Yesterday, some friends and us boated over to Electric Harbor's tiki bar in Lake Villa overlooking Fox Lake for the $2 cheeseburger and fries special.
There was one guy there who looked and sounded a lot like a long-haired Mel Gibson, but that's besides the point. What would a big star like him be doing here with us regular folk?
A younger woman we took to be a daughter or granddaughter was there with an older gent who was really attacking some chicken wings and enjoying his Heinekin. He seemed to be quite alert and joking.
At one point, the bartender asked how old he was. He was 87.
I asked him if he had been in World War II and he said yes. I thanked him for doing that job. One of our Greatest Generation that we are unfortunately losing all too fast now.
He beamed and thanked me.
I then asked if he would tell me about some of his experiences and he was happy to do just that.
During the war, he served on a LST, Landing Ship Tank. I've only recently become more familiar with these ships and am intrigued by them. Their crews referred to LSTs as "Large Slow-Moving Targets," very appropriate because of their size and slow cruising.
I've heard others say that these were the ships that won the war as they transported not only tanks and other vehicles from point to point in both the European and Pacific theaters, but also they carried ammunition, supplies and troops.
More to come.
Thank a Vet, But Especially a World War II Vet. --Cooter
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