Grandfather's Journal

<p>In 2012 after sharing a number of sea stories with my only grandson I was told I needed to write a life journal to include my years as a child in the Philippine Islands just following World War II. The journal which addressed a time from June 7 1935 to December 28 2013 includes the important events of my life including my twenty-seven years in the US Navy. As could be expected there are more reflections from my years as a naval aviator flying combat missions in Vietnam and numerous secret missions against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. </p> <p>Not as exciting but just as important was my journal following my naval service after my retirement in December 1982. Most importantly I have shared what took place in my life on June 9 1977 two days after my 42nd birthday and two days before my oldest son graduated from high school when I accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life. This event radically changed my life and immediately healed a broken family. It also addressed the thirty-plus years in which I was called as a volunteer to serve the least of these in our prison systems. If I have a desire for the journal it would be that it encourage others to address the importance of their spiritual needs before age forty-two and that it would challenge my grandchildren in their walk with Christ.</p>