thread about dads.

[DeathGrip]

My dad turned 84 last month...I am so blessed to still have him around. He is the last of 5 brothers.

He's a retired NYPD Captain. As you can see from the name under his pic, he took off the "Di" and "io" from Gregor back in 54 to get on the job.....back then, the Irish ruled the dept....I have since put our family name back..

It's a shame that any one of us had to spell our names wrong to try to blend.

You know my name. Is it Scott or Irish? There was a time when it mattered. Today it don't.

Oh, Your Dad rocks.

 

[kudzu3]

I loved him, He's gone, I miss him. Left this life in 1997 at 89 years old.

 

[MP22]

My dad had his favorites in the family. I was not one of them. Been dead for several years. Can't say that I miss him much.

 

[Grayfox]

My Dad was a simple farm boy. Grandpa had peach and apple orchards and that how my Dad grew up. During the depression he helped build state parks with the Civilian Consevation Corps. Sent most of his pay back to his parents to help them get by.
He got drafted sometime around mid-1942. He was the gunner on a M-1919 crew. Fought in Italy, survived D-Day and somewhere about half way across France he was nearly blown to pieces by German artillery.
Spent two years recovering in a military hospital in Waco, Texas. He had recuring problems with his damaged right leg for many years until it finally had to be removed in 1969.
Highest rank he ever actually achieved was PFC. At the time he was hit, he was the acting Platoon Sergeant.
Went to school on the G.I. Bill and got hired as a clerk at the International Harvester Foundry in memphis. He retired 33 years later as Chief Production Expediter.
Along the way he survived a hemorrhaged ulcer, two heart attacks, a quadruple bypass and the mentioned leg problems. Five times in his life the doctors said he wouldn't survive the night. Four times he made liers out of them.
Even tho he had a Disabled Veteran license plate, he rarely used handicapped parking spaces. In his words: "There are people who need those!"
He was a man of quiet strength. Never complained, he simply dealt with it.
We lost him in 1987. I still miss him dearly.

 

[rimfired]

Dad died in 1973, he had just turned 60. Too young! Proud son of a physician WWI vet. He served as a Pharmacists Mate in the CG in WWII aboard the DE USS Chambers in N Africa and the Med. He did surgery and saved lives. Course he had his tonsils taken out on the kitchen table along with his sister at 801E Front St. Berwick, PA.

I've now outlived him and my Mother, she died two years later. God Bless Jean Sands Freas!

Our only son has never known a grandparent. But he did
get to know his Greatgrandparents on my Mothers side.

Life is short. Everyday is a gift.
Thats why they call it the "present".

 

[gregintenn]

My father was a tool and die maker by trade. He took me to church, hunting and fishing, and taught me a work ethic that has so far served me well. He's still alive and kicking, although retired, he tinkers each day in his garage, and has turned out some pretty interesting things.
He built my sons each a deer rifle:

He also recently finished building this custom hot rod that won a first place trophy in a local car show:

It is an MG B, and has an aluminum V8 engine from a Range Rover, and a GM 5 speed transmission. It will move!

 

[bpeddicord]

Dads

My dad passed away in 1972 at the age of 48. He was a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor along with his brother. Both were on the USS California. At the time of his death, he was the police cheif of a small town in Tennessee. He was a hard man, but fair. He took no abuse from anyone and never abused anyone or abused his authority. I am positive he raised me well during our short time together. It's been hard not having a dad for all these years. My mother passed away in 2007 at the age of 81. She never remarried.

 

[walkin jack]

My dad....

My dad passed away in June of 2009. He was 90 years old and All bias aside I can honestly say that I have never known a better man. He retired from the old US Army Air Corps as a Major. During WWII he was a B-29 pilot. He was a great American, a true patriot, a hard worker, a great provider, great husband and a great father. Very even tempered. Always with a smile and a warm greeting. People loved him everywhere he went.

He never sat me down and gave me any lessons on how to live but the taught me by his example, by how he lived his life most of what I know today. He worked the same job for 42 years. Missed 2 days work due to a broken collar bone and was NEVER late to work even one time in all those years.

From him I learned a good work ethic, I learned to respect women, to look you in the eye when talking to you, to be honest and dependable and to mean what you say and to say what you mean. He taught me to take responsibility for my mistakes.

He taught me how to fish and gave me a profound love and respect for nature. He was patient with me and only gave me the punishments I had coming. He never gave me any clue, even when I had provoked him beyond all endurance, that he didn't love me. He was my best friend and we were always close even after I'd grown up. He was my rock.

I still miss him every day. I always will.

 

[DeathGrip]

He also recently finished building this custom hot rod that won a first place trophy in a local car show:

It is an MG B, and has an aluminum V8 engine from a Range Rover, and a GM 5 speed transmission. It will move!

I'm pretty sure that the Rover V8 was once the 215 CI Olds. You can still get performance goodies for them. I remember working on one with a Buick V6 and Auto. Who ever built it had no business working on cars. But it was crazy fast. I bet your Dad's is even faster.

Your Dad would get along great with my Dad. Probably most of the guys mentioned here would too.

Added, Got more pics? Maybe under the hood er bonnet.

 

[gregintenn]

I'm pretty sure that the Rover V8 was once the 215 CI Olds. You can still get performance goodies for them. I remember working on one with a Buick V6 and Auto. Who ever built it had no business working on cars. But it was crazy fast. I bet your Dad's is even faster.

Your Dad would get along great with my Dad. Probably most of the guys mentioned here would too.

Added, Got more pics? Maybe under the hood er bonnet.

You are correct. I believe he also has an Olds block or two lying around. He picked them up before settling on this engine. Sorry, I don't have any pics under the hood at this time. The car looks new from one end to the other.

I once helped dad build a barn. I build roads; he built dies. When we were framing it up, he cross measured the corners. He was upset because one measurement was almost 1/32 different from the other. I thought an inch would be good enough!

 

[DeathGrip]

You are correct. I believe he also has an Olds block or two lying around. He picked them up before settling on this engine. Sorry, I don't have any pics under the hood at this time. The car looks new from one end to the other.

I once helped dad build a barn. I build roads; he built dies. When we were framing it up, he cross measured the corners. He was upset because one measurement was almost 1/32 different from the other. I thought an inch would be good enough!

Yep, When he built the house he lives in now you wouldn't believe how particular he was about it. I learned not to argue.

 

[MP1983]

My dad had a Master's Degree in Education from the Univeristy of Maryland but never finished high school...he turned 18 in November of 1943 & by January 1944 was drafted in the US Army Infantry...they gave him a piece of paper and said, "here, you're a high school graduate"...

He came from a very humble background, from a broken home when people didn't have broken homes...he saw his share of action in the war in Europe & then mopping out caves & the back hills in the Phillipines after Japan surrendered....caught malaria & nearly died...

came back to the states where he met mom in college, went on to teach industrial arts & then worked in school administration for nearly 30 years total...was a member of the Lion's club for over 25 years...did meals on wheels for the United Way & supported the local Job Corps...went to church every Sunday...he and my mom celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe in early 2001....

in August 2001 pancreatic cancer took him...

he always was the first to help a neighbor, always returned anything he barrowed back in better shape than when he got...he was always good to mom & us kids...awarded a bronze star in WWII...

our nation's greatest generation is truly slipping away from us, but I'm just proud to have had a bonifide member of it for my Dad...

 

[chud333]

Well i was one of the lucky ones. My dad, "Pops"
as i called him was my Hero and Best Friend.
Pops retired from the USMC in 1975 with 20 years
of service as a Gunnery Sargent. He then worked
for 20 more years for the State of Indiana (Dept.
of Natural Resources). He raised 3 sons and i never
once knew him to as much as raise his voice to my
mother. We did'nt always have what we "wanted",
but always had what we needed. He passed away from
a stroke in Feb. 2010
I still miss him terribly.

Chuck

 

[vatchunter]

MG357 Thanks for raising such a great topic!

I had a great Dad, but unfortunatly he passed when I was 17. Dad had a stroke at the age of 29 and was disabled from that point til he died at 39.

Losing him at such a young age was devastating, but it made me determined to do the things with my son that he could not do with me. I began taking my son deer hunting with me when he was 5. He took his first deer with a firearm at age 8, with a bow at 10.

Skip to present day, I am in my 40's and expecting to my first 2 grand kids. I can't wait to pass on the S&W disease on to them as I did to my own kids. My daughters first CCW was a S&W Sigma .40, and my son and I are in a race to see who has the biggest addiction.

If you had a great Dad you are blessed.
If you have been fortunate to have a Dad for your adult life, you are Super Blessed.
If you have the opportunity to be a Dad, be the blessing for every generation you can affect.

vatchunter

 

[sipowicz]

We should send this into the Huffington Post...maybe they'll repost it as a "greatest generation thread" thread...then again, maybe not. Too much God, guns, and guts. Maybe we should post a pic of someone's dad munching on tofu while picking up recyclables off the side of the road....that will get us in...

 

[bricker]

I sure miss my Pop.

 

[S&W Fan]

I lost my dad in '92 just shy of his 72nd birthday. He went 18 years on a triple bypass from the early days of when they started doing them. Some of my best memories are of the times we spent on our boat, just the two of us-my sister & brother are 6 & 9 yrs older than me-in Southern New Jersey. Usually the dog came along as well. Like many men of his generation he kept his feeling close but there was never any doubt of his love for us and our mom. As I never knew either of my grandfathers I was thrilled that he got to enjoy both my sons, eventhough it was only for a few short years (my older son was 7, younger 3 when dad passed).

I even had a strange experience with my younger son that mirrored one I had with my dad. When I was 15 I remember sitting in our living room waiting for the ambulance as he was having heart issues (it was a heart attack). Fast forward to 2003, I was sitting in my living room waiting for the ambulance during my heart attack with my then 15 yr. old son looking at me with the same concern. Strange.

Dad served in the 3rd Army under Patton, my older son-a current E5, flight medic-has his "Ike" jacket and great memories of the 3 of us sailing in San Diego. Thanks for everything dad I'll always love you and miss you terribly.

 

[walkin jack]

I'd just like to jump in here and say quickly that I have never been so deeply touched by any thread on any forum in the 14 or 15 years that I've been on the internet.

It has been a much needed reminder just how wonderful people can be and how strongly American family values and traditions still are.

Getting older and watching the decline and departure of the generation ahead of us is very sad and emotional. But by the time we get to that point in our lives we hopefully have the maturity, coping skills and grace to accept the realities of the cycle of life.

My generation is "next" but I'm prepared. I plan on making the most of what ever is left to me but I can go to my maker with a clear conscience and a satisfied mind.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I have no relationship with my father. I saw him rarely as a kid. He was married to his wife...who was not my mother. The mid 70s ....that happened a lot. He is still alive. I have not seen or spoken to him since 1998. I think that he disinherited me at some point after my mother sued him for all sorts of wrong doing. Shrug. He drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney for years. He will be 90 this year.

I have four sons myself. At least I out bred his legitimate children.

Eh. My maternal grandfather was a good guy though.

 

[vytoland]

dad was my hero, teacher and friend. Dad ALWAYS put family and home first.
many times he worked two jobs and on the weekend. The mortgage was paid ahead of time, the house was warm in the winter
because he would be up before the sun was to get the coal fired boiler hot. We were NEVER hungry .
I was pre school age and would meet him by the fence at his work place and he would share his lunch with me.
I was the oldest kid in the family and when he needed help with a project, he would say to me, "hey you feeling strong today?"

he died, tragically, in a hospital, several years ago. I love him and miss him a lot.

my brother, dad and me (i'm the one with the bow tie) cira 1951