American Soldier

Tonight, my post, in the quest for 'Thirty days of Patriotism,' is very sentimental. Today, June 6th is the 68th anniversary of D-day. This is especially important to me, as my Grandpa, William Van Donsel, was deployed just several days after we stormed the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. He was one of the greatest men to walk God's green earth, and anyone who ever had the opportunity to meet him would surly agree.

As I continue to decorate my house for Independence Day, I love being able to put up photos of both of my grandfathers, whom I consider to be real American heroes. My mom's father, my Grandpa Elmer, was a Staff Sergeant in the Korean War. I feel so blessed to have several photos of my grandfathers days during their service to this amazing country.

The above photo is my Grandfather at Fort Leonard Wood Military Base in the Missouri Ozarks. The base went up in December 1940, and was originally intended to train infantry troops. In WWII, German and Italian POW's were interned at the base.

I love this photo of my Grandpa, he looks so handsome!

I can definitely see a little bit of my brothers and my cousins in his face.

The below photo is my Grandpa Elmer in Korea. He brought home tons of photos and slides of his deployment and I am so lucky that my grandma has shared them with me!

Below is a photo my grandpa had taken on Main Street

in whatever town he was in at the time.

My favorite thing about most of these photos is the detailed descriptions on the back, that my grandpa wrote himself! While the ink has faded some, I love having some sort of explanation from him. He wrote on the below photo, "The little stinker is having a bit of lunch." 



This photo is of one of the tug boats that pulled the ship into port.

This is a photo of where they finally dropped anchor in Korea to get off this ship. In the Korean War the The United States of America provided 88% the soldiers!

Today, and always, I am so thankful and proud of our American Military men and woman! From those who have served our country in the past, and those who continue to serve  today, I am forever grateful.