by Charli Mills
Member since:
April 21, 2006

FACTS OF WWII - 100 WORD STORIES WEEK - 14 - CHALLENGE

May 14, 2008 11:36 PM EDT
views: 130 | comments: 34
"Now what I want is, Facts."

My mother's cousin made this demand with her pencil poised to record the facts of WWII. I glanced to the hospital bed where my once giant grandfather now lay withered and wasted.

"Fact," he said, wheezing, "I enlisted in 1942...Marines..."

"And?"

"I earned top rifle scores...one of eight men...selected to guard...Admiral Nimitz."

"Why were you selected?"

Although weak, I saw him grin slightly, replying "Looks...build...smarts."

She grilled him for 20 more minutes then left. Once the door shut my papa's eyes filled with tears. "Facts are easy to recall...what I faced...I will never tell."
link to this page
Bookmark this post:
Facebook
Twitter
Delicious
Buzz
More

Comments: 34

Charli Mills May 14, 2008, 11:45pm EDT
This is dedicated to the memory of my once giant grandfather. Papa was indeed a "Palace Guard" to Admiral Nimitz.
Alison Pearce May 14, 2008, 11:54pm EDT
Excellent and powerful drabble
Charli Mills May 14, 2008, 11:57pm EDT
Thank you Alison!
Wanda H. May 15, 2008, 12:08am EDT
Wonderful drabble, great use of the prompt and a strong story. You are terrific.
Suze P. May 15, 2008, 12:10am EDT
Great story.. very powerful, and a wonderful use of the prompt to make a tribute to your grandfather. Great job!! :O)
Charli Mills May 15, 2008, 12:11am EDT
Thank you, Wanda. I really appreciate that.
Kay M. May 15, 2008, 12:13am EDT
Wonderful drabble Charli. The old vets I have known have been the same. Many things they will never speak of.
Charli Mills May 15, 2008, 12:15am EDT
Thanks, Suze. After 10 years I finally got all his notes and files on his experience. Just this week, in fact! So I was feeling sentimental.
Charli Mills May 15, 2008, 12:18am EDT
I know what you mean, Kay. He was proud to be a Marine, but he never really told any stories. Just a year before his death he visited me in MT and asked if I would help write his stories. 10 years later I finally got all his notes. I feel a bit overwhelmed though--there are two boxes of files!
Charli Mills May 15, 2008, 12:27am EDT
Thank you Judi. I really like the drabbles--they train us to pick words. Otherwise I tend to blather on and on! :-)
Stephanie B. May 15, 2008, 1:04am EDT
Very powerful.
Miz Lynn aka/BooBoo May 15, 2008, 1:04am EDT
Awww this was great, sounds like you have a great Papa!! Great drabble.
Pat M. May 15, 2008, 1:35am EDT
Beautiful Charli. Don't lose those boxes, whatever you do.
Alison H. May 15, 2008, 2:06am EDT
Very moving.
Arlena S. May 15, 2008, 8:53am EDT
Charli
WOW!
You are beautiful
Marianne M. May 15, 2008, 9:36am EDT
Beautiful drabble, Charli. Your Papa was part of Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation." He wrote, "this is the greatest generation any society has produced," and argued that the soldiers fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the right thing to do.
penni d. May 15, 2008, 9:46am EDT
so sad, so true...kudos to you, charli..........
lynn a. May 15, 2008, 9:55am EDT
So poignant. Speaks a lot of truth about war. Excellent drabble.
Scott Newton May 15, 2008, 11:37am EDT
Oh yeah! Hot Drabble! We have no idea the stories the little old men a women carry slowly about!
Melinda ~choosing happiness~ S. May 15, 2008, 12:46pm EDT
Wonderfully done! Very powerful!
Bhawana 'Gather Proud Mom' May 15, 2008, 1:54pm EDT
Great drabble and Lovely way. A wonderful tribute to your grandfather.
Donna Hammett-Tooker May 15, 2008, 2:10pm EDT
Kudos to your grandfather, Charli. And the point is well-taken - the facts are easy to record while the real story is so tied to memories of people and events that the telling is much more difficult.
Marge H. May 15, 2008, 4:12pm EDT
Beautiful tribute Charli. I'll bet those boxes will be fascinating to go through.
Becky Powell May 15, 2008, 5:54pm EDT
Charli, your characters are so vivid. I love how cold and no-nonsense the cousin is. It's a nice way to honor your grandfather.
Curt L. May 15, 2008, 9:39pm EDT
Wonderful, Charli! Thank you!
Anita R. May 15, 2008, 11:08pm EDT
Well done, well written -- a perfect drabble!
Doyle ( IS SOOO 7 for 7 soon... ) C. May 16, 2008, 9:25am EDT
Very emotive!

Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Tracey W. May 16, 2008, 7:38pm EDT
Beautiful Charli! Well written. Excellent drabble.
Jan S. May 16, 2008, 8:53pm EDT
Our heroes are, indeed, human, and can only bear so much horror and heartbreak. Excellent.
Lyn Owen May 16, 2008, 9:51pm EDT
Wow
Charli Mills May 17, 2008, 11:12am EDT
Thank you for all the comments!
Sheila Deeth May 22, 2008, 12:29am EDT
Very nice - the contrast between different sorts of facts. And a lovely story for this weekend.
necee t. May 24, 2008, 12:13am EDT
wonderful story of honor and duty... God be with all our troops, present, past and future...
Shelbia C. Oct 2, 2008, 2:32am EDT
Very powerful tale.

Join the Conversation
Chime in! Become a Gather member to comment.
Already a member? Sign in
top
 
Gather | Friends | Groups | Share
About Gather | Engagement Marketing | Make New Friends | Gather Points | Advertise on Gather | Gather Press | Privacy | Terms of Service | Community Guidelines
Books | Celebs | Entertainment | Family | Food | Health | Moms | Money | News | Politics | Spirituality | Sports | Travel | Writing
Version 16961, "Pacino"; Copyright © 2009 Gather Inc. All rights reserved.