“All we have of freedom, all we use or know – This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.” ~Rudyard Kipling, The Old Issue, 1899

The next batch of articles will all be about my time in Des Moines, Iowa. As many of you know, my original intention for the summer of 2008 was to travel the world with my family. The health of my mother and sister, both living in Des Moines, made it prudent for me to go to Iowa for awhile. ( Since I have lived virtually my entire life so far avoiding or neglecting all things ‘prudent’, I decided, for variety, to go to Iowa. ) My younger daughter and wife were left with the task of world travel. You can read about their adventures on my wife’s blog. My adventures will be chronicled here.

My father is buried in Iowa. When I lived out of state, I made a point of visiting his grave-site whenever I was in town and tidying up the area. Since he is buried next to his parents and one of his sisters and her husband, I would also tidy up their areas. I happened to be in town for Memorial Day this time and made a point of visiting on that day. The pictures that follow are of the American flags on display, the watchtower that my father is buried near and the Masonic part of the cemetery. My Swedish grandfather and my father were both involved with the Masons, a requirement to be buried in this part of the cemetery. ( For fans of the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, I don’t think either of them knew the location of the Holy Grail, but they died before I could ask them. )

I never served in the United States Military. My father did. He fought in World War II in what was then called the Army Air Force and survived horrible times fighting for a cause that he believed in. He would never talk about the war, unless really pressed, and none of his three children really know a great deal about his time there. He did instill in me a great respect for the many men that served and died in the military and I have that respect still. To the armed forces of the United States, living and dead, thank you!

I miss my father still. He died in 1985, after a short, but valiantly fought, battle with cancer. He was a vibrant, intelligent and charismatic man. I hope he would be proud of some of the things I have done – I like to think he would.

Till next time,

From the flood and mosquito capital of the world – Des Moines,

Jack

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” ~Joseph Campbell