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Further
Reading ...
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Wedding Theme; Picking The Best One For The Both Of You
Planning a wedding is certainly an exciting time in the life of any couple. There are so many things to do, and so many things to consider, however, that it can be somewhat of an overwhelming experience as well.
== Planning Your Theme...
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Are you hoping to experience a vaginal birth after having had a cesarean delivery? You may find your hopes are squelched by modern practitioners.
Hospitals around the country are now banning vaginal birth after cesarean delivery and insisting women...
Is Your Bad Mood Causing Skin Breakouts?
Your skin tells a lot about you. Someone who looks at your face can often tell if you haven’t had enough rest, if you’ve been slacking on your diet, or if you moisturize regularly. Your skin can also tell someone a lot about your state of mind. ...
How To Avoid Post Partum Depression
New mothers sometimes experience “postpartum blues.” This is understandable. Pregnancy and birth are very dramatic events for your body – both physically and emotionally. So, it’s common to feel a little weepy, irritable or moody in the first few...
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My Uncle Art - Infamous Bataan Death March Survivor
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Written By:
Dave Franzwa
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Arthur C. Franzwa was an administrative clerk assigned to the
4th Air Force, 19th Bombardment Group, Headquarters Squadron
in the Phillipines.
A survivor of the Infamous Bataan Death March, Uncle Art was
listed as a P.O.W./M.I.A. during the second world war.
Until recently, I had very little information of the actual
details, except that Art was a prisoner in Japanese P.O.W.
camps for three and a half years.
From a few things my dad told me, aside from what little
rations they received, Uncle Art and his fellow prisoners
supplimented their diets with grass hoppers and an occasional
monkey (a delicacy for them), when they were able to capture
one.
Upon liberation, Art was reunited with family and friends
stateside.
This is a letter I wrote to him upon hearing of his being
honored by our country's military in 2005, at the age of 90.
Even though this was written for my Uncle Art, I would like to
co-dedicate it to anyone who has served in the US military in
any capacity. The details may not be yours, but my admiration
certainly is.
Uncle Art,
I've wanted to write this for many years, and have even begun
it several times, each time side-tracked by my own duties in
life. If you're hearing or reading this now, you'll know I was
finally successful.
You have always been a hero to me, even before I understood
what a true hero you were, or for that matter, what a true
hero even was.
My dad, Donald Franzwa, was the number one hero in my life. As
his brother, you were my hero through association. After all,
any brother of my dad qualified as a hero in my book.
As a yougster I always looked up to you. Way up. Partly
because Dad did, and partly because I was so small and you
were six feet, four inches tall.
I still look up to you.
You've probably forgotten the day you graduated from "hero by
association" to a bonified "personal hero" to me, but I never
will. I was only about five or six years old and our families
were on an outing on the Sandy River in Oregon. I believe we
were on your first boat, "Boatnik," when we pulled into shore
for a picnic.
We were all on the beach setting up lunch (OK, you were settin
up lunch; I was being a five year old). The shore was - continued below ...
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continued ...
fairly
shallow, gradually getting deeper, except for one spot. That
one spot was well over my head.
I proceeded to run down the beach and jump into what I
expected to be up to knees, and "sploop," under I went.
My life flashed before my eyes, (both seconds of it), and I
knew I was going to die.
Then I felt this great big hand pull me from the river by the
head, the way you might pluck a grapefruit from a basket.
That hand was yours Art, and no one could or ever will
convince me that you didn't save my life that day.
I thank you for that, and most of the time, my kids do too.
It wasn't until some years later that I realized that you
weren't just my own personal hero, but a man recognized as a
hero by my country as well.
I won't go into the details of your military heroism. There
are those who honor you that know a heck of a lot more about
that side of you than I do. The amazing details of your
service can be found by performing a search at:
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
(For anyone interested in the details of their own heros of
that era, you may be able to find them by doing a search at:
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ . If you have details that would
honor one of our WWII veterans, your information would be
appreciated.)
I would, however, like to extend my thanks to those who served
with you, and to your compatriots who made the ultimate
sacrifice to keep us free, as well.
You all make me proud to be an American, but Uncle Art...
You make me proud to be a Franzwa.
PS I'm still waiting for that second shaddish lesson. The
first one you gave me was forty years ago, and my memory's a
bit rusty, so when you've got a little time...
I probably still can't keep up with you, but I'm game if you
are.
Your nephew,
David B. Franzwa
Lebanon, Oregon
About the Author
Dave Franzwa, co-author of three wonderful kids, primarily
writes about relational sales, online and off. He often just
writes about the relations part of the equation. This is one of
those. For articles and opinions (completely out of his mind),
subscribe to WordWrangler's Press at:
http://WorkatHomeSupertips.com/announceform.html And for more:
http://WorkatHomeSupertips.com/Article/index.com
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