Daddy enlisted in the Army during WWII.  He wanted to fly airplanes but he wanted to fly fighters and bombers. However, Uncle Sam wanted him in the Ferry Command, which was the secretive Royal Air Force command.

Daddy was stationed in Montana. That’s where I was born and continues to be a place of longing for me.

Daddy didn’t talk much about his service to country, However, I overhead that he flew airplanes from Gore Field in Montana to a point in Alaska. There, the Russians picked up the planes. Daddy said the pilots never asked but two question: How you get the plane up and where are the guns?

But, Daddy told this funny story about the time his plane went down in a snowstorm deep in Alaska.

Fortunate for Daddy, an Eskimo saw the plane go down and went and got Daddy and took him to his igloo until the sun came up.

This is the story Daddy told.

It was an Eskimo custom that a guest could  sleep with his wife or his dog.

Daddy said when he saw the wife, he decided to sleep with the dog. That was just a funny story Daddy told and had absolutely no truth to it except he was “rescued” by an Eskimo.

Later, Daddy’s vehicle slid off a mountain-side during a snow storm, his nose was broken so he couldn’t fly anymore.

When Daddy’s service commitment ended, he came home with plans to open a flying service. However, the plane he bought second-hand decided to plow up peanuts rather than soar.

Daddy’s plans quickly changed.

The next time I “flew” was in an airplane in search of moonshine stills.

Monday is Memorial Day. Let’s remember those who fought to preserve the joy and laughter of family and friends but … never came home.