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God be with you

The English-speaking world’s most common expression of farewell, “goodbye,” originated in the 16th century as “God be with you.” Through a series of metamorphoses over the next two centuries it became the contraction we use today — “goodbye.” Its history notwithstanding, I dislike the term. I’m just not a good goodbye guy. Elizabeth Bibesco wrote, “It is never any good dwelling on goodbyes. It is not the being together that it prolongs, it is the parting.” She’s right, but that doesn’t make goodbyes any easier. Back when non-passengers were allowed in the ...

Veterans’ voices

When I was asked as a veteran to write about war, my first reaction was to say no. Why do it? Then wrote a few thoughts down. I spent 25 years — seven active duty and 18 in the guard and reserves — serving my country in the military. In retrospect, war was always something that I was thinking about and training for. It was an honor to serve my country. My father was a World War II veteran who fought the Japanese in the Philippines. He never talked about what he did, nor about the death and carnage that he saw and experienced. In 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, when I ...

Veterans’ voices

When asked to share a few thoughts regarding war, there were several ideas that surfaced. It has been a long time since I’ve worn the uniform. I consider myself somewhat patriotic and I love this country. I am a Marine. Though given the prompt here, it is my intent to answer objectively and provide some analysis based on my interpretations of history as it pertains to warfare. I am 45 years old. My generation is unique in that many of us learned of war from most, if not all, of our relatives — our grandfathers and grandmothers pertaining to World War II, and our mothers and ...

Thank for your service

I want to take this opportunity to thank, and draw attention to, those men and women who have served all of us by giving of their time in this life to the safety and security of each of us. All of them have, in their lives, taken an oath. The words have changed a bit over the years, but the ...

Two country boys experience the Twin Cities

After landing a new job earlier this year my daughter moved from Wisconsin to the Twin Cities. A recent trip to visit her in her new home brought back memories of the first time I drove in the Minnesota metroplex. It was the spring of 1966 and I was an 18-year-old high school senior living in north central Iowa, nearly four hours south of the Twin Cities in the days before I-35 was completed. I had a summer job lined up at the county seat radio station IF I could obtain my FCC license. In those days one needed a Third-Class Radiotelephone Operators License to perform basic radio ...

A historic fire reminder

It’s that time of year. At least it was until today. You’ll have to remember back a week, because I write these articles a week ahead. It’s been a beautiful fall, trees in all their colorful glory, shining brightly in cloudless blue skies. Temperatures that make it difficult to choose ...