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A Father's Prayer

You've already met my Dad; farmer, veteran, pilot, trucker, cowboy, contractor, conservative and Christian. He made us stand still and put our hands over our hearts at The Star-Spangled Banner (First published under the title "Defense of Fort M'Henry,” the poem by Francis Scott Key soon attained wide popularity as sung to the tune "To Anacreon in Heaven.” It was officially made the National Anthem by Congress in 1931, although it already had been adopted as such by the Army and the Navy.)

I once saw him and others, during Korea, rough up some younger men because they didn't stop while the colors went by in a parade and he wasn't really for sure how to handle himself at a hockey game when everyone would start to hoop and holler towards the end of the National Anthem, but he didn't seem to mind it.

He was recalled during Korea because he had already went through B-29 transition at the end of WWII. But after awhile he wanted out of a No-Win war, if they didn't want him to fight then he had better things to do.

But they wouldn't let him out that easy and with his attitude he met a lot of ranking officers that thought he'd be a perfect candidate for 'Air Command and Staff School', so they sent him. It didn't help, if they weren't going to let him get at the Chinese, he was going home. They thought that if they'd make him resign his commission, he'd stay in. Didn't work, he resigned his commission and we went home. "Call me when they get to the Mississippi," he'd say.

He had his own flag and flagpole and during Viet Nam he painted his two-tone green company trucks red, white and blue with stars on the hood. The late 60's early 70's were tough for him, the protests, the war, me, etc. He didn't expect me to join up, after all Duty was something you had to do. Now that didn't mean that I could go to Canada or burn my draft card and still expect to come home, I couldn't and wouldn't. The only thing I ever won though, was the Draft Lottery, birthdate was #322 and alphabet was #1, which meant I wasn't goin. (I really think that he'd went for me, if it had turned out different.)

My Dad and I were an awful lot alike, which meant we didn't always see eye to eye. But upon my graduation from College in 1971, Dad had this hand scribed on parchment and handed it to me. I understood. My oldest now has it and I sent a copy to my youngest while he was at OCS.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain"

by General Douglas MacArthur

Written in the early days of World War II,
as a spiritual legacy to his son Arthur.
Made public after the general died in 1964.

It is easy to become a father; it's much more difficult to be a Dad.

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