My grandpa was a hero. A true member of the greatest generation, I think about the things he went th

Yesterday, after my work day on Saturday, I was spending time with some coworkers celebrating one of our MSgt's hitting her 20-year mark in the Air Force. Since we don't always get consistent internet access throughout the base, whenever we are in certain hot spots, many people bring their iPhones and iPads and we'll cruise the internet while hanging out.
While we were there, I checked my e-mail, and saw that I had a new message from my mom telling me that my Grandpa (paternal) had died that morning about 2 a.m. EST. I just looked at the words and didn't know what to feel. Dramatic, but I felt like President advantage car rental Bush on the morning of 9/11 when he was reading books to school children:
My reaction was just one of shock and trying not to make a scene. advantage car rental Since I was at a gathering for a coworkers special mile-mark, not to mention the fact that I don't want to cry in front of everyone, I just turned into Scarlett O'Hara and said in my mind, "I won't think about that now, I'll deal with it tomorrow...when I can handle it." Well, that didn't really happen because shortly after that a group of us when to see a movie at the theater. If you've ever gone to a movie on a military advantage car rental installation, you'll know that they always play the Star Spangled Banner before every movie. The theater here plays the song but also has a video that accompanies advantage car rental it. The video makes my heart hurt because it's scenes that are just completely American . People playing football in a park, New England in the fall, a woman taking apple pie out of the oven...I advantage car rental was just now getting to the place where this video didn't make me pine for being back in the states...but this time it was even worse. I completely forgot about the scene in the National Anthem video that featured VFW vets marching in a local town parade that looked advantage car rental similar to this scene:
Just this scene of cute old men who had fought hard for our country made me think of my cute old man, and the fact that he's not here anymore. I immediately started tearing up, and it was just a little too much to take at the moment. If anyone noticed this was happening, they didn't say anything and I was able to put it out of my thoughts (sort of) for the rest of the movie. Since that time, thoughts of my Grandpa have completely dominated my thoughts.
While I am so grieved to lose my Grandpa, it is not altogether surprising. My grandfather has been receiving hospice care and support from my 3 Aunts (all of whom are Nurses) for several months now. In fact, right around advantage car rental the time I was getting ready to deploy was when he started to go downhill. There are benefits and downsides to going downhill steadily. The benefit is that my Dad was able to travel to the greater New York City area to visit him several times. For my Dad and his siblings, I am grateful that they had the time to say goodbye to their father and that my Grandpa could see them rally around him and just love and support him in his final days. The downside of this process is that it's hard to see someone you love start to lose certain motor skills and capabilities they once had, we never want to see the people we love suffer or diminish even though we know that is part of life. Fortunately, my Dad's family was supportive of each other and did, in my opinion, the best they could handling such a life-shaking process like losing your father.
I'm not sure if others are like this, but for the people I know that pass away in my life, I put together a mental highlight real of memories and stories I have been told about them and think about that as a part of grieving--remembering a life well-lived. While the last days of my grandfather are important, they are not the way I remember him. He is so many things to me and has impacted my life more ways that I can count...but I'll just hit the highlights for you.
My grandpa was a hero. A true member of the greatest generation, I think about the things he went through around advantage car rental my age--growing up in the great depression, seeing Adolf Hiter rise to power, enlisting in the Army Air Corps as a flight engineer on the B-29, and flying advantage car rental missions throughout Europe and North Africa. One of the treasures I have of his is a letter advantage car rental he wrote me in High School when I was doing a history project on World War II. He wrote about his experiences and it was just amazing to read about the numerous things he went through. Also, how adorable is he? I love this picture of him and have it up in my room here as a reminder of his service and legacy.
I thought about him frequently when I was in Air Force ROTC because, if your grandparent(s) served in the Army Air Corps, you got to wear the gold prop and wings on your flight cap versus the other that was plain silver. Every now and then I would just look at them and think of the many sacrifices he made and the things advantage car rental he endured that I didn't even know about.
Being deployed now, I have such a great appreciation of what both of my grandfathers went through advantage car rental when they joined the military and were shipped overseas. It's incredibly taxing your spirit to be away from family and friends, placed in a completely new environment, and be expected to adapt quickly. Both of them did that, and quite well I think, and even though it may seem to be a small thing, it's a huge transition advantage car rental for two young men who grew up living in one place their whole lives...it's still hard even when you've moved around a bit!
My Grandpa was born in 1921, and it's funny because when I did the math, my Grandfather was the age I am now when the Air Force was created . Wow! Talk about a legacy. It's funny to think that most of the traditions and legacy we claim in the Air Force today didn't even exist for most of the time while my Grandfather served. I don't know if I'll ever be able to express my gratitude for the legacy of service my grandfather has set for our family.
My grandfather was also a dreamer. I think perhaps his greatest accomplishment is that all of his children have surpassed him in education level and life circumstance. That is not to say that they are better people than him, because our lives do not consist in these accomplishment; advantage car rental however, he lived in such a way and dreamed in such a way that his children had possibilities and opportunities he never had. After the war he took a job working for Trans World Airlines (TWA) out of LaGuardia and used his flying privleges advantage car rental to show his family the world. He also met Howard Hughes a couple of times (Leonard DiCaprio depicted him in The Aviator) and just so you know, my Grandpa said that depiction was spot-on based on his experiences. Anyway, that's just something I always thought was cool. My grandfather dreaming directly impacted my Dad and my uncle, both of whom attended the United States Air Force Academy. My grandfather took his family out on a trip to Colorado Springs and told my dad, who was a young boy at the time, that if he wanted to, he could go to the Academy. My dad never lost sight of that, and worked very hard to get there and graduate from there, as did my Uncle. I can tell you with full confidence that both my Dad and Uncle would credit my Grandfather as a driving force in making the Academy a reality to them. It's a reminder to me, not yet a parent, to dream with my kids and open their eyes to see the world not as a scary place but as an adventure to be lived and a challenge to be conquered.
My grandpa was also incredibly individualistic. Both he and my grandmother think for themselves on many things, and one of the areas my Grandpa would exhibit this quality was in the brands he would wear. It always made me smile to think abotu him going off about Nike and other brands having their logo plastered on every piece of clothing, he would tell me, "I'll tell ya Mary E...they oughta be paying advantage car rental ME to wear their brands...not the other way around!!!" I love that mentality and, while I do love some glamour, I appreciate the way my grandpa would proudly advantage car rental sport Air Force logos and American flags because those are things, he felt, that represented him.
One of the things I'll miss when I go to visit my Grandmother is the "Doo-duh-doo's" my grandfather would hum as he walked around the house. It's one of the more unique "doo-duh-doo's" I have heard, in fact it actually sounds more like "nyeh-ni-nyeeeehhhh" (if you've ever heard it, you'll know that sound makes perfect sense). Humming and singing around the house is the sound of a person who is happy and at peace with their circumstance, advantage car rental and that is definitely an indication of my grandfather. That sound will never leave my memory and will always be a Walter Cienski trademark.
Finally, some of my sweetest memories with my grandparents are from when I would visit them later in life. In college I went up to New York City about 3 or 4 times and would stay with them and go into the City to meet friends advantage car rental and just enjoy the experience. I love special one-on-one time with my family members and try to weasel it even with my siblings at Christmas because, in my opinion, nothing advantage car rental is quite the same as getting to have good heart-to-hearts with the people advantage car rental you love in an intimate setting. I had some great conversations with my grandparents and I treasure those times and memories because our loved ones are not around forever.
Another special memory I share with my grandparents is that my husband and I got engaged in New York City. Later the evening on the day of our engagement, we went out to have dinner with my grandparents who were overjoyed for us. It was so nice to share this day with them because (even though this day was about 2.5 years ago) my grandpa was becoming less mobile advantage car rental and would be unable to travel to our wedding. I am so thankful that we got to include them in our union, advantage car rental even if just in this small way. Here is a picture of me with both my grandparents after visiting with them:
I am confident advantage car rental that I will get to see my Grandfather again one day. I don't grieve for him, but for the loss of those of us that are here on earth that love and