Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day, our family gets together for a barbeque. We enjoy the day together, camaraderie and good food.

I always spend at least part of the day thinking about my Uncle Davey. My favorite uncle, who lives a few hours away, is a WWII vet. Davey was in one of the groups that landed on Omaha Beach...you know, the battle from the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. Yep...he was there. Only 7 of the men from his group survivied. He was forced to lay low in the edge of the water as it grew more and more red from the blood of his fallen fellow soldiers before a break in the firing gave him the chance to run. It was literally, for him, a blood bath. After that, they went on into France and continued their missions.

Davey did not talk much about the war for years and years after returning. It wasn't until he was about 70 that he was finally able to open up and tell his fascinating stories. He was married when he went off to war...had two little children (a son and a daughter) that he left behind.

Thank you, Uncle Davey, for your sacrifice, bravery and service to our country.

After returning from the war the experience had shaken him and changed him so much that his marriage fell apart, and his wife took the kids and left him. Although he paid child support for both of them through college, their mother lied to them and told them that he did not want anything to do with them. His letters to them were discarded and they never saw them. It broke Davey's heart.

Davey mentioned to me, one time, how much he would like to see his son. He only mentioned it once.

I got into geneaology a few years ago, and had posted some inquiries regarding my ancestors on several message boards. One day, I got an e-mail from a Chuck Burns (my grandmother's maiden name and Davey's surname) asking about the Burns family. I told him a little bit about the Burns clan, and asked him how he was related. It turns out that this man was Davey's son! It had been 40 years since he had seen his father - the last time being when he was a young boy. I corresponded with him for a while, and told him what a wonderful, loving man his father is. He initially did not want to make contact with Davey, but I assured him that Davey would love nothing more than to hear from him. With my urging and reassurance, Chuck contacted Davey by writing him a letter. They spoke on the phone a few times and that spring, on Father's Day, Chuck and his wife drove to Iowa from Oklahoma to pay Davey a surprise visit. Davey said it was one of the most wonderful days of his whole life.

Davey now has his son back in his life. I am so happy that I was able to help get them back together. It is the best gift I could have ever given to him.