Community Corner
Memorial Day: Time for Reflection and Respect
Drop the BBQ tongs this weekend. Take time this Memorial Day to honor American's military personnel who died in combat.
My grandfather, Charles Andreson, was a very proud American. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and sailed on the U.S.S. Briscoe. As I read through his diary, he credits a typhoon in the Pacific for saving his life. He never forgot the ultimate sacrifice others made for all of us.
When he returned home, he proudly marched and later rode in the annual Memorial Day parade in Manchester, Conn., to honor those who lost their lives while serving our country.
He continued his service by counseling returning veterans young and old at the Army & Navy Club and the Veteran of Foreign Wars Post #2046, his home away from home.
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Throughout his life, he rose early to fly the American flag in front of his home. When I revisit Connecticut, I always drive by his final home, a retirement community, and am happy to say the flag is still flying each day.
When he was laid to rest in 2005, his life was celebrated with full military honors including a three-volley salute with rifles. This is a memory, I will never forget.
