Posted on Oct 13, 2015
What was the hardest thing that you ever did for your parents?
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My dad, who was also a SSgt in the Marine Corps during WWII passed away 8 years ago today. He was a Fire Chief and his wishes were to have a Military Funeral. The hardest thing that I ever did for him was that I played Taps at his Funeral. I can tell you that I cried like a baby! That was a rough day that I will never forget. Rest in peace Dad! I think of you everyday . I love you!
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Funeral
Funeral
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 15
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While we are taught to stand like soldiers nothing wrong with a few tears - or a bunch. What a way to honor your father.
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For me it was telling them that our daughter did not make it. Shot of straight whiskey, phone call. Another shot another call until all were notified.
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My brother, an Army vet, and I presented the flag from my stepfather's casket to my mother, he was an Air Force vet and passed away unexpectedly at 46. I had done plenty of funeral details before, but presenting the flag and uttering the words was the hardest thing I have ever done to this point in my life.
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Saying goodbye to my mother in 1989, she was taken way too early from this earth by Leukemia. She was the most giving person I have ever met, her loss left a void in me to this day that longs to see her again. Her death is what led to me completely falling in love with our Army. I was a newly promoted SPC in 1988 in Pirmasens, Germany when she was diagnosed, I was given emergency leave and then the unit followed up to ensure I received a compassionate reassignment and was able to spend the last six months with her. Her brother and all seven of her sisters were there the night she passed away, they told me they had voted and decided they would not allow the doctor to revive her if she looses her vitals again, it was my mother and I yelled at them that they did not have the right to do that and that they would not dare do that to my momma. I stayed at her side for the next five days, I left to go home and she expected me to be back within a couple hours. While I was gone, she passed away. Her loss left me with a feeling of missing something, my momma....the hardest thing I did was saying goodbye.
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Presented my Mother with the casket flag of my Grandfather at his funeral.
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For my parents I haven't had to do anything I would consider difficult really.
For my grandparents, or more specifically my grandmother I received my grandfather's flag from the honor guard, got down on one knee and gave her a very tearful short speech and then stood up and saluted flanked by two family friends who were prior military, all of us in full service dress. This was the day after my promotion to SrA and the first time I wore those stripes and my newest medal knowing that he would have wanted to see me with them. That was probably one of the hardest things I have done in my whole life and thinking about doing it is still causing me to start to tear up.
For my grandparents, or more specifically my grandmother I received my grandfather's flag from the honor guard, got down on one knee and gave her a very tearful short speech and then stood up and saluted flanked by two family friends who were prior military, all of us in full service dress. This was the day after my promotion to SrA and the first time I wore those stripes and my newest medal knowing that he would have wanted to see me with them. That was probably one of the hardest things I have done in my whole life and thinking about doing it is still causing me to start to tear up.
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Sgt David G Duchesneau
I was 15 when both of my grandparents died. I went to their house to help them out as I always did on a Saturday morning and my grandmother was pacing around like a cat on a tin roof and she told me in French (She couldn't speak a word of English) that something was wrong with my grandfather, who was laying on a couch in the parlor. I walked over and I noticed that he was not breathing. I called my dad, who was a firefighter, and told him. Anyway, my grandfather apparently died while taking a nap. Three hours later, right after the funeral director had removed my grandfather, we were walking my grandmother out of her house and she collapsed in our arms. We carried her back into the house and layed her down on the same couch that my grandfather just passed away on. My grandmother passed away right there i front of us. It was exactly three hours between my grandfather and grandmother death. So we had a double wake and funeral. It was really quite beautiful because everyone said that my grandfather always took care of my grandmother and everyone was worried about what she would do without him. Well, they didn't have to worry about it because my grandfather came back and too his wife with him. I guess that is true love of a very special kind?
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Now here's a question that will cause a few tears to flow in most. Not me. I never had to worry about disappointing my father. He would have been disappointed regardless of what I did. So, I guess I'm left with just one event: The day I "buried" my father. He was cremated and his ashes sat in my garage for three months while I waited decent weather to bury him at sea. The mortuary returned the ashes in the wrong kind of container despite the fact that I clearly stated that they were going to be spread at sea. Inasmuch as no one wanted to attend his funeral, it came down to my brother-in-law and I to do the deed without witnesses. (He wanted to go whale watching and thus I was able to force him into it) Well, I couldn't open the container and when I tossed it overboard it floated. We drifted off while I searched for something to reach and recover it. Thus, for all I know, he's still floating somewhere in the Pacific. So if you come across a copper box some day at the beach, I'm sure you'll hear someone inside saying "He couldn't even do that right"
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Sgt David G Duchesneau I am sure that was very tough. But, it was an outstanding way to show your honor.
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Gave the eulogy at my father's memorial. He was a Lance Corporal and a retired firefighter. Every fire-fighter & police officer in the crowd had a radio. I held it together right up to the point that dispatch sounded "Robert Strobl, Final Call."
Sgt David G Duchesneau, When relieved of watch over Heaven's Streets, I'd like to think your father & mine are swappin' sea-stories over a cold one in a slop-chute staffed by angels.
Sgt David G Duchesneau, When relieved of watch over Heaven's Streets, I'd like to think your father & mine are swappin' sea-stories over a cold one in a slop-chute staffed by angels.
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Sgt David G Duchesneau
I'm sure they are Capt! They both have so much in common! It's amazing how many of us have lived parallel lives.
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