional artist, went on a diet of exercise, bananas, and beer, and the third time he applied, he had bulked up enough so that he was accepted. He entered the First Marine Division.
They both went to the Pacific Theater, but they never met. Howard's major engagement was Guadalcanal, my father's Okinawa. They both got malaria. They were both scarred in ways they would never talk about again, and they were both honorably discharged.
Then they both came home, resumed their lives, and fathered the two of us, for which we are eternally grateful. For that, and for their eager defense of this great country, and for their sacrifices, we honor them today.
Day is done
Gone the sun
From the hills
From the sea
From the sky.
Rest in peace
Soldier brave
God is nigh.
Bugle taps is for Marines, too, and trumpet flourishes as they enter Heaven.
Posted by Jerome at November 11, 2004 06:55 PM | TrackBack