Reply #32: After all of this time, you'd figure I'd get that "spell check" thing [View All]

[rasputin1952]

figured out...;)

But there is an addendum to what I wrote, and I thought long and hard about printing it, as it has some very personal aspects involving a family out here in Northeastern NE.I shall leave anonymity the centerpiece, as the parents are still ive, and I've met them. The male is 93, the female is 91, they both still farm their land. Both of them are sharp as tacks and to look at their knuckles and hands you know they have worked the land since they were born. They had two children, a boy and a girl, the boy being older by a year. On 8Dec41, at 17 he went to the Marine recruiter to jon, and as told he was too thin, he went tot the Army recruiter and was signed upon the spot. He went home and told his parents what he had done, and quick "party" was in organized. (Families are huge out here, and while they live somewhat distant because of the farm community, they are VERY tight). The son was eventually sent to Guadalcanal, the daughter stayed home to help on the farm, often working 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, along w/her parents

The son was missing in action in 1942, (his remains were found in 1957) and shipped home. On the same day that the MIA telegram was delivered, and with the daughter in the field working w/antiquated equipment, her arm was caught in a belt and ripped from the socket, she bled to death on that field. The family line essentially died that day. The local story, (which has a tendency to be embellished), is that hundreds showed up for the funeral and memorial services. Money was collected as the farm was not yet paid for, and no one thought that people who had seen such tragedy should lose their home as well. Community, a community with essentially nothing was there, just as communities all over this nation come together when things go awry.

As I said at the beginning of this piece, I met these people, actually at a Town Meeting with Doug Bereuter(R-1st Dist Retired). I asked what could be done for these people who had sacrificed so much, and at the very least, get medication for knuckles that looked like walnuts from years of use and abuse. After the meeting, a few of us went outside and started a collection for this couple, nothing grand, no millions of dollars or some such thing.We were talking about helping these people, and two amazing things happened. The first, a major dealer donated a used, but perfectly working combine to the family, (I guess the worth was about $100,000+)...and then, when Doug came out, I had my hat in my hand wiping my brow, it was hot, and he dropped a personal check into my hat for $2500 made out to the couple. Others reached into their pockets and soon, I had a hat with some pretty good cash in it. I went to the car the elderly couple were entering, gave them the hat, and the lady looked at me with tears in her eyes, ans simply said, "Thank you son". A couple of years ago, I was in Newman Grove and decided to visit the graves of the the children who had perished. In a latex box, my hat was attached to the grave of the young woman. I wept, not because of the loss from so many years ago, but because I knew that two old people would suffer just a little less, because community was there for them.