I've been writing this blog now, off and on, for several years now. In spite of being a novelist, I write action thriller stories, when I sit down to write this blog my interests turn to the political scene in the U.S. I write about my observations, opinions, and just my general take on things going on in the world of politics. After all, this is pretty important stuff.
Now and then I'll indulge in Facebook. I think it's pretty cool to catch up with friends from the past that I haven't heard from for a long time and to keep touch with good friends that I don't get to see much anymore. But Facebook is, just well, Facebook. It's the small talk of life that just happens to take place on the internet.
Until recently that is. I have a good friend that I know from high school that a couple of months ago started some posts on Facebook. He has been posting about his father's wartime experiences during World War II in the Pacific. These are not ordinary posts about ordinary experiences. He was taken prisoner of war by the Japanese and was held with thousands of other servicemen for years under the most cruel and horrible conditions imaginable. What he endured and experienced was so far from our ordinary lives it's difficult to comprehend the depth of the atrocities. Yet at the same time it is so well written and the story is told so well that you cant help but feel involved. You cannot help but feel indebted to this man and his comrades, all of whom suffered terribly and many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is one of the best examples of a beautiful story about a horrible chapter in history of what some great men, American men have done so that we can live free. We must not and cannot ever take this for granted and this story clearly shows us why.
The true irony comes in that this is not some unknown writer recounting historical events. This is a friend, that I know well, writing about his dad. I've known this friend for a pretty long time but I never knew he was a writer. Not just a writer but a pretty darn good one at that. Up till now his story has come in posts on Facebook. Due to the impact of his story and the quality with which it is written I've encouraged him to start his own blog. He could reach a lot more people who, like me I'm sure would be grateful to share this fascinating story.
If ever in my life I've read a story about heroes, real, true heroes, it's your story Jimmie of your Dad and his fellow soldiers.
Until his blog is published, please go to Facebook and search for Jimmie Brock. Read this story about American Heroes, his father, and leave a message and let him know what you think. For those of you from Alvin, you may know him as well. Thanks for sharing your story, Jimmie. And for your friendship.
