Papa.

Papa and my cousin Brenden. Papa is a Veteran of the Korean War, Brenden is currently in the Missouri National Guard.

Seeing as how it's Veterans Day, I wanted to use the H-POD to write about a well-known American war veteran. I thought about Audie Murphy, WWII vet and America's most decorated soldier, I thought about multiple people who helped save the Union during the Civil War, I thought about some of the Revolutionary War heroes, and some from other conflicts all along the way; from the War of 1812, to the Spanish-American. I couldn't make up my mind.

After work today, I met my family for dinner here in Columbia where we were taking my Grandfather out for dinner since it was Veterans Day and he is a Veteran. That's when it hit me. Use Grandpa as the H-POD!

My Grandpa, Chester Bowden, known to us grandkids as "Papa", is a vet of the Korean Conflict. He worked his way up the ranks after enlisting, eventually making corporal before mustering out. He did actually serve in Korea during the war, rarely seeing much action. For a long time, it was tough to get him to open up much about his time overseas, but over the last six or seven years, I've been able to string together some information from talking to him.

While he didn't see the front lines much, he was there. And even now, I still don't know a ton about what his experience was like or what he saw. The story that has stuck with me the most is a rather tragic story that took place a way from the front lines, and as tough as my Grandpa appears (and he really is), I know this stuck with him and hit him hard. I could tell when he told me.

He told me off-handed one day about riding in a jeep with a few other soldiers on their way back to base when a little Korean girl ran out of nowhere in front of the jeep. The driver couldn't stop in time and hit the little girl, and that was that. A civilian casualty of war, miles away from the front lines. Granted, it was an accident, but a tragic one none the less.

Grandpapa eventually returned home and mustered out, but not before buying a few pieces of nice China overseas, some of which is still in our kitchen, the only piece of history we have from Papa's time in the Army while in Korea. He was a hard working guy and tough prior to the war, and the Army only strengthened those qualities. He came from a family where the traits were valued. He had a couple of older brothers fight in WWII. Every since Korea, he spent his life working hard to provide a good life for my Grandma, and eventually my Mother and her sister and brother. He is definitely tough with that old school personality, but underneath that rough exterior, there has always been lots of love for his family. Heck, as a new grandchild would come along, he'd soften up a bit. And, he's always there with a joke. Fantastic sense of humor, my Grandpa.

So, that's just a tiny little bit of Papa's life. There are so many more stories to tell, but not nearly enough time to tell them all. So, on this Veterans Day, I'm thankful for his service and so many other men and women today and all through the years.