Brothers Jim Leming and Paul Leming with friend Kip and future brother-in-law Ed Halligan
near Navy Pier in Chicago in 1942.
Family photo
June 6, 1944.
For many of our readers, this date needs no notation on a calendar or explanation in a newspaper. The date is forever burned into memory: D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, the day 156,000 Allied forces began one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. The beginning of the end of World War II.
It was also a day when more than 10,000 of these troops were killed, wounded, missing or captured. Seventy years later, it is a day for remembrance and reflection.
When the war ended a year later, the survivors began returning home. Forever changed, they were united by their experiences and as Tom Brokaw wrote in his book The Greatest Generation, they were united by a common purpose and sworn to the common values of duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country — and above all, responsibility for oneself.
My father, Paul Leming, enlisted but never saw active duty during the war. Still, these were the values he lived by and taught his children.
During his years in service — and during his 32-year career as a civilian instructor for the Air Force — he met people different from himself and became an advocate for civil rights.
He believed America was the greatest country in the world. He believed in freedom.
When I read news from places still struggling for freedom, I am grateful for his and subsequent generations who have produced individuals willing to sacrifice for their country so I can pursue my career and dreams.
Dad has been gone for almost 20 years, as have many of his generation. This year it’s estimated that 500-plus World War II veterans will die each day.
It’s with this thought that I share a photo of my father, two uncles (one his brother and one his future brother-in-law) and a friend enjoying life during their time at basic training at Chicago’s Navy Pier in 1942.
To me, it’s moments like this that define freedom.
Thank you to all, whether veterans of the war or the homefront, who trusted we’d have these moments for generations to come when you awoke that June morning 70 years ago.
— Mary Kate Leming
Editor
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