Vic L., Lieutenant JG, U.S. Navy
Dear George,
Our family’s connection to
Veterans’ Day goes back to the 1940’s.
My dad, Vic L., was 34 when the U.S. entered World War II, and my
mother, Doris, was 32. Their age
cohort right in the thick of the World War II generation, and that profoundly
affected their lives; our family, friends, and community; and, of course, the
nation and the entire world. The
scope and disastrous consequences of World War II are beyond imagination. It’s estimated that 50,000,000 people
died in World War II. That
included 405,399 U.S. military personnel -- over four times the number of U.S.
military deaths in the Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan
wars combined.
Vic on leave with my brother Steve at our family river
property, ca. 1944
My dad underwent officer
training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station on Lake Michigan just north
of Chicago in the early 1940’s.
Earning the rank of Lieutenant JG, he was stationed on a communication
ship in the Pacific Theater and spent months in occupied Japan at the end of
the war. He later described his
wartime navy experiences as the most powerful and meaningful of his life.
Vic (center) with two navy colleagues.
In a rickshaw in Tokyo at the end of the war.
My uncle Kent L. in uniform
My father always described
his younger brother Kent L. as the family’s war hero. To the best of my recollection, Kent earned a Silver Star
and Bronze Star among other honors for his army combat service in major battles
in the European theater. He
corralled a German Shepard Nazi war dog in the trenches in France, named him
ARCO, and brought him back to Menominee where he became our playmate. After the war Kent was elected
commander of the Menominee American Legion post and later became the state
commander of the American Legion in Michigan.
Veterans (+ Steve and Dave) at a flag-raising at our
house in 1946
My dad and his friends, most
notably Pat Steffke and Michael O’Hara, shared strong bonds from their World
War II experience. From the left,
Vic in his navy uniform, Pat Steffke in his army uniform, and Michael O’Hara in
his marines uniform. Mike O’Hara
led a platoon of 16 African-American Marines in battle at Okinawa.
Some seventy years later it’s
hard to even imagine the courage and fortitude required of our parents and
family friends during this prolonged world crisis. It calls for a lot of respect and gratitude from succeeding
generations. I’m glad that
Veteran’s Day comes around each year as a reminder.
Love,
Dave
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