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Kathleen O'Neil-Meyers and George O'Neil
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June 16, 2012 - My father, George B. O'Neil, was drafted and served
in two wars. He served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy during World War
II and was stationed in Camp Perry Virginia guarding prisoners. My
father was honorably discharged, after the death of all the Sullivan
Brothers, due to the Sole Survivor Policy. You see, my dad was an
orphan and was never adopted. Those in command were alerted of this
because my dad never received any mail and when they questioned him
he explained that he had no family.
During the Korean War, my
dad was once again drafted and became a staff sergeant in the army.
Although he was from Massachusetts he was deployed to |
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the 40th division in California and sent to Korea where he was in
active battle. He hasn't really talked about what that was like
except for his feet being so cold and getting frostbite. |
When my dad returned to the United States on a ship, he
knelt down and kissed the ground saying, “Thank God, I made
it home.” No one was around to greet my father when he
returned from the war. My dad was sent to Fort Devens for
processing out of the army. While there he was told if he
left base not to wear his uniform as the war was unpopular.
He did not wear his uniform, which he was proud of, off
base.
The reasons I am so proud of my father are too
numerous to mention. He led a simple and ordinary life. He
was not afforded an education from the orphanage so he
always worked hard (he said he was born to work). At 27 he
married a nurse he met in Boston, bought a home in
Connecticut where he and my mom raised four good and
successful children and they eventually settled into
retirement. My dad worked until he was 82 years old and he
still finds projects to do at 84 (he turns 85 next month) at
home and for his children.
My
dad is a very patriotic man. When we were little we always
attended the local parades to honor our Veterans and as we
children got older, we began to understand more and more the
sacrifices that he and so many others made so that we can
live in the free world. When we said thank you for your
service daddy, he teared up and said no one ever said that
to him before.
In September 2011, he was able to join
many other Veterans and participate in the Honor Flight to
the Washington Monuments. He absolutely loved that
experience, sharing it with fellow Veterans and volunteers
who made the day a memory for a lifetime. He finally got the
thank you and welcome home that he never had...people were
there to greet him!
I love my dad very much and am
honored to write this short essay about a man who has given
so much to so many.
By Kathleen O'Neil-Meyers
From
Department of Veterans Affairs - Vantage Point
Copyright 2012
About Author: Kathleen O'Neil-Meyers is a Nurse Manager with
the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Haven, CT.
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