For Flag Day at school the kids are having some activities to honor Veterans. Each student had an opportunity to make a poster about a family member who is a Veteran. Both of my kids wanted to make a poster for Grandpa Zimmerman so they worked together--with a lot of coaxing--on their poster.
I enjoy hearing my Grandpa share his army experiences. In 2000 we had a family reunion and my grandpa handed out a typed account of his army experience. It was really interesting to read about the different food rations he had and how he would trade his cigarettes and coffee rations for chocolate or fruit bars. Most importantly, I enjoyed reading/learning about how he was wounded in the war and how his loyal friends dug him out of his foxhole when a bomb hit near him and buried him. Here is a paragraph from my grandpa's account sharing what he learned from the Army:
"To summarize my Army experience, I would have to say that I learned a great deal about life and myself. Basic Training was a challenging experience from the physical standpoint and learning how to survive against an enemy that was there to kill you was a way of life that I had not even thought about before. Being in combat against that enemy was very realistic and I am glad that they prepared us well, even though at times we thought the instructors were unreasonable. One does not know what lies ahead and especially so in our younger years. Thank goodness, the older and experienced men knew what we needed to learn. The camaraderie that one learns is also a valuable lesson in trust and dependency upon others to achieve a desired goal. Living through and recovering from a very traumatic experience helps one realize that life is precious and I am thankful for each of the wonderful days I have lived since. My advice from all of this is to count your blessings and live each day as if it's your last."
Warren Zimmerman
Grandpa recently enrolled in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. You can go see his name and picture at:
http://www.thepurpleheart.com/
