At 96 years-old, this D-Day veteran veteran is still my hero!

This is my my Uncle Ted. Born Nov. 9th, 1917 in Texas and raised in the oil fields of southern Illinois, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 8th, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On June 6th, 1944, he was a S.Sgt. landing on Omaha Beach, just after dawn. While almost 70% of his unit sustained casualties that day, he was uninjured (at that time, any way), and went on to fight in every major battle in Europe thereafter, until V-E Day on May 8th, 1945. As a result, he received a Bronze Star with a 'V' device for valor (combat heroism) and 3 Purple Hearts. Upon discharge, he married my father's oldest sister, became a father, successfully built an independent oil company and, eventually, retired to Florida.

Uncle Ted is modest about his combat experience, as are most members of The Greatest Generation. If you ask him about it, or attempt to thank him for it, he will offhandedly say, "Others did lots more". I know that that's true, even within my own family-- I have 2 uncles who lied buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, and one of his brothers lies buried in France-- yet I still stand in awe of this 'gentle giant' of a man.

You are a hero to me, Uncle Ted, and on this very special day I simply want to say, "Well done, and thank you!".