'One of the most influential veterans in my life died in September. The loss didn’t fully hit until the flight home from his memorial service earlier this week, columnist Brandon Lingle writes. He was a father figure, uncle, role model, mentor and buddy.'
William Edgell Allen. When the writer’s family moved to Lompoc, Calif., Allen, a Marine Corps veteran, made them feel right at home. He was more than a family friend. He was a father figure, uncle, role model, mentor and buddy.BUCKEYE, ARIZ. — BUCKEYE, Ariz. — One of the most influential veterans in my life died in September. The loss didn’t fully hit until the flight home from his memorial service earlier this week.was more than a family friend.
They brought us into their circle of friends, and my family gained a sense of community and belonging in a new place.Connections and camaraderie are a constant theme I hear when speaking with veterans and their families, and Veterans Day reminds us to reach out to the vets in our lives.You see, long before he was a great-grandfather, grandfather, father, mechanical engineer, coach and craftsman, he was a Marine.
He was proud of his service — offering an occasional “Semper Fi” or reminder of the Corps’ birthday — but it did not define him.After his enlistment, he started his family, went to college, launched a career and carried on in life.Over the years, the tightknit group of families saw less and less of each other as some of us moved or passed away. The kids grew up, moved away and had families of our own. Many of us had lost touch outside of sporadic social media updates.
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