Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's Day...............

Anyone can father a child but it takes character and commitment to be a Dad. I remember my father and what he taught me in life through his words and actions. He was a young man when the war came. He was already in the territorial army and so was at the rank of sergeant when he entered the war. He married my mother before he went off for training. He was originally intended for the desert war but by the time they had reached India they were turned around and sent to Singapore. There they were captured and held prisoner for the remainder of the war. While his captivity with the Japanese damaged his body, and his health it did not do anything to his spirit. He never hated the Japanese, in fact he found a lot to admire about the country of his captivity. The beauty around him that could be seen from the inside of the camps, the orange groves on Mt Fugi. He worked in a factory for most of his time there. He seldom talked about the war, but over the years little bits came out. Anyway........he told me to judge a man by his actions and not his skin colour or nationality or religion. He became a born again Christian when he came here one year. He had a lot on his mind, things that happened during the war that he felt were not forgivable. He forgave himself when he learned that Christ forgave him. He is probably the one person that influenced me a great deal in my life and my one true supporter who gave me unconditional love. I know I will see him again and until then.................I love you Dad forever. 08dad

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post. We owe so much to men like your dad who endured unimaginable horrors for our freedom. What an incredible man he must have been to still see the beauty around him, despite being a prisoner of war.

Cindy Adkins said...

A wonderful tribute to your Dad. Mine passed in 1996, and like your Dad, mine was a big influence on my life, too. I miss him very much. Thanks for sharing.
Cindy

Kay G. said...

What a wonderful post about your Dad. He sounds like such a great father. You know, I wonder if you have ever heard about a book called Devil At My Heels by Louis Zamperini? It is one of my favorite books. He was also held prisoner by the Japanese. He went back later to the camp where he was held and when the Japanese people heard about all that happened at that spot, they turned it into a park promoting peace. I'll just bet your Dad would have loved that.