Jump to content
World Warfare
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt

Independence Day Event


Guest Manson1975
 Share

Recommended Posts

I am in awe... of the ? I found in my own home town. COLONEL THOMAS SLEDGE. I took "CommanderBean" to see the parade and decided to seek a spot where many were not. I pulled up and out to my left I saw a shadow of a man in uninform. I wiped my eyes and looked again. I thought maybe I had played too much WorldWarfare. It was a man fully dressed standing in a saluted position staring forward at every single flag that passed him by. I stood there quietly noticing that some noticed and others did not... it was if he was not real. Like from another time, a whole another era. He persevered through the heat and the long stance... saluting all that went by. The ones who noticed... were in disbelief and you can see how they removed their hats and placed them on their chest... one man stopped the parade hopped out of his corvette stood at attention... shouted something said in the military and saluted him... "it was silent" for 1 min. He hopped back in his car and the parade continued. This colonel stood the entire time... then children began to walk up to him and hug him and I went over and shook his hand and with tears I said "thank you so much!" He stood with a smile...you could see the history in his eyes. When he told me he was a bomber in WW2, he also fought Korea, and Vietnam... I could not believe my eyes. See... all my family who fought those wars are long gone... but this 1 man is still standing here... he appeared so young for being so old. I began to tell him my families history of how my grandpa was born 1897 and retired as a MP from the army, that his father was born 1846 (my great grandfather) whom fought in the Civil War as CSA at age 14. He looked at me and said "you must know so much." I then said that I hope to see him again.... later I researched an article and the man is over 95 years old. He bought his home where he stood, when he retired from the air force... he strategically bought the home directly across from the base where the "Birth of the USAF" became. There is a Statue with the Airforce Jets on it... where he can peer out his window everyday and see this. This man... this Colonel... I am sure has so many stories... how can I ever hear them all.

IMG_1625.JPG

IMG_2661.JPG

IMG_1626.JPG

IMG_2662.JPG

IMG_1627.JPG

IMG_2664.JPG

IMG_2665.JPG

IMG_2666.JPG

IMG_1628.JPG

IMG_2667.JPG

IMG_2671.JPG

IMG_2672.JPG

IMG_2673.JPG

IMG_2678.JPG

IMG_1629.JPG

IMG_2681.JPG

IMG_1630.JPG

IMG_2679.JPG

My game name is SportHorseDiva and the man is Colonel Thomas Sledge.

http://www.texascity-library.org/wwii/interviews/pdf/sledge_thomas_transcript.pdf

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Peter unfeatured and unpinned this topic

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...