Disappear From Here

Best place to spend a monday afternoon.

Disappear from here.

Our differences.

This photo is of my grandfather, Corporal Walter. R Taplin. Despite having a draft deferment, he served two years in the marines from 1943-1945 from Guam to Iwo Jima. He talks frequently of his many experiences overseas and I couldn’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent listening to him and asking questions. I’ve heard some of them so many times I could tell them myself word for word, but there is nothing like hearing it from him. He has a way of making his stories come to life in a way that makes me feel like I was there..like I knew his buddies. He never glorifies anything and most of his stories focus on his friends and comrades, daily life, and the many places he got to see while in the service. When you meet him the last thing he is going to tell you is that he was in the service. It’s just a part of him, a part of his past.

I once asked him if he was scared..if he was afraid of death. He told me that one day he was leaning against a tree resting when a sniper took a shot and it hit right above his head. A half an inch lower and he would have been dead.

Stories like that one are unusual though. You are much more likely to hear about the “chow” on the troop transports, climbing banana trees on Guam and the time one of his friends jumped of the top mast of a ship for a carton of cigarettes. These are the stories I like to hear the most.

He’s 92 now and these times are long gone, but still fresh in his mind. Since the war ended he returned to his job with Dupont for another 40 years. He raised and family and now he takes care of his wife of 68 years.

Climb to the sky.

Dead oaks.

Voices echo

An ocean between me.

Relax.