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"Remembrance is the best form of honor." - Quote I found on a challenge coin
I came across that quote in a book I am reviewing. It resonated because I am writing a history of my hometown, "League City." Its veterans are a part of that story, and I quickly accumulated photos of hometown boys (and gals) who served in World Wars I and II. Some died, some came home. (I even have a set of father and son photos - one who served in World War I and his son in World War II.
One man's World War II lasted exactly one day. Richard Thompson (pictured below) graduated from League City High in 1939. He then joined the Navy to see the world. On December 7, 1941, he was part of the engine room crew of the battleship Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. He never made it out after the battleship capsized.
Others did their bit and returned home, one after spending a year as a POW in Germany.
However, after World War II? Nothing. From the Korean War to the Global War on Terror, no pictures, no stories. That bothered me. It bothered me a lot. Because the sacrifices made by these men and women deserved to be remembered every bit as much as those who served in the good wars. Their service and their sacrifices are no less deserving of honors.
I decided they would be remembered in my book. I reached out to a local League City Facebook group. (Given my antipathy for Facebook, joining testifies to the extent to which I will go to get veterans' stories.) I also reached out to the local American Legion post. While I am still searching for stories from later wars, I now have some Vietnam and Cold War images. None of them served in famous battles, nor did they perform extraordinary acts. One spent his entire military career in the States. That does not matter. They stood up and answered their country's call.
Remembering our veterans is, indeed, the best way to honor them.
Discussion (7)
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Yes.
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Could be a not-too-distant cousin of mine. My 5th great-grandfather Thompson arrived in Georgia in 1790 with several sons, who then married and had more. Some of these sons later went west and had more Thompson sons. Finding those who were veterans is fun work.
I was in during what was called the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis. And my father served with two of his brothers during WWII. My mother's two brothers were both veterans in that war.
I'm working on some genealogy now, I'll let you know if I find a relationship with Richard Thompson.
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Do so. The woman who gave me that photo would be interested.
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Do you have access to find out his father's name and was Richard born in League City?
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I don't know his father's name, but I think he was born in League City. He was described to me as a lifelong friend of the father of the woman who gave me the photo, and he was born in League City.
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