Memorial Day - Thanks Pappaw

Johnnie was in North Africa with Patton. He was in the hang gliders at Normandy. He was in the Battle of Bulge and spent two years at the Greenbrier Hotel recuperating.
He worked at a nickel plant for years. All the time his wife, my Nanna, massaged pieces of shrapnel out of his skin.
One son of his was appointed to the Naval Academy but couldn't go - his then wife was suddenly pregnant with my cousin who turned out to be Captain America (Special Forces ultra) and another son who is a life long teacher.


My stepfather asked him, "Johnnie, why would you marry a woman with 3 kids?"
Johnnie said, "Because I loved her"

This song and the National Anthem make me think of Johnnie.