That handsome Marine is my Grandpa. As a young girl I knew that my Grandpa had been a Marine but I didn’t understand what that meant. I had no context for war, military service, and especially the draft. Grandpa wasn’t drafted, but he knew he would be. He chose to enlist. He wanted to live. He saw his friends being drafted into the army and so many never came home. He intended to enlist in the Navy but ended up in the Marine Corps.
As a girl with no understanding of my Grandpa’s service or what the war years were like, I learned to play The Marines’ Hymn on the piano. I remember playing it at an extended family Christmas party. My Grandparents were so proud, and emotional. That didn’t really make sense to me then. I didn’t even play it all that well. 😉 But now, I think I’m beginning to understand. I’m proud of my Grandparents’ sacrifice in an incredibly challenging time in history. I love my Marine Grandpa.