Most every American knows that Veterans Day is November 11. But few may realize that November is Military Family Month, a time to remember the commitment and dedication that spouses and children make. The sacrifices of these families make it possible for our military to remain organized and strong. A reader offers a salute to the soldier in his family.
Sergeant First Class Mathis
Daddy retired from the Army in 1963; I was 12. In the last ten years of his service, Dan Mathis was a recruiter in San Antonio, Killeen, and Texarkana, Texas; and Little Rock and Hot Springs, Arkansas. The fathers of all my friends were World War II veterans so it didn’t seem unusual for us to move frequently.
Since Daddy was the first contact with the military for many people, he had to make a good impression. And that meant his family had to make a good impression too, including the house and yard. We all had to be “spic and span,” he would say, “clean as a whistle, looking sharp, and polished to a high gloss.”
Daddy used to tell the story how he would recruit the backwoods boys of Arkansas. “The Army will give you a new pair of shoes,” he would tell them, “shiny black oxfords.” Those sons of farmers never had a brand-new pair of shoes in their life, Daddy said. “They would enlist just to get a free pair of boots.”
Every once in a while, a recruit would come over for dinner so Daddy could show him the standard of life the Army could provide. My brothers and I would run up and down the hall in our socks to polish the wax on the floor. Mom would bring out the fine china and silverware.
Sometimes, the family would visit Daddy at his recruiting office downtown. And Daddy would show us off, proud as a peacock. It made us proud too. In this photo from 1959, Daddy holds Ted, Jeff holds his arms around Benny, and I'm holding my hands in my pockets. We were an all-American family.
