A HERO...

It is not very often that you can say that you got to meet a TRUE AMERICAN HERO...

What a special day...
We were so blessed to have a local community Patriotic Choir concert at our church today... It was a packed house... Everyone was asked to invite any veterans that they knew...

It was a great concert... One of our favorite parts was being able to honor all the veterans when they stood during one of the songs... Wow... what a reminder right in front of you that our freedom isn't really free at all... Someone had to pay for it and those veterans right in front of us had done just that... paid for your freedom and mine.

It was especially touching because the older boys and I had just finished studying Normandy and D-day this past week... We actually watched Saving Private Ryan together... UNREAL... GUT WRENCHING... COMPLETELY EYE OPENING... I had never seen the movie before...

We had a lot of discussions about the tremendous amount of sacrifices made then and still now...
We talked a lot about the honor and glory that those soldiers should have received then and still should receive now...
We talked a lot about how those who served could even function when they came home, (if they came home) after all they had seen and experienced...

We wondered... How many might still be alive from D-day... they would have to be close to 90 years old most likely...

During the concert they gave a special honor to a precious gentleman...

Meet private John... awarded a silver star for bravery as a paratrooper on D-day... I could not believe it...

 I immediately called my boys, who were at a youth event across the parking lot and told them that they had to meet this man... Do you see his precious genuine smile???  He was downright sweet!

They rushed right over... We visited with him and his daughter for quite a while... What a treat...

A paratrooper on D-day dropped 20 miles from where they were supposed to be dropped. (sounded just like the Saving Private Ryan story) He was captured as a POW just 2 days later, while he was hiding a famous general in a closet... He had told the general, "If they come banging on the door... do not come out... stay put!"  The general remained safe... Private John was taken prisoner and kept in solitary confinement for much of the rest of the war time... Oh my goodness the stories that he told us...

He will be turning 93 soon...

He said there were days they didn't hurt him because some believed he might be a part of the Chicago mob... He told them that he knew Al Capone just to get them off his back...

He had his front teeth knocked out...

He goes to a paratrooper D-Day Reunion every year...
Every year there are less and less returning veterans, I think there were just over 100 there last year, his daughter told us...

This year at 92 years young, he still did the jump off of the 34 foot tower... We even got to watch the video of it... I asked him if it was scary (I know probably an incredibly silly question for a veteran who paratrooped into Normandy :)  But he laughed and said, "No way!"

After all that he has seen and experienced during his time of service and as a POW... I was absolutely amazed by this guy... He was sharp as a tack... He was so sweet, so tender hearted, so willing to share with us his stories...

He even gave us a D-Day pin that belonged to him...

What an honor and privilege to actually get to speak with a living breathing hero who has sacrificed much and given much in his life for our freedom...

He shook my boys hands as they expressed their gratitude for his service...

His daughter said that they will send us a video tape that he likes to give out to schools when he speaks... apparently it tells the story of some French ladies who housed paratroopers and then used their parachutes to sew wedding gowns since they were made of white silk... who would have thought??? We can't wait to see it!:)

(Kind of a crazy picture of jojo below, but all the kids were so excited to get to see and touch this very special take home from the concert...)

Super special man that Private John... super special day for this crew...