Our Greatest Generation: My Grandfather’s WWII Experience by shannon

Our Greatest Generation: My Grandfather’s WWII Experience by shannon - June 2014 Scholarship Essay

If I could publish a book it would be a nonfiction work about my grandfather, a WWII US Army Veteran, Emil A. Aberle.

The men and women that served during WWII—both on the home front and abroad taught Americans how to hope again. They remember the day that Wall Street collapsed and sent shock waves into the homes of businessmen on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and to the farming families of the heartland. The entire country mobilized to support the war effort, and collectively they rebuilt America to not only win the war, but also build a solid foundation for their future generations. My grandfather is a hero, and it is my desire, as well as my duty to tell the hero’s story.

Their personal stories and our physical connection to these men and women, like winter, are becoming dormant, and we are losing them with every breath and with every setting sun. I do not want my grandfather’s story to fall with him into the grave. My grandfather passed away two years ago, but left behind countless black and white photographs and coffee stained letters. These letters and pictures are in a battered old Pangburn’s chocolate box that remained in my grandmother’s hope chest for over 60 years, and unknown to anyone in my family. When I first held that box, I remember chills that shot through my entire body and quickly turned into intrigue and proud patriotic tears.

In all, my grandfather was overseas for three years. He left behind his sweetheart, his livelihood and his six brothers and sisters who he loved dearly. I do not want the sacrifice that he and countless other men and women gave to me go as a whisper in the night. I would publish a book that would tell my grandfather’s story, and it would ensure that his legacy continues to hold our hand for generations to come.