He’s waiting for me as I park my car. I can see him through the window and a smile fills his face. I hurry into the church building and open my arms to offer a hug. My schedule says I’m visiting to speak to a group of writers, but deep inside I know that a large part of the reason I’ve traveled to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania to see him.
John is 86-years-old, is nearly deaf in one ear and is sometimes more blunt with his comments than I expect. Last time I saw him we were in Louisville, Kentucky. I’d driven for hours to see him—see them—that day too. John and the dozens of other veterans I now consider good friends.
His arms open and he accepts my hug. My chin quivers and I try to push thoughts out of my mind of the other veterans I’ve known, I’ve cared for, but are now gone.
John introduces me to a reporter from the local paper who’s come to take our picture. The reporter believes she’s come to snap a photo of a writer and one of the veterans she’s interviewed. A knowing look passes from John’s eyes to mine. I’ve not only listened to his stories, I know the secrets of his war experiences. I’ve read his memoirs. I’ve read the letters he wrote to his mother and father during the war. “Dear dad,” he’d write. But his letters to his mother seemed more personal. “Mother dear,” he’d write to her.|
As I read those letters I couldn’t help but think of my boys, now 22 and 17-years-old.Tears journeyed down my cheek as I read about John sleeping on frozen ground, about battles, about buddies lost, picturing Cory and Nathan in that situation. Tears now come again as I step back from John’s embrace and remember how it all started.
I never planned on interviewing veterans. I had wanted to write romance novels until I came across a story that wouldn’t leave my thoughts. I was traveling in Europe when I heard about the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp. Young America GIs, 18 and 19-years-old, came upon the gates of the camp. From the first moment I heard that story I wondered about the emotions of those young men. Horror at what they saw. Fear that there were too many who needed help. Joy that after all the fighting they had the honor of opening liberation’s gates.
My questions got the best of me, and I got in touch with some of the men. They invited me to their reunion and that’s where I met Arthur, Charlie, Thomas, Tarmo, LeRoy, Russ, and yes … John.
I am different because of the veterans I’ve interviewed. A part of their history abides in me in the form of their treasured words. It saddens me to think that I could have not asked. I could have continued with my busy life without taking time to hear their stories.
The pain of this strikes deep because that’s what happened with my own grandfather. Life was busy. He was so quiet, so gentle I never really thought much about him being a World War II veteran. He passed away before I had time to talk to him about the war. I still wonder about the stories I’ll never know. Maybe that’s why listening is so important to me now. If I have the chance, I want to hear. I want to care. I want to share.
That’s why it was so special to see John again—for both of us to be reminded of our connection built over shared letters and unbelievable tales. My time with John ended with me visiting with some of his family and friends, and then there was a final hug before I drove away. I smiled as I looked at his form in my review mirror, and I offered a whispered prayer to God. “Thank you. Thank you for this honor.”
God knew John had stories he needed to tell. I’m so thankful I was the one chosen to receive those words as a gift. I’m thankful I was able to offer John a gift in return. It was one I didn’t need to wrap. It was one that didn’t impact my checkbook. Sometimes the best gift we can give—I’ve learned—is a listening ear.
By Tricia Goyer
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Kristen says
Oh Tricia, I adore this. I saw this same thing – this gift of a listening ear – with my husband’s grandpa. This awesome man fought in the army under Patton from D-Day plus 2 right up ’til he helped liberate Dachau.
One day it dawned on me all his stories were bits and pieces of living history, and I began to write them down. One Christmas, I put together a keepsake album for him filled with words and pictures from his service. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he opened that album. It proved to him that his service and his stories mattered. That *he* mattered.
And that’s exactly what you’re doing, Tricia. And that is no small gift! *You* are a gift!
Katy says
What a precious story–what blessings there are to be found in listening, being present to and for others! Thanks for the reminder to always take advantage of any opportunity to listen!
Patty says
loved,Loved your story!!! How wonderful that you found a passion that is so needed in this country to not only help our young people of today understand but help the vetren’s themselves. Thank you and Praying for you that you might beable to tell more.
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) says
Listening ears are SO powerful. Thank you for your example.
Laura Bethuy says
You’ve brought me to tears. My father was WWII POW and he held everything inside. In his final days he shared a little but I wished he’d have shared more. Listening is the most powerful tool that God has blessed us with and he is teaching me to be still so that I can hear. Thank you for hearing these veteran’s stories. God bless.
peggy says
My dad is a veteran if WWII. I have had the honor of hearing his stories of the war. My grandmother had 5 sons that served their country during WWII. My dad is the only one left. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to listen to his stories. I only wish I had realized how important it is to listen to others stories before my grandmother and my mother passed away. It seems the older you get the more interested you become in listening to the stories of your parents and grandparents about their lives. My dad is now 87 and has truly been a blessing that he is still here with us. Thank you to all those veterans who have been of service to our great country.
Because It’s No Small Gift says
[…] here to read a good word this Veteran’s Day. {If this post gave you fresh air encouragement […]
tammy@meadows speak says
What a great reminder of how listening is good for both receiving and giving. I’ve had family members who served in the WWII and Vietnam and I also have wondered what stories I’ve missed by not asking. Thank you for telling the stories, their stories. We need them.
wanda says
Wowzie! That’s a great story, Tricia! Thank you for sharing, I’m amazed at the stories told by our service friends. May God always keep our hearts tuned into what other’s before us have done. What an honor to live free.
Diane Bailey says
Beautiful. So Glad you took the time to tell.
Kristina says
I remember the first time my grandfather told me about staying in a house in Europe that had been abandoned and each person from his company took a piece of the silver set to remember the house by….then he showed me the fork and spoon. I am still blown away by it.
Thank you for this post, Tricia!
Bernie Lutchman says
Bless you for the heart, love and insight you put into this interview, Tricia! What I like was when you said you were different because of talking with and meeting this hero. These men and women are not many anymore, so now is the time we honor them and you did great, sister! God bless you.
Kristen says
We just got back from a Remembrance Day ceremony and I find that as I get older, things get more meaningful, Remembrance Day included. Today as the snow came down on our heads and shoulders, I thought about those boys – yes, boys – who endured this type of weather in the trenches.
You are one blessed person to be able to hear those veterans’ stories. Again, I wish that I had taken more time to listen to my own grandparents’ stories before they left this world. For they take a piece of history with them when they leave, unless they have written it down. My husband’s grandfather wrote 2 books and his personal history is preserved in this way. It is such a treasure!
Great post.
Ashley says
Tricia, thank you for the gift of this post. I have been carrying with me today thoughts and memories of courage, candor, honor, duty. I have wanted to “say something,” but felt God telling me to just listen. Thank you for sharing this piece and reminding us of the gift of our presence, our caring and our listening ears. And more…the painful gifts of bravery, honor and shared pain among us in the faces of veterans. Bless you.
Tricia Goyer says
Thank you, friends! I’m so thankful for your kind words. My mother-in-law always says God gives us two ears and one mouth for a reason, so that’s we’ll listen more than we talk, Lol. I’m thankful for people like you who give and care in so many ways!! And if you have a veteran, or even an older person in your life, consider today a great day to plan a coffee date to hear his or her stories! ~Tricia
Tracy Stoffell says
Tricia, this is an amazing post. Thanks for sharing and thanks for honoring our veterans. I remember listening to my Great Great Grandfather tell me about getting letters from his boys when they served. I also remember the pain still in his eyes when he lost one of his boys during the war. I could still hear the hurt in the his voice. When I read your post it made me remember those stories.
Jennifer says
What a beautiful testimony! My grandfather passed away when I was a teen and none of us knew he had even been in WWII until they said at his funeral that he had received the Purple Heart. My husband’s grandfather was a half-track driver in Patton’s division, but his grandmother would never allow him to talk about it, so his stories are gone, too.
Tricia Goyer says
A funny story about WWII I just remembered. It was told to me by one of the veterans I interviewed. When the men were on the front lines they would dig slit trenches for the troops’ use. They would fill in these trenches when they left. Well, one group left their position and moved again but a soldier realized he forgot his extra pair of boots. He returned and Belgian families were gathered around the slit trench mound. They’d laid down evergreen branches and were praying around it. They thought it was a grave! He tried to explain but he knew they didn’t understand. He said it made him grateful, though, that if he did lose his life there he would be mourned. 🙂
It reminded me that not all the stories require Kleenex! Some are funny, too!
Amy says
What an honor to be able to hear these stories! I was lucky to grow up among a large circle of grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles. Over time, I got to hear many of their stories about growing up in the early part of the century to tales from the WWII years when most of them were either students or young married couples. I only wish I could have heard more of these stories.
Betty Draper says
Love your post and my husband and i years ago got to be with a group of men who served on the YORKTOWN which is now a musemn in parked in Charlestown, South Carolina. We drove my step Dad and mother down to the reunion, first one for many years. The ship was in pretty bad shape then but my step Dad was able to show us where he slept way below deck , the gun he manned on deck. Incredible stories poured out of these men who were shy about sharing at first but we just sit around and listened and once in a while ask a question to draw them out. It was a time my husband and i will never forget. My father was also in the Navy and his ship was blown out from under the men, Dad suffered a few days in the water before being picked up with a messed up leg that required surgery years later for a new pin to hold it together. He talked so little about that time, he drank heavy all my life and would even get mad if we tried to get him to talk about the war.
What a special precious time the Lord has given you Tricia with these men. Please tell their stories for we can learn so much from their givng of themselves for our freedom. Any vet from any war has much to share.
Thank you for writing this post, brought great memories to my mind and tears to my eyes as I praise God for the freedom we enjoy due to the charecter of these men.
Julie Sunne says
Beautiful story, Tricia! Hearing stories from our veterans is such an honor. By documenting them, you are helping to preserve so many lessons of sacrifice, love, and courage. Being there to listen is such a simple thing but such a huge blessing we often let slip by. God bless!
Tricia Goyer says
I love that so many of you have taken the time to listen to stories of veterans! If you haven’t taken the time, today’s the day to set something up! 🙂
I also wanted to mention that one of my WWII novels is FREE right now on Kindle: Songbird Under the German Moon. It’s only free for a couple of more days, I think.
I appreciate all of you!
Tricia
Jen says
Tricia, I love what you are doing for these veterans! I actually live in Shippensburg, PA and John looks very familiar to me in the picture from your post, but I don’t know him personally. My boyfriend is also currently serving in the Army right now and your story makes me think of all the stories he has to tell now and that he will have in the future. I praise God for the freedom these men have given to us!
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