Honor Thy Father

My first hero in life was "Pops". I can remember him coming home and wrestling with me and my brothers, teaching me how to ride a bike, and hit a baseball. He put us in the martial art for discipline, self defense and focus. Pops passed away last week. He had an accident and never recovered. He had been living with pain for several years, so now he can rest. Major Charles Trammell was in Vietnam was when I was born, so, I was walking when he came home. He was a busy man, spending a lot of time in the field training (as he was 82 Airborne). He would be gone 2 weeks at a time, and we are always excited to see this dirty, scruffy solider come home after running in the woods. By the time he was 30, he'd traveled the world and did more than most people will their whole lives. Pops was real good with kids. As we got older, he was harder on us. It was his way of preparing you for the cruel world. He was 100% military. After retiring from the Army, he worked in the civilian world for 3 years and hated it. He went back to working for the Department of the Army as a civilian until he retired. Now, I don't write this to depress you or make you feel sad for me. I am happy to have had my father for 44 years (he only had his for 9). He made my life easier than his and taught me some good basic lessons in life. I learned to accept responsibility for what you do, take care of your family, set goals and achieve them, and work hard. Whatever he set his mind to do, he did it. He taught me to believe in myself and never give up. I write this today to honor my first super hero, my "Pops". Rest in peace old soldier.