There are two Vets that most others will not think about today. The first is my Mom. She followed her brother into the USN as a Wave. She worked for the weather service. At one time she worked on a top secret project that her children and grandchildren jokingly dubbed the great paper clip project. We later learned that there really was a "paper clip project". To this day we have no idea what exactly she worked on but we can't help but speculate. She rarely talks about her military service but it was to change her life forever. She never again lived near her family, returning to Michigan only for brief visits. I wish she had had a happier life but then I wouldn't be here.
The other vet I'm thinking of today is a cousin, Richard Carlisle. Over the years my Mom lost touch with this branch of the family but she remembered that she had a cousin that served on the S.S. Robin Moor, a Merchant Marine vessel sunk by a German sub in May 1941. Anyone that thinks that the men that served in the Merchant Marine during the WWII era aren't Veterans needs to think again. If drafted by the army these men were released to continue serving aboard their ships. The Merchant Marine was crucial to the war effort. So please join me in thanking these men also today.
This originally appeared at The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree on 11 November 2006.
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