European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Sound of a Little voice Riml Rhy Blair lust Oulu Farnsl a it a Many butteries does your radio take asked the Mother. A about four. T re a plied the Wiinie girl. A a a bout four. It was t what die end that made me Stop. Rather a he it was. And How she said a. Die Bustle of the Exchange swirled around me. I paused Belpre continuing on. My mind was no i Origeron boding the shortest checkout line. I was Hail a world away dunking of Tny own two Little girls. I he two Little girls that 1 Haven to Wen Tor almost two years. As i waited in the checkout line memories of my girls Doud cd Back to me. S remembered ail nights and afternoons at the Piaf Roumi. The night the older one Ell. Ami my then wife and rushed us 10 die Hospital. The miraculous Nhoi die younger one. Travelling with die to univ from duty station to div Stanon. Then i remembered die if i summer of die divorce. ? Hai Vas three years ago. As our fives a onion used on we grew farther and farther apart. Until Learned that they were moving to another state i remember As if it were yesterday. The last time i saw my two Little girls. It was a typical summer evening Long shadows and warm breezes. 1 talked with them both about where they were going and that i would t be seeing them fora Iong time. 1 think the Alder one understood the younger one was More concerned with her ice Cream. I watched them run to my a wife s House and As t drove Ort my eyes teared so much t could t see the Street. Pulled off to the Side and Ned More than i had since childhood. That was almost two years ago. We stay in touch but letters Are a poor substitute for the real thing. I did no to realize it would be this Bard. Assumed the pain would go away with time. That my need to know that they Are Happy and head the would Lessen. That my almost overwhelming desire to just see them would go away. It Hasni to. In these almost two yearn my need to be a father is As Strong As Ever. Maybe it his is Why i lose patience with some Guy who complains of 1 he demands of Bis family. Maybe dus is Why anger shoots through me when i Bear a Mother telling her child to shut up. They get to tuck their children in bed at night. My Little Giris arc doing Fine. The aider will be in second Grade this fail the younger one wiil Start kindergarten. They Are growing fast by the looks of the last picture i saw. By the Way Mieir a lather is doing Tine to. Our heroes Are our dads Staif Jagt. I i Moiety p. I Blair is assigned to Damp i tit weather so Mainz West Caer Nany. Ivinette Welch guest columnist rho Are your heroes if you had to name just one. Who would it be the term is thrown around loosely today but Webster defines a hero Quot As a one who tracing the word origin Back to latin Sevare a a to i can Trace my image of a hero Back to my dad. He voir stiff Green fatigues that always smelled of cigarette smoke and stamp he Rought in world War ii and k Orea to protect my future so that i might choose for myself what to do with it. He once replaced a Drunken dentist with a sober one before i opened my Mouth in die dentists chair. He made sure the cars i drove were mechanically Safe and rescued me when against ail logic i ran the Gas tanks dry. Those of us associated with the military Jive in the midst of heroism. We arc forever in the Eye of the Hurricane. Dangerous in close to the catastrophe of War moving through time and space in relative was something fun that you used to do with you father so Ron 8nmn. Assigned us Frankfurt army regional medical to enter. West Germany on lathers pay we had a big dinner went to Church usually played some spurs my of a nurse had the usual alls. Meredith Crawford Barrett military family member stationed with 284th my co. Frankfurt West Germany horseback ending. We owned horses and we All took lessons in horseback ending and were m shows. That was the most fun. Knowing that our loved ones could be pulled away from us at any moment by forces Over which we have no control at All. We can enjoy the quiet pleasures of life because we Are surrounded by our protectors and defenders our heroes the soldiers in Olive drab who daily defend the existence of democracy the sailors who operate the destroyers. Submarines aircraft and carriers that patrol the Waterways of the world the airmen who guard the free skies the members of the coast guard who strike against harmful drugs coming into the country and the marines who stand ready to repel any assault on us. Those of us among the a baby Boomer Quot generation carry an additional appreciation. We Are the last to hear first person accounts of world War ii. Except for Alert and caring grandchildren who attend the softened voices of age we Are the receptacles of stories about courage endurance and patriotism set in european african and Pacific locales. We Are the ones who will look at John Wayne in Green fatigues or Blue flight suit but see the face of our father a commanding troops directing Battle risking Sweet life. My sons will read about places dates and statistics of world War ii. I see a Anzio Quot on a map and remember the lines of agony on my fathers face the nightmares he sweated and mumbled through that a Loving family banish. I hear a the Star spangled Banner Quot and know that my father has paid for my ticket to the show. Gent rate f. Walch jives in Livorno Italy. Terry Stiger. Supervisor at a a fes sound Center Frankfurt West Germany fathers Day is softball. You go out with your dad. You watch him play. Once you get older if your Oid Many a still in shape you can May with him too maybe play on the same team together. Lari Mitchell military family member we usually splurge and go out Lor a big dinner with Shymp cocktail Steak a parents. This year i sent him 100 tulips j Ron Holland and a Barbecue Glove with a no Burger goes Jim Wuhu non retired Servie member living in bad Homburg West Germany he used to drag me along fishing. 1 his was in Louisiana. 1 was very very Young and 1 can remember fishing for Catfish. And having Little fish Fries. Compiled by stars and stripes stuff i sunday june if 1990 a a. A
