So another story reminded me of this. I don't usually talk about it. But I think its time.

Its been 27 years since this took place. If you have read my stories you know that I enlisted in the WANG or Washington Army National Guard as a junior in high school. That summer I got sent to Benning for first phase of my indoctrination into military life.

Now a little info on my paps. Grandpa was born in 1913 in Western Washington he grew up working on the fishing fleet out of the fishing town he lived in. He married my grandmother before the outbreak of world war two. He spent the war on a coastal destroyer in the Navy. Then back to fishing till he retired. My grandpa was tough as nails and twice as mean if you pissed him off.

He was also very kind. He would make us grand kids toys out of wood that was a hobby. Scold you if ya needed some and love on you too.

Grandpa smoked and chewed Copenhagen. Anyway he was every thing to me.

About the time I shipped out to boot paps was fighting for his life with Colon cancer and my mom hadn't told me anything about it.

So about half way through my boot phase right after dinner my senior Drill calls me to the drills office and tells me I have a emergency call i am to report to the company office and need to go down asap.

I get down to the office and the co is waiting for me. Takes me to his office and hands me the phone. Its mom wtf mom what is going on. She informed me that paps had lost his fight with cancer.

I lost it in the captains office. My hero was gone and i was two thousand miles away. Dam it that was not supposed to happen.

captain called a chaplain to come sit with me. I was spent the rest of the week getting emergency leave and a flight to go home for the wake.

I got a three day leave for it got home and said my goodbyes to grandpa. I also found out that the home care nurse was part of the reason papa did not last long.

She was stealing his pain meds and some of his other meds and injecting him with water. paps died from the pain. She skipped town and was found in Texas two years later. she only did five years.

And I lost my hero. its been over twenty five years now and I still don't deal with the loss. I was doing my service for our country and not home to help the man who taught me that service to our country is a great thing. the man that taught me about life, gave me my first car, taught me how to drive at seven. How to hunt and fish.

My paps was just a ordinary man with a heart of gold.

Sorry so long. I condensed as much as I could. with out leaving out details.

Small edition.

The nurse was gotten by my mom and her siblings, My Uncle and Aunt. My Aunt lives in the house my paps built. its in a really nice area and has six lots. if it ever sells property is worth about 1.6 million. I spent my summers running around his property. The nurse was supposed to be taking care of paps and should of been tried for elder abuse and involuntary manslaughter. She was charged with stealing, and drug possession, jumping bail got 22 months in jail and three years probation and couldn't work as a nurse.

My brother found a loaded 22 pistol under his pillow when he helped the corner with paps body. paps was contemplating taking his life because of all of the stuff. There isn't a day go by that something doesn't remind me of my paps