Grandfather's Journal: A Grandson's Journey Into His Grandfather's Life

In 2012, after sharing a number of sea stories with my only grandson, I was told I needed to write a life journal to include my years as a child in the Philippine Islands just following World War II. The journal, which addresses a time from June 7, 1935 to December 28, 2013, includes the important events of my life, including my twenty-seven yearsin the US Navy. As could be expected, there are more reflections from my years as a naval avaitor, flying combat missions in Vietnam and numerous secret missions against theSoviet Union during the Cold War.

Not as exciting, but just as important, was my journal following my naval service after my retirement in December 1982. Most importantly, I have shared what took place in mylife on June 9, 1977, two days after my 42nd birthday and two days before my oldest son graduated from high school, when I accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life. This event radically changed my life and immediately healed a broken family. It also addressed the thirty-plus years in which I was called as a volunteer to serve the last of these in our prison systems.