The Passing of a Korean War Vet, my step-dad
Tonight I opened up a new object which I named "Northern Lights." I was a little nervous, as I am on any new object, but tonight was different, almost like I had someone looking over my shoulder. Backtrack....
Earlier in the day I answered a phone call from my brother whom I rarely speak to for personal reasons... I told him to tell his dad I said hello and that I loved him.
Forward to the jump....
I had a few technical issues on this jump, but was able to work them out. Before the jump, I was about to jump and had that voice inside my head say to recheck your stuff once more... I then reconfirmed my S/L setup and then did a double take and made an adjustment on its placement on the object (nothing serious, just lowered the placement of the SL) . From that point on I felt like I was being stared at from all directions. I counted from 5, took some deep breaths and said, "there ain't nothing to it but to do it." I had air and opportunity, so I jumped as I reached the count of one. Parachute opens and I land in the cow field and avoid the minefield of cow dung as I land. On the ride home, this jump felt different afterwards. It's almost as though I relived my first jump (minus the long wait) and had all the heighted feelings of happiness, almost like life was renewed in me.
Forward to Arriving home....
So I get home and right as I sit down my brother again calls me... I hesitate to answer, as he usually asks me for money, but I answer anyway... He tells me that his dad (my stepdad) just passed away... Now, my stepdad is one of those strange people that rarely get sick. He might get sick once a decade, last time he was at a hospital was a few years back for a checkup. So this was a total shock. They are telling me that he was fighting a fast cancer... They dont know why no one knew or couldnt tell...
He is a decorated Korean War Veteran with combat jumps and countless confirmed kills. A man of Honor, integrity, personal courage, a person true to himself, a man with endless heart that I forever look up to. He saw many changes in the world. He helped build parts of the Berlin wall, and saw it being taken down. He saw the Cold war begin and end. He saw MLK jr and JFK Die, he saw segregation end, and the current president elected.
What I will miss most is his unwaivering honesty and his ability to tell it like it is.
When I would visit him over the last 10 years, he would salute me as I left. I always felt this weird, just like when someone would call me a hero for being in the Army... But now.... I will be the one saluting him one last time, now I understand.
[step]Dad, you will never be forgoten, always remembered for those things that made you who you are.
Please keep my family in your thoughts.
RIP
L. H. Johnson
Sergeant First Class
11 Nov 1930 to 22 Feb 2009
