2020 Happy Father’s Day
- Thread starter Capt MJ
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To honor your dad, or to share what a child has told you was your best advice ever as a dad, describe the best advice given to you by your dad or a father figure in your life.
My dad: “Honey, do your best to be kind to people. You don’t know what they are dealing with privately.”
My dad: “Honey, do your best to be kind to people. You don’t know what they are dealing with privately.”
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My dad was 20 years old in the Air Force when I was born to my 15 year old mom. We started behind and never caught up. I learned from him the value of doing everything possible to survive which for him was to work overtime and part time jobs to make ends meet.
Current day though, I have two incredible adult children and two amazing grandsons. My daughter is a supervisor in a large global corporation and her husband makes enough to put them in a country club gated community. I brag about my son on here often and just spoke with him on the phone. He has a few hours out of the field. He's on his first B billet, 29 Palms, in nine years and spends more time in the field than in the previous three operational commands. My five year old GS is one of the smartest kids I know. Not smartest five year old but among all kids. I teach high school and know a bunch of kids. His brother is smart also but than gets overlooked by his cuteness.
I have numerous inspirational memories that one day I will put into quotes. Today though, I feel I'm the most blessed man ever.
Current day though, I have two incredible adult children and two amazing grandsons. My daughter is a supervisor in a large global corporation and her husband makes enough to put them in a country club gated community. I brag about my son on here often and just spoke with him on the phone. He has a few hours out of the field. He's on his first B billet, 29 Palms, in nine years and spends more time in the field than in the previous three operational commands. My five year old GS is one of the smartest kids I know. Not smartest five year old but among all kids. I teach high school and know a bunch of kids. His brother is smart also but than gets overlooked by his cuteness.
I have numerous inspirational memories that one day I will put into quotes. Today though, I feel I'm the most blessed man ever.
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I unexpectedly lost my dad last October. What lesson he taught m, that j have passed along, is that “choices have consequences”. Good or bad.
My own partner in parenting is an amazing father, teacher, mentor and Coach to more than his own. Volunteers his own time to mentor inner city youth through Coaching. He is amazing, I’m so blessed to have him as the father of my kiddos!!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the dads, uncles,teachers, mentors and coaches who matter to all whose lives they touch. Birthed and borrowed!!
My own partner in parenting is an amazing father, teacher, mentor and Coach to more than his own. Volunteers his own time to mentor inner city youth through Coaching. He is amazing, I’m so blessed to have him as the father of my kiddos!!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the dads, uncles,teachers, mentors and coaches who matter to all whose lives they touch. Birthed and borrowed!!
Last edited:
sanman
The token Brit
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- Nov 5, 2018
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- 758
I don’t have any inspirational quotes from my dad but the examples he provided have certainly shaped me.
His work ethic was huge. He worked low paid jobs when he would have got more money from social welfare. He always says social welfare was those unable to work not those unwilling to work. My greatest fear has always been being out of work.
The other example he set was spending time with his children. He always supported any hobby or interest we had growing up.
He did have one mantra that I still use today. Whenever leaving the house he used pat his pockets to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything and say “Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch”. Still brings a smile to my face.
Unfortunately we lost him 21 years ago, he never say my youngest two sons and they were born after he passed.
His work ethic was huge. He worked low paid jobs when he would have got more money from social welfare. He always says social welfare was those unable to work not those unwilling to work. My greatest fear has always been being out of work.
The other example he set was spending time with his children. He always supported any hobby or interest we had growing up.
He did have one mantra that I still use today. Whenever leaving the house he used pat his pockets to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything and say “Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch”. Still brings a smile to my face.
Unfortunately we lost him 21 years ago, he never say my youngest two sons and they were born after he passed.
txfwindian
Parent of USNA C/O 2025
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- Aug 6, 2019
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- 1,187
Don't have any particular quotes, but his acts of generosity and good deeds are always an example. His love for animals is extraordinary and he goes out of way to take care of them.
Thank everyone for sharing, I wouldn't have thought of doing it myself had you not gotten the ball rolling.
My father was born in 1908 in a whistlestop town in East TN. His father was a horse and buggy doctor for whom his medical education (if you can call it that), marriage and fatherhood came late in life. He died of TB, probably contracted from one of his patients, in 1910 before penicillin. My father, as a three year old contracted something called Pott's Disease from unpasteurized milk. The disease, sometimes called bovine TB, only exists today in Neurology textbooks. He was totally paralyzed for 18 mos. His upper three vertebrae stopped growing, calcified and stayed fused to the base of his skull until his death at 86. My widowed Grandmother began teaching school and was only able to keep the children out of an orphanage because of the Masons who looked after them. My Grandfather was a Mason.
He finished school early, having learned to read while paralyzed, with the help of his brother and sister to turn the pages. He finished college as a 20 year old and headed out to Washington State U (four days by train) for a Masters degree in Bacteriology. It didn't occur to any of us until after his death that his study of Bacteriology was related to his father's death and his own condition. Over the next ten years, through the Depression, he continued his education, ending up at Columbia in NYC where was was encouraged to abandon the pursuit of a PhD and switch to medical school which he did. Along the way, he saw Babe Ruth hit a homerun. In the summer of 1939 he worked in a hospital Munich where he saw Hitler twice.
I'm not going into this detail to list his accomplishments or his overcoming, but rather to illustrate the kind of man he was. My 4 brothers and sisters and I never knew most of his story until very late in his life. We knew he looked different and that he couldn't turn his head, but we never thought of how he would have felt going through life like that. He simply never talked about it. He was not a man to expect praise or pity and few people would have more right to do so. That was a common characteristic of men of his age. My sibs and I began to appreciate this more and more as our Father and his pals began to fade and pass on.
Happy Father's day to you all!
My father was born in 1908 in a whistlestop town in East TN. His father was a horse and buggy doctor for whom his medical education (if you can call it that), marriage and fatherhood came late in life. He died of TB, probably contracted from one of his patients, in 1910 before penicillin. My father, as a three year old contracted something called Pott's Disease from unpasteurized milk. The disease, sometimes called bovine TB, only exists today in Neurology textbooks. He was totally paralyzed for 18 mos. His upper three vertebrae stopped growing, calcified and stayed fused to the base of his skull until his death at 86. My widowed Grandmother began teaching school and was only able to keep the children out of an orphanage because of the Masons who looked after them. My Grandfather was a Mason.
He finished school early, having learned to read while paralyzed, with the help of his brother and sister to turn the pages. He finished college as a 20 year old and headed out to Washington State U (four days by train) for a Masters degree in Bacteriology. It didn't occur to any of us until after his death that his study of Bacteriology was related to his father's death and his own condition. Over the next ten years, through the Depression, he continued his education, ending up at Columbia in NYC where was was encouraged to abandon the pursuit of a PhD and switch to medical school which he did. Along the way, he saw Babe Ruth hit a homerun. In the summer of 1939 he worked in a hospital Munich where he saw Hitler twice.
I'm not going into this detail to list his accomplishments or his overcoming, but rather to illustrate the kind of man he was. My 4 brothers and sisters and I never knew most of his story until very late in his life. We knew he looked different and that he couldn't turn his head, but we never thought of how he would have felt going through life like that. He simply never talked about it. He was not a man to expect praise or pity and few people would have more right to do so. That was a common characteristic of men of his age. My sibs and I began to appreciate this more and more as our Father and his pals began to fade and pass on.
Happy Father's day to you all!
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No specific anecdotes, but my Dear Departed Father always did the best he could, even dealing with immense adversity and loss. He was never concerned with "keeping up with the Joneses", but rather with ensuring his children had the tools to succeed.
I only really appreciated him after I reached adulthood.
I am glad my daughters got to know him, even though he died too early.
I miss him greatly.
I only really appreciated him after I reached adulthood.
I am glad my daughters got to know him, even though he died too early.
I miss him greatly.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2008
- Messages
- 6,193
I was so blessed today.
SHORT version. My wife and I were unable to have children. She had a stroke and then cervical cancer before she was 37...I'm just happy we've had 33 years together! So...we set our path to help other kids. She volunteers from her company and I teach high school.
Today I received "father's day cards" and phone calls from two young ladies I call my "almost daughters." SHORT version...the older one connected with me over 10 years ago with an interest in the AF Academy. I worked closely with her and her family; we actually became close. She eventually chose USNA...and wouldn't tell me as she was afraid I'd be disappointed! What? You're going to attend the Naval Academy? Why would I be disappointed?!!! SO...she headed to Annapolis. A couple years later, younger sister headed to Kings Point...and had an amazing experience there!
Today..."my girls" are so successful!! The older one is waiting to pin on Captain in the USMC and is a KC-130J pilot and her sister is a Lt (Jg) in flight training with a goal of flying either the F-35 or the F-18.
They both make me so proud....and when they both called today...I was reduced to tears.
I was never blessed with children, but they are as close to me as any children could be!
It was a blessed day!!
(And to add to that, I was able to call my dad and speak with him Father's Day and his 86th birthday! A combo great day!)
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
(Honorary USNA 2016 and USMMA 2018 Dad)
SHORT version. My wife and I were unable to have children. She had a stroke and then cervical cancer before she was 37...I'm just happy we've had 33 years together! So...we set our path to help other kids. She volunteers from her company and I teach high school.
Today I received "father's day cards" and phone calls from two young ladies I call my "almost daughters." SHORT version...the older one connected with me over 10 years ago with an interest in the AF Academy. I worked closely with her and her family; we actually became close. She eventually chose USNA...and wouldn't tell me as she was afraid I'd be disappointed! What? You're going to attend the Naval Academy? Why would I be disappointed?!!! SO...she headed to Annapolis. A couple years later, younger sister headed to Kings Point...and had an amazing experience there!
Today..."my girls" are so successful!! The older one is waiting to pin on Captain in the USMC and is a KC-130J pilot and her sister is a Lt (Jg) in flight training with a goal of flying either the F-35 or the F-18.
They both make me so proud....and when they both called today...I was reduced to tears.
I was never blessed with children, but they are as close to me as any children could be!
It was a blessed day!!
(And to add to that, I was able to call my dad and speak with him Father's Day and his 86th birthday! A combo great day!)
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
(Honorary USNA 2016 and USMMA 2018 Dad)
