Hey...I'm Going to D.C. With My Dad!

Just when I had given up on any kind of vacation this year...out of nowhere I learn that I have an opportunity to go to Washington D.C. with my dad. Most of you know that I have been worried about my dad's declining mental condition. He's still able to make the trip and I am thrilled that he invited me to go with him.

He has received an invitation to a ceremony in October marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. My dad has never talked about the war. When I tried to get some dental help a while back, I discovered his military records and found that he had earned three bronze stars during the war. He doesn't want to talk about it...says coming home was an award many of his fellow soldiers did not.

So, I was a little surprised to see him excited about the possibility of attending. The trip is fairly quick. A day driving up there. A day visiting a few sites and the ceremony at the Korean War Memorial. My dad said today for the first time that he would like to see the memorial. So, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We do have to pay, but it's only $800 for both of us. I'll find a way somehow!

If you pray, please say a prayer for my dad that his health won't decline very much in the next month and we will be able to make this trip. Taking him on this trip will help repay the many wonderful things he has done for me. And it comes at a perfect time, perhaps in the fleeting moments before his mind completely gives in to this disease.

Oddly enough, I figure my dad may be one of the younger members of the 30 vets making the trip. He joined the Army at age 17 and went straight to Korea.