What was really inspiring about the occasion besides having a bunch of the family getting together one more time to celebrate a life well lived is the other heroes in the crowd. By the way, isn't it great when someone passes we talk about the good and not the bad although I never knew of or heard one single bad thing about Uncle Bill. Back to the others who attended, Wayne Patterson or as we called him, Big Wayne because my brother Larry Wayne Olson was younger, was always inspiring to me because he served and his dad, Uncle Harley, also served as well as his brother Stanley (another story). I was always too young to understand everything and many times my recollections may not be entirely accurate but during the Bay of Pigs, Wayne was on his way to serve before President Kennedy pulled the plug. I am not sure where else Wayne served but as I recall he worked in Haiti or the Dominican Republic helping build infrastructure there. It was always fun at holidays that Wayne would hitch hike to and from the military until he showed up one time with a big Harley Davidson and he told me he got it up to 140 miles per hour. Now one last little story about Wayne and that is he showed me how to shoot a single shot 12 gauge long tom shot gun loaded with double shot. I was about 12 years old and very big for my age and Wayne told me to hold the gun butt about an inch from my right should. YA! you would think I would hate him after that prank. It knocked me plum backwards on my butt. My shoulder hurt like crazy and he and Stanley and Larry Wayne stood there laughing.
Then there was Stanley who served in the Marines in Vietnam during the 67 and 68 conflicts. He was not a happy camper. I always wanted to be like him and Big Wayne and my parents used that against me. They told me I would have to take hot baths and use soap to grow up like them. I trusted them. Anyway, back to Stanley. It was because of him that I wanted to be a Marine and serve our country and it was also because of him that I was concerned about what was going on in Vietnam. He told me the government was trying to run the conflict from Washington using political ideas on wining a war. He was watching friends get killed and wounded by politicians stupid uninformed advice. Stanley is also the one who taught me how to torture someone and I was his target. Have you noticed there is a common thread of prankster behavior in this family?
Well, at the funeral for Uncle Bill there were other veterans and it was moving to hear and see a military honor guard. That day I remembered all of those who served like Uncle Bill, Uncle Harley and his two sons, Uncle Snyd (Vernon Snyder of Grainola and his brother), all of my dad's brothers and my dad and many more. Even Aunt Gladys Snyder served. The legacy these folks have left are remarkable. A big thank you to all who serve and have served.
And if you did not notice Uncle Bill's service was on the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
What do you learn in the Osage?
- freedom is not cheap
- love and honor those who put their lives on the line for you and me
Thanks for listening,
gary
golson21@hotmail.com
