If you’ve got some free time on Tuesday October 1st and want to do a good deed, this gentlemen deserves an appropriate send off.
Veteran Edward K. Pearson who passed at the age of 80 passed without family to mourn him. He’ll be buried October 1 at 12:30 at Sarasota National Cemetery. Anyone who can attend is welcome. pic.twitter.com/2XWJumcEmY
— Chris Levesque (@Chris_Levesque_) September 29, 2019
Given his age, my guess is he’s either a Korean War or, more likely, a Vietnam Veteran (or both). The funeral home handling his interment invites anyone who is able to to attend.
Edward K PearsonNaples – Edward K. Pearson, 80 of Naples passed on August 31, 2019, interment will be on Tuesday October 1, at 12:30 pm at Sarasota National Cemetery 9810 State Road 72
Sarasota, FL. This Veteran has no immediate family all are welcome to attend
Published in Naples Daily News on Sept. 29, 2019
So if you’re in the Sarasota area, or can get there without too much fuss, and are free or can clear some time on Tuesday in the late morning/early afternoon, I’m sure your attendance will be welcomed.
Open thread!
PaulWartenberg
Sigh. I have a dental cleaning at 10:30AM AND I work the evening shift at the library :(
I send all wishes and hopes that he receives an honorable and warm sendoff to Mr. Pearson.
SiubhanDuinne
For the first time since I moved away, I regret that I no longer live in the Tampa Bay Area. If I did, I’d surely be there for this gentleman. May he rest in peace.
Shana tova, Adam. May you be inscribed for a good year.
Mary G
This has gotten a lot of notice and I hope it’ll be well-attended.
In other news, rats leaving sinking ship?
Immanentize
What does “veteran” mean? Every male his age (born in the late 1930’s?) had to do some military service. I’m not trying to be difficult, but the lack of details makes me wonder just what he might have done….
James E Powell
Way too young for Korean War, though service in Korea is certainly possible. A little old for Vietnam, unless he had a long career.
Mike in NC
A several months ago there were a couple of newspaper articles about WW2 vets asking for birthday cards. One guy wanted 100, but ended up getting thousands. We also sent them, as both of our dads were WW2 vets.
Ohio Mom
Back from synagogue, out of my dress-up clothes, in my jammies and under the covers. Ahhhh…
satby
@Immanentize: @James E Powell: noting his veteran status often inspires the old VFW guys to make an appearance at the funeral. Sad to think there was no family there for him. Would have mattered more than a well attended funeral. RIP Mr. Pearson.
Ruckus
@James E Powell:
Yes too young for Korea but he wouldn’t have been to old for Vietnam.
Yutsano
@Ohio Mom: You just reminded me that my bedclothes are in the dryer. Time to get really comfy!
שנה טובה
Ruckus
@Immanentize:
He was too young for Korea but not for Vietnam, he could have joined in the 50s for work, I knew guys in then who were older than me who had done that. That could have made him prime material for Vietnam, a lifer. A guy I knew who had became an admirals driver in London in the late 40s early 50s, right out of boot camp. I met him in 1971. He had something like 22 yrs in at that time if memory serves.
Ladyraxterinok
@James E Powell: One of my brothers (b 1941) was in ROTC ,graduated in 63, stationed at Ft Knox, Germany, So Korea, in Vietnam 68-69. Got out of reserves (finished time) about 1 week before Bush I attacked Iraq.
Immanentize
@Ruckus:
It’s funny about how people think about themselves. My uncle was born in 37. Was in the army and then reserves from 55 until 58. Then worked 50 years for IBM. He never called himself a veteran. Same with a friend who was a film maker from NYC. Ken was stationed in Alaska in the late 50’s for over a year. He was the first who explained to me how the days could last forever while months flew by. But he would never claim, “Veteran.” That’s why it’s curious-making to have no other details than that word. It fires the imagination in all directions. A mystery of sorts.
James E Powell
@Ladyraxterinok:
That’s why I said, unless he had a long career.
ArchPundit
He’s my dad’s age and he was drafted after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Guys a little bit older, but with skills were called up during that period–so my dad was 25 and pissed off when he was called up as a heavy equipment operator. This guy could have been in the same group easily. My Dad ended up in Korea working on anti-aircraft sites on mountains for most of the time, but part of the winter he ended up in Vietnam working on building airfields.
Ruckus
@Immanentize:
It takes all kinds to make a world. My dad was a WWII vet. He never, ever spoke of his time or service. Mom told me what he did in the navy and by a coincidence about 2 months ago I got hold of his discharge paperwork. Today we call that a DD214 form, or at least we did in my day. Anyway, that paper gave me more info than I’ve known my entire life. He wouldn’t even talk to me about his time in the navy, when I joined or any time there after.
Also a lot of WWII vets didn’t talk about their service because they actually didn’t see fighting and they felt ashamed that so many died and they never saw action. Over 400,000 service men died in WWII. There were over 12 million men in the military in 1945.
I talk about mine because I feel like I was forced to serve during an unjust war, that we started. The only good thing about that time to me was that I got the VA out of it and I can say that I volunteered and earned my honorable discharge. I learned to make the best of crappy situations as well so maybe that’s something. I also learned to speak up, so when someone thanks me for my service I don’t have to be rude but staying silent is not an option.
Ruckus
@Immanentize:
Actually not all men of the right age served. Some worked in jobs that were very valuable to the military, more so at home working rather than being shot at. The massive build up would not have been possible with a lot of men in industry, not because they were bodies but because they were highly skilled. And I can not write that without mentioning the women who did a tremendous amount of work building all kinds of things for the war effort. Maybe even the most work. But people like engineers, welders and machinists were the basis of the build up and those were not jobs that were very often open to women at the start of the war. I know that a lot learned to do the work and did during the war but they couldn’t have done it without being taught by someone.
Leto
@Ruckus: Everyone still receives a DD214. I have mine when I separated at 20 years, and I’ll have mine second one (fingers crossed) when I retire this November. I still feel really fucking weird when someone thanks me for my service. I’m not rude, usually just mumble, “Thanks/thank you” but try to move the convo forward pretty quickly.
@Immanentize: I think there’s been a bigger push to recognize people’s service. Part of it is probably from the increased military worship, but part of it is also what you and Ruckus, and so many others, talk about: you never knew. The WW2 generation, as Ruckus explained, really didn’t talk about anything they did. So many family members never knew, so a lot of their stories/experiences were lost. We’ve tried to reverse that so that we have a greater understanding of what they/we did, but also for the simple fact that having people talk about it/process it, it helps them move forward with their life.
Leto
@Ruckus:
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) I always loved talking about the WASPs. They’re covered in our Professional Development Guide, but it’s basically maybe a paragraph and a half. They did invaluable work that freed so many men and man hours. And predictably at the end of the war they were told to go back home, even though most of them were highly qualified pilots who could’ve gone on to serve in the AAF, and later USAF. /sigh
Ruckus
@Leto:
After I posted that I remembered that I had to show them my DD214 when I signed up at the VA in 2012, so it should have clicked that it still exists. The old form from my dad has a lot of the same info but it’s rather weird to read the federalese of the day.
I think the push to recognize service is that a lot of people are seeing several tours in combat zones where it was somewhat unusual in my day that anyone saw more than two and they had to volunteer for the second I believe. We’ve been a war now going on 2 decades and it’s become almost a crazy idea that we stop going to war. We’ve muddled along and made so many mistakes and wrong friends that the world and probably many of our citizens expect us to be at war. And to keep people joining someone had to make war a job category and make it less undesirable. So we get thanks for your service and that catches on so that it becomes standard to hear it. Up until last year I’d heard it once at the VA. Now I hear it all the time, I think that’s an order from above, the trump shitbirds need their war. And for sure thanks makes up for all the wounds, mental and physical and all the dead. Not. I’ll keep my pissed about it attitude.
Leto
@Ruckus: agreed to all. If we’re ever in the same area, I’ll buy you a frosty beverage of your choice.
Ruckus
@Leto:
Back atcha.
Starfish
@Immanentize: The retirement homes that I have seen make a big deal of Veteran’s Day to give the residents something to look forward too. I wonder if this tendency will change as people too young for the draft enter these facilities.