Neary-Sighted

All the weekend festivities got me thinking about a special veteran and some 'new' photos in the Neary household. I apologize for making this post so much about me, but I wanted to share a couple of images received from some wonderful relatives in California. The photo above is a rare image of the original Walter Neary.

My loyal readers, both of you, will remember that I am a Walter III. So there had to be a Walter I. Walter Sr. served in WW I - where he was attacked with mustard gas - and WW II. By most accounts, Walter Sr. was a very serious individual. So said my favorite veteran, Walter Jr., who served in WW II. Walter Sr. and Walter Jr. were not close. I did not previously have a photo of Walter Sr. smiling. This is apparently as close as he got.

One assumes this photo was taken in association with his retirement. A newspaper story says that Walter Sr. was extremely proud of a particular certificate. The certificate, making him a sergeant, is signed by then-Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Walter Sr. drove for MacArthur in 1919 when MacArthur was serving at West Point. I have told a couple of veterans about this new knowledge in my life; apparently everyone but me knew that MacArthur commanded at West Point for awhile. So I still have much more to learn about history and new areas to research ...

I have to admit, I was surprised to find myself with something signed by this famous general. I also had to chuckle that Walter Sr. treated this document just as you would have expected back then - by folding it up a lot so it could fit into his pocket. I bet he would unfold it to show people. Oh well. The paper still holds together. And the paper and his smile in the photo are still proud.

What matters is that I am able to hold something Walter I was holding - you can see him pointing with the pencil to MacArthur's signature.

As veterans of WWII pass away - as my father did in 2000 - more and more what we have left in this world are documents and memorabilia.

What extraordinary memories they signify.
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