Memories: The Greatest Generation (Jim Heuer)

OFF the BEAT

ROBERT L. SPINKS, MA, MS

COMMENTATOR

MEMORIES: THE GREATEST GENERATION Published on Wed, December 21, 2011 by Robert Spinks, MA, MS http://www.sequimgazette.com/spinks

This past week my wife Connie and I attended my Uncle Jim’s funeral in Kirkland. As I sat grieving in church with nearly 500 family and friends, I found myself struck by the number of people who were attending the service and the breadth and depth of the impact my Uncle had on so many people.

Jim passed away at the age of 87; born in 1924 he was brought up during the Great Depression. Jim was the middle child surrounded by 3 brothers and 2 sisters. The family had moved from his birthplace in Watertown, New York, he was raised in Longview, WA and lived in Kenmore, WA for 52 years.

Jim graduated from R.A. Long High School in Longview in 1941 and at the age of 19 enlisted in the Marine Corps. Throughout WWII there was a Blue Star Flag at his parent’s house that had four blue stars proudly displayed. Fortunately, while Jim and his three brothers all saw combat action in the war, all of them retuned safely home.

In reminiscing about the half century of very good times I enjoyed with my Uncle Jim, I found myself also grieving for the passing of an entire generation. Every family has an Uncle Jim not to mention an Aunt Pat who is now the patriarch for our family. They were married for 62 years and raised two daughters, Genevieve and Lisa – there’s a whole series of articles that could be written about my cousins, but that’s for the future.

Jim served as a decorated Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and was a member of Marine Air Warning Squadron #8 (MAWS-8). They fought in the South Pacific during World War II and were stationed in the Ryuku Islands, Okinawa, Saipan and the Philippines, amongst other. His squadron earned two Presidential Unit Citations for their service. One story had his unit in Leyte Gulf sitting on troop transports for 30 days, by that time Jim extolled that they were more than happy to see combat just to get off those ever rolling ships. But, like many WWII veterans, discussions about that war were infrequent and painful.

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Years ago during a rare talk about the War with me; Jim described a combat landing where his two buddies from basic training were on either side of him. As the battle progressed, an intense barrage of fire came their way. Only Jim was left with his dead buddies on either side of him as the sand soaked up their blood. A tear trickled down his face as he shared this story. It was the same tear that you could see whenever the Marine Corps Hymn was played or sung anywhere within earshot.

By the end of WWII there were more than 16 million veterans. Last week that number shrank just a little bit more. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that approximately 1.7 million American veterans from WWII are still living.

Every day 850 American WWII veterans pass on.

The median age for a World War II veteran today is 87, the same age as my Uncle Jim. It won’t be long before there will be none and another generation will have faded into history.

Who will remember the experiences and sacrifices, celebrate their lives, and appreciate the amazing changes that my Uncle’s generation witnessed?

Our youth of today, and many of us in general tend to focus on today, on immediate gratification, on the wants instead of the needs without recognizing the history that other generations have yet to share if only we all listen.

Sequim is a unique place to live. With an average age that is nearly twice the national average, there is a lot of history bottled up in our community. I remember hearing stories from my Uncle, his brothers, my Aunts and my parents about using outhouses, listening to radio series, paying a nickel or a dime to watch a black and white movie, the art of letter writing, scrap metal drives, victory gardens, cooking with lard, washing machines that had rollers, food rationing, shared party lines with

rotary dial telephones and as many of you know that lists goes on and on.

It’s a list often unappreciated by a new generation that has grown up on computers, IPODS, jet travel, rap music, cars to be driven with little appreciation at the ripe age of 16, satellite TV and tennis shoes that routinely run three figures.

It’s unfortunate that we often see our newer generations more concerned about the ‘me’ instead of past generations that focused more on ‘we’ and team.

We should all be listening to the stories of our parents, uncles and aunts. The tales they now tell-over and over so often that your eyes may roll, will be the very stores that we’ll miss the most. Record them, save their memories. If and when the last boomer parents reach the point where they are living in the past due to dementia or Alzheimer’s, those recordings will become the memory preservers for conversations in a sea of confusion.

And they will become treasures to be saved and shared in your family.

I wish that our family had recorded the voices of our parents, uncles and aunts, grandfathers and grandmothers who have now passed and saved the answers to such simple questions as: What was the happiest moment of your life? What are you most proud of? What are the most important lessons you've learned in life? What is your earliest memory? How would you like to be remembered?

I know that my Uncle Jim would be smiling if he knew that his passing sparked the beginning of a community wide effort to record your family’s memories through recordings or journals. Jim enjoyed spending time with his friends.

Independence Day, Christmas and St. Patrick's Day celebrations were amongst his favorite times. He added laughter and excitement to so many lives,

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and was rarely without a smile and a twinkle in his eye. He would love to see our community recording and saving the many unique memories that swirl through Sequim.

Let’s not miss out on remembering all of our community’s Uncle Jim’s and Aunt Pat’s. Jim passes on the riches of a life well lived. He is a shining example of how to work hard, play well, and love others. He had a compassionate and welcoming heart. He demonstrated forgiveness, charity, and a spiritual radiance that is far too uncommon. He and his entire generation will be greatly missed.

God bless all of the Uncle Jim’s in our community.

Have a truly Happy and Joyful Holiday Season everyone!

Robert Spinks is former Sequim chief of police and Interim City Manager. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sequim Senior Activity Center and the Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), is a volunteer Manager at KSQM 91.5 FM and an Adjunct Faculty member at Everest University. He served as the Emergency Management Director for the cities of Sedro-Woolley (OR) and in Sequim while Chief of Police. Reach him at robertbythebay@aol.com .

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