Happy Father’s Day 2022
Before I begin my Father’s Day story for this week, I need to wish a very important person in my life a Happy Birthday. It is my Mother-In-Law Berna Deanne’s birthday today, and I just want her to know how important she is to me and our family. She has given our family so much love and support, and she is a tremendous example of strength and courage to me. We are all so grateful to have her in our lives. Happy Birthday Berna Deanne!
To begin, I would like to bring back a portion of my Father’s Day story two years ago.
“On this day I want to pay tribute to my dad Max Wilker. For anyone who doesn’t already know, my dad was a sailor in the U.S. navy in World War II. He was stationed on the USS Houston that went down in the Pacific Ocean in the Battle of Sunda Strait. The USS Houston and the HMAS Perth were heading to get more supplies when they were surrounded by a Japanese destroyer and multiple Japanese warships. Both ships took out several of the Japanese ships before they were hit with torpedoes. It was said that both ships went down with “Guns a blazing!” Of the 1,061 sailors, my dad was one of the 368 that survived the attack. They were in the water for over ten and a half hours before they reached the shore. They were immediately captured by the Japanese army and were held as prisoners of war for over three and a half years. They were forced to work on a railroad in the Burmese jungle and their source of nourishment was a bowl of rice a day. My dad was over 6 feet tall, and when he returned home, he weighed 98 pounds.”
I wanted to post that again, because for the last three weeks or so, I have been thinking about my Dad quite a bit. I was talking with my sister Patty, and she also said Dad has been on her mind. We talked a little about why we have been thinking about Dad, and we both agree he is letting us know he is always here for us. He is reminding us of the importance of all the life lessons he taught us growing up. We know we are going to need the lessons about hard work and character in our lives now more than ever. We are especially going to focus on the welfare and safety of our families. I am so grateful for everything my Dad taught me and for all the times he was and is still here for me. Happy Heavenly Father’s Day dad. We Love You.
I hope you all have a great Father’s Day, and thanks for reading.
Next week: First Chukar’s Game 2022
P.S. How do pigs wake up their dad on Father’s Day? With plenty of hogs and kisses.