This time, a cousin from my mom’s side of the family came by for a visit. He stayed at my sister’s house, but, of course, we shared some good meals and fun stories and a short tour of the country.
Now, D. is ten years older than me, so as kids, we didn’t hang around each other much… on those rare occasions we visited Oklahoma! He was the cousin everyone said I resembled, which, as a young girl I thought that was rude to say I looked like a boy! Of course, I was quite a tomboy…
Anyway… what he remembers most about me was that when he was sent to Viet Nam, I often wrote him letters. I’m sure my mom made me write him letters… when you’re in fourth grade… the world is a pretty selfish one even for one of your favorite cousins! And can you imagine what quality letters they were?
He said after he got hit and sent out of country, he was flown to Japan and then multiple places in the States for operations and recuperation. Finally, a box of cookies I had made him caught up to him, postage marked and remarked and remarked and remarked. There was nothing left but crumbs. He said he should have taken a picture of all the post marks…
My most lasting memory was with “Show and Tell”. I took the hometown newspaper article about him and his injuries to school. I stood in front of the class, proud of my cousin for serving his country. I began to read. I even remember vaguely what it said. “What did you do when you got hit? the reporter asked. Well, I yelled for the medic and I yelled a lot of other things, too!”
To my fourth grade mind, that was a very funny line.
Halfway through the article, I looked up to see my teacher at her desk in the back of the room. She was crying. I mean, flat out CRYING. I was a little unsure of what to do… should I keep reading the article out loud or not? Well, I did, but it made me think just a bit more seriously about WHAT I was reading.
All these years later, I’m still awfully proud of my cousin for serving his country!
Semper Fi.
And thanks for coming up to see us!
My no-name puppy, R. and my cousin, D.!
Let's Socialize...
Special memories, special story!
Now I am tearing up.
You are a marvellous story teller, regardless of what you talk/write about! (“flat out CRYING” was all it took, by the way, to mist my eyes…)
Oh, and might that be a PUPPY, there, on R’s arm??? (Couldn’t resist!) 😉