Honoring My Father on Veterans Day

It is on this day that the people of the United States of America honor the men and women who once served… 

or who are now serving in one of the branches of our military. My father, Nathan Herman Berkowitz, was one of these. My dad served his country during World War II.

My dad didn't talk much about the war. But as a kid growing up and seeing the handful of photos my parents had of my father in uniform, I would often have questions for him about his time in the Army.

​For a time my father was stationed in the South Pacific on an island known as Guam. At one point, many fierce battles were fought by America's military on Guam, suffering heavy casualties in the process.

But now that my father has since passed away, I cannot ask him how long he was there. But I know it was for a while because my parents kept a shoe box filled with letters he sent to my mom, along with some other mementoes, to include the medals he earned in the service, and some unique sea shells and little hand-carved wooden trinkets.

While on a good note, my parents married while the war was still going on. I don't recall if they married just before he shipped out to the Pacific, or when he had come back on leave before his having to return to Guam. Either way their marriage was a good one. They stayed faithful to their matrimonial commitment until my mother Pearl succumbed to cancer in 1967.

"I'm proud of you, dad. Thank you for your service." Love, your son, David.

D. B.