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Father - A Memorial

Popairforce
When I think of Veterans the first person I think of is my Pop. Growing up, I often saw him in the uniforms of the Veterans Of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. He was always in parades or going to conferences. My earliest dancing was conducted on the toes of his shoes, to a live
band, after a conference or parade ended. My Father's service to the United States was his proudest achievement.

He died when I was still young so my memories of him are faint but a part of him lives on through his poetry. My Mother hand typed these poems and passed them on to me, knowing my love of language.

Father left high school early to join the Navy for World War II. That is how he met my mother, a USO accordionist, on the opposite side of the country. He wore his Naval uniform for their wedding.

Few of his poems were about war but the following is. 

The Zero Hour

The whistle of the bombshell
The shot screamed high above
As I burrowed like a groundhog
I thought of home and love

We hadn't long to linger
The word came for the charge
We were welcomed to their trenches
By a blistering barrage

We took full half a mile
Of that cursed No Man's Land
Then reached the German trenches
And were fighting hand in hand.

I passed from the world of the living
And entered the world of the dead
Another American soldier
To that war machine been fed


He was not fed to the war machine during World War II so he again served his country in the "Korean Conflict." (It took years for the United States Government to admit the action in Korea was a war so I remember it being referred to in this manner, in our household.) When Father retired from military service it was as a Senior Master Sergeant for the United States Air Force.

This was all before I was born but so much a part of my Father's identity that history class was alive for me. My oldest brother was a Vietnam era veteran and I remember the fear in our family of wondering when the war would end. When my sister joined the Air Force I was unnerved to see her in uniform. I was told she would be okay but as a little girl, growing up with hushed stories of war, how could I be certain?

Father always seemed haunted but at the same time, in wonder of life. When he finally was defeated, it was not war which took him but cancer. He raced to button up his life for his wife and remaining small child. He was not given enough time but Mum was a military wife and knew how to get through. By the time he left us, we both did. It helped he left us with this, which was read at his funeral:

Just See That You're Happy Today

Don't worry yourself with tomorrow
Tomorrow's a long way away
Forget all your troubles and sorrows
Just see that you're happy today

Try living your life for the minute
Who knows what tomorrow will hold
Try getting the best that is in it
Tomorrow itself will unfold

A lifetime you think lies before you
Can't you get wise to what's true?
A million and one things can floor you
Then where is tomorrow for you?

So live as I say for the present
Tomorrow will come as it may
Though you be a king or a peasant
Just see that you're happy today


He wrote the second poem while still in the Navy during World War II (February 10th, 1942). The world was going to hell in a hand basket and he was writing about embracing life. This is the legacy he left.

War. Service. Cancer. Duty. These are the words I think of when I think of my soldier father. On this day where we memorialize those who served and those who died for our country I give to you his words. For those who have suffered and died and those who have suffered and lived through the illness that was his final act in life, I give you his inspiration. Frederick A. Devlin III never missed an opportunity to serve his country or its citizens. 


Godspeed to all soldiers past, present and future whether fighting for this country or fighting for your life. Thank you for your service to country, community and family.

Concentrating on the Cancer & the Cure

Femaleback

Today is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you know me at all you know I am an advocate for cancer patients, survivors and  a cure for cancer so obviously I am in favour of a whole month focused on ANY cancer awareness. Early detection of breast cancer is important because it is the most prevalent form of cancer among women with 26.57% of female cancer diagnoses being breast cancer. The statistic for men is .25% of all cancer diagnoses. Although the statistic for men is far lower, it should not be overlooked. It is interesting to note that although the diagnosis of breast cancer is most prevalent among women, the number one cancer killer for women is lung/bronchus cancer with a death rate of 5.04 compared to just 2.84 for breast cancer.  These statistics* show early detection often leads to survival. * Statistics from the National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov. 

I am all for the promotion of mammograms and other forms of early detection. What I am not all for are the images used to promote this. I think it is hazardous, misleading and insulting to suggest to women they need to be on guard for breast cancer so they don't lose their breasts. Everyone, female and male, should be on guard against breast cancer so they don't lose their LIVES. It is dangerous to suggest a woman is not a woman without her breasts. It is equally dangerous to suggest breast cancer is a female risk because females are culturally identified by their breasts whereas men typically are not.

One byproduct of this image of women leads some women to put off early detection for fear of losing one or both breasts. Another byproduct is leading some breast cancer survivors into undergoing additional painful and ELECTIVE breast reconstruction surgery. I am not saying I am against breast reconstruction surgery. That is an individual choice but it should be seen as a CHOICE, not as another step in the treatment process. We should shift the focus on early detection for survival and raising funds for actual treatment and a cure rather than bowing down to an outdated superficial image which is damaging to both the women and the men who develop this disease.