I missed that part. Of course you should do it. I'm not certain I agree that you only tell the sunny parts. We rarely learn any valuable life lessons when things are going well. I think the challenges, successes and failures we all have can benefit others, if for no other reason than to have their own humanness validated. Of course, the issue is exactly what to disclose, and how to disclose it, huh?
John, I couldn't agree more! My plan is to tell the good, the bad, but not the ugly. I'm doing the story not so much to be remembered, although that would be nice, but in hope that others can learn from my experiences and thus get the most out of their life.
There is no finer legacy. It's interesting how we all influence each other. We may not always be the ultimate person that "causes" someone else to change. But we all take turns in the roles that shift perspectives...hopefully for the better.
No, people are too involved in their world, and in family matters. I was thinking of this not long ago when I saw an old friend who was at the sign-in desk and waiting to see the ophthalmologist. He was using a walker and looked a little decrepit, so I decided not to bother him, since he was involved with the paper work, and my wife was waiting on me. Long story short, some 40 years ago when we were a lot younger and had small children (my wife had taught his kids and we met them about 1980 when they agreed to babysit for us). We talked a lot about the old days, and finally about the army. To my surprise I found out that he was a veteran of the battle of Pork Chop Hill, which was an important battle in North Korea in 1953. Over 1000 members of the 17th and 31st Infantry were killed or wounded during the course of the final battle for Pork Chop Hill. Less than three weeks later, the Armistice Agreement was signed ending the hostilities in Korea. In fact the armistice was being negotiated while the battle was going on, even though the soldiers didn't know it. How many people have heard of Port Chop hill? Go into the public schools and ask any kid what happened at Pork Chop hill. I doubt if anyone would say that they heard of it. My friend would not talk much about it. (I even asked his son, who I played ping pong with in our basement) if he ever talked about it, and he said no. I doubt if anyone even knows or cares what happened there, or if they know what a hellish nightmare it was for the soldiers. So the answer to your question is NO!
I know about PorkChop. I was dug in on a place called called Dagmar Outpost southwest of Porkchop Hill. That was a a long, bloody battle So was the battle for Old Baldy. Porkchop. We lost Old Baldy but held Porkchop. We knew it as hill 255. I arrived in Korea while the battle was going on. I was online in a sector west of the 7th division in I-Corp, 25th Infantry, 35th Regiment, Company I.
@Bill Boggs Brings up one of my all-time imponderables, regarding War Veterans and firearms. Many I have known, my father in law included, would have absolutely nothing to do with firearms following their return to civilian life. A few, like yourself, carried on the tradition of being suitably armed as civilians. In my case, guns of all sorts always mystified me from my youth onward. I can truthfully say firearms have been an important part of my life as a member of the "American Gun Culture". My wife's parents, her father being an Army Vet, staunchly insisted ALL folks are inherently safer un-armed. This I never understood, nor the fact that they considered me a "crazy" for being a "gun nut". They insisted that a vicious criminal would not harm them if they had no weapon (!!?). Frank
If an enemy attacks a country with an armed civilian population, they automatically face organized hit and run outfits, sort of an invisible army. Much of our arming, I suspect, was a defense from our own government.. Sorry to take this threat off track. To get back on course remembrance may be an individual affair. Some remember their mother or father and have some grief or close remembering for most of their own life.
I think it's important to leave all the facts like where you were born, how many different areas you lived in, education, family members, Etc. Then hand-me-down stories of deceased members of the family, their history, what they may or may not have achieved, and how they may have affected your life. Then tell a synopsis of your life through your eyes. This may be a little biased because it's how you interpret what you've lived through. Others May see it differently. Then I would include any Lessons Learned that could be useful. My wife is trying to get the genealogy of her great grandparents. She can only get facts like how old when they married, how old were they when they came to America, Etc. There personal feelings and thoughts will never be known because they were not recorded nor are there any family members alive who knew them.