Dear ole Dad was stationed at Okinawa during the Korean War.
One day in his bedroom I asked him about his service ribbons. He kept them in a tray top drawer of his dresser. He explained what each one meant, they were all command numbers, technical names, and places. On a uniform, they amount to a personal biography, or curriculum vitae right there on his chest.
I said, "Oh. I thought they meant, hair always combed and parted, pants always creased, shirt buttons aligned with fly, nails clean and trimmed, shoes shined."
He goes, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha" about me being so dopey instead of getting mad.
I go, "How come you get a ribbon for Korea when you weren't even there?"
He goes, "Hey, we were Strategic Air Command, tactical communications, and that made us a prime target. It was a very dangerous situation."
I don't know for sure, but he might have been at Naha, immediately south of Kadena on the same southernmost island.
1 comment:
Dad sounds like a pretty good guy for laughing about "hair always combed and parted", etc.
A lot of guys would have freaked.
Props to Dad.
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