March 28, 2024

Thank you for your service

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have served our country and honor those who are no longer with us. It didn’t feel like a normal holiday with no public services to remember those who are gone, but that doesn’t mean those veterans should not be honored.

For me, I always think of my Grandpa James “Mack” Rodgers during this holiday. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He volunteered to serve soon after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He entered pilot school in 1942. He washed out of pilot training, but he was then sent to gunnery school and next trained as a radio operator.

He was deployed overseas in 1944, originally stationed in England. As the war progressed, the base was moved to France. He was the radio operator in a B-26 bomber. He flew in 29 bombing missions over Germany. He advanced to the rank of Tech Sergeant.

During the Battle of the Bulge, German forces came within 15 miles of his air base. They took the waist guns out of the bombers to set up around the perimeter of the base should the Germans get closer.

Being a radio operator was hard on Grandpa’s hearing. His planes were guided by beacons and he had to listen for the signal. Of course, the Germans did everything they could to jam the signal. So most of the time, Grandpa listened to a lot of static through his headsets as he helped guide the plane home. By the time he was discharged from the Army, he could no longer hear a watch tick, but he wasn’t about to complain. He figured there were others coming back who had it a lot worse during the war, and some didn’t come back at all.

I don’t remember Grandpa talking about the war much. He was happy to serve his country and was a proud American for his whole life. I remember finding an old trunk in a closet at his house. It was full of items from his army days with battlefield ribbons, etc. as well as a ton of photos of Grandpa during his time overseas. It was fascinating to look through all of his Army memoirs. It was not organized but at least it was all in one place. His Army uniform hung in that closet, as well.

As Grandpa got older, he started to tell more stories. There are so many stories from the war he could have shared, however, we lost him in 2006. One of the last memories I have with him is when he was telling stories of his time overseas in places like France and Belgium.

Luckily we have some of his stories on video. My brother, James, was doing a project for his SOAR class in elementary school and Grandpa agreed to be interviewed. That tape is one of my dad’s most treasured possessions. As my dad filmed his father, he learned more about Grandpa’s involvement in the war than he ever knew before. He talked to his grandson and namesake for more than an hour.

It’s important to remember the sacrifices of people like my Grandpa not only on Memorial Day but everyday we get to enjoy our lives here in America. It may not feel like life is normal right now, but the American way is not canceled. Never forget the sacrifices that were made to give us the world we enjoy today.

As I think about what my Grandpa had to endure in a foreign country in a massive global war, it makes the idea of having to stay at home and change my regular routine less of a challenge.

Grandpa would have been 103 on May 13. It’s not impossible to think he could still be with us; however, I am grateful for the 89 years he did get to enjoy. I thought I was pretty mature in high school, but still not enough to fully grasp the importance of Grandpa’s service and to thank him for it. As I mature, I appreciate more the sacrifices he made for America. So in closing, I want to say thank you to my grandpa and all who served in WW II. I just wish I could tell grandpa in person.

Contact Pam Pratt at pampratt@newtondailynews.com