My family can be traced back to the Revolutionary War. This means 1775. Wow... Centennials of veterans. It takes a lot of evidence and history to even prove you had ancestors in this war. It's very interesting to me to peer back at history. Today on Veterans Day I put the spotlight on my two grandfathers who fought for their country and continued to bring that heroism into their lives when they returned.
Don Adams loved to tell stories of his time in the war. Purple heart. Bronze star. Silver star. Hero. He passed away when I was eleven so I don't exactly remember many of the stories. When he found out he had cancer he began to write me a story of his life. It is somewhere locked away in a safety deposit box. My grandmother and him began to write letters back and forth when he was overseas before they even met... When she passed away last year we began to sift through the letters. It was so very interesting to read about his time there and their relationship. Grandaddy did obtain all of those awards above and I even remember him telling a story about taking weapons and souvenirs off of a dead Nazi soldier. He was wounded in war when a mine went off ahead of him and shrapnel invaded his leg. He continued until his death to be buddies with his comrades and he went to Company G anniversaries as often as possible. Grandaddy is such a hero in my eyes and was such a good man. I'm sure he was a good man before war, but in a way I believe it also taught him so much about life. He was the nicest man I had met with a good heart and a strong handshake. A true American hero.
This is Grandaddy receiving his Bronze Star.
Grandaddy & Granny Jac
This was the last photo taken of us together in Christmas of 1992. Grandaddy was one of the first people in the US to get heart cancer. He laughed that he blew up like Popeye... That is why he is so swollen as the tumor restricted bloodflow. He held on until July of 1993.
Bill Boles actually had to change his name from Bolles to Boles for the Navy... I'm not quite sure of the story, but I found it to be an interesting thought. I never met Grandaddy Bill. He perished of a heart attack in 1980. Grandmommy did not meet him until after he returned from War. As I said before.... He was in the Navy. Grandaddy Bill went straight out of high school into the Navy. They then put him through school where he earned his Masters. He became a heroic coach in many Texas towns. He is now in the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. Funny thing... he was my Dad's football coach... before Dad met Mom. I always hear wonderful stories of Bill. I have his audio tapes and I love to listen to them because he loved to tell stories and he once got a bag of M&Ms and acted like it was a huge reward because he did not eat bad things.
Grandmommy & Grandaddy Bill
This is my mother and Grandaddy Bill with a random puppy.
Snyder High School Graduation 1970
Snyder High School Graduation 1970
1 comment:
Oh my goodness, Julie - I've never seen a picture of him before, but you look just like your Grandaddy. So sweet :)
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