A Day with a WWII Veteran

I’ve known him for over 40 years. I know him to be special, but it is not something I consciously think of when I’m with him, until people remind me of that. I was glad to have a planned outing with him. I didn’t recall having something like this in the past without being in the context of a family reunion. My husband has been visiting his father regularly since his mother passed away. Sometimes I’d go with him. This was one of those times. They’d go out to places together, but this was the first time they talked of an overnight stay elsewhere and a possible border crossing. In the end, the overnight stay and the border crossing both got ruled out for one reason or another, but the trip was still exciting because it involved a ferry and an island.

We left the house early in the morning. My father-in-law wanted to sit in the back with his maps and blankets so he could snooze. He did so on the way to the ferry, but that was the last time we let him sit in the back because he got motion sickness. We were the first car to board the ferry because we had requested elevator access for the wheelchair. The ferry was loaded quickly. As I was still fiddling with my new camera, being unfamiliar with it, the boat departed and I missed the shots of birds on shore.  

We got to Orcas Island before long and headed towards Rosario, a place that has a special spot in my father-in-law’s heart, as I’d learn later. After going through the charming town of Eastsound and the peaceful Crescent Beach Preserve, we arrived in Rosario. A large white building on water greeted us. Breakfast was being served. We got there at a right time. We were seated at the window looking out the water, a pool, and a garden where swallows, sterlings, and warblers frequent. It was a beautiful setting. 

Bill, my father-in-law, ordered eggs benedict. Tom ordered house-made biscuits and chorizo gravy. I ordered potato, kale, and mushroom hash. While we enjoyed the breakfast, the view, and each other’s company, Bill shared that he had spent time here with Ruth, his late wife, as one of many romantic adventures they had together. He choked up when he talked about Ruth. He talked of “romance” and seemed proud to have had this part of history with Ruth in his life. I saw in him a young man in love, cherishing the moments he had with his belle. What a contrast, I thought, between Bill and my mother, who comes from a different culture and would die before discussing anything remotely romantic to anyone, probably including herself. 

A man came and shook Bill’s hands to thank him for serving. That’s when it struck me. I wondered how many WWII veterans are still here with us today, and marveled at the privilege of knowing one. How special it was. At the same time, I felt sad that there will be a day when none of them will be left. They will be gone like an endangered species that could not be saved. I appreciated the time I had with this man. For the rest of the trip, at least five other people came and thanked Bill for the service, some of these people are veterans themselves, but younger veterans, none had served in WWII.

Bill struck up a conversation with the waiter who had served time in Germany. At first I wondered if he was only polite to Bill, but then I thought perhaps he was as eager to talk about his service to Bill as Bill did to him, and he genuinely wanted to hear what the old man had to say.

While Bill napped in a chair in the hall way, Tom and I quickly toured the second floor of the Moran mansion where we saw the music room with a two-story 1913 Aeolian pipe organ and a 1900 Steinway grand piano. 

After Rosario, we went to Moran State Park and drove up Mt. Constitution, which is the highest point on the San Juan Islands at 2,409 feet. It was a foggy day and we didn’t have a clear view from the top. Both Bill and Tom wanted to linger and waited for the fog to lift. Tom was nostalgic for the bicycle trip he took with his brother Pete in 1978 up the mountain. We walked to the stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. I took one photo that offered a blurry glimpse of the land and water below through the clouds, but that dim view disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Bill had taken his family to camp at the park before, but it was so long ago, he did not remember which campground they used. He stayed in the car at the mountain base and let us run the short trail to see Rustic Falls and Hidden Falls.

We decided to leave Mt. Constitution and the fog, which was a good idea because the fog never seemed to have lifted before we departed Orcas Island that day. On the way back to the ferry, we thought we’d stop at the charming town of Eastsound, but since the island was so small, we had long passed it by the time we thought of checking where we were. So we drove on to Deer Harbor where we stopped and had the most delicious ice cream. We were told the cream was made in Anacortes. Afterwards, we found out we still had time to run back to Eastsound where we just walked around and enjoyed the view, before heading back to take the ferry home.

We ate dinner at Farmhouse Restaurant in Skagit’s Valley, at Bill’s suggestion. This is yet another memory of Ruth. They had eaten here before. I ordered the seafood Louie salad because it had Dungeness crab, and there was no regret.

I drove the rest of the way home. Tom fell asleep. Bill tuned in for the Mariners’ game and navigated me home. 

I thank God for the time we have together with Bill. He’s a special man with a very sharp mind at age 94. He’s a romantic soul, with a soft spot for things beautiful and serene, especially when the things hold memories of his love, my husband’s mother. He’s a WWII veteran, one of the Greatest Generation. I’m honored to be part of his life.