Officially speaking, Memorial day is a day when we honor the men and women who died in combat serving our country.
But I'm bending the rules a bit today. My grandfather, Milton "Papa" Conine served in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. He survived the war, but only by the grace of God.
A ship transporting Papa's squadron went down in the Pacific, but Papa wasn't on it, for reasons that escape me right now. I suppose I'm honoring the memory of those men in a way. But I will eternally thank God that Papa wasn't on board because it allowed us to play many games of golf and gin rummy during his life right up until the days before he went home in April of 2010.
By the way, it's also a delayed Fried-day blog. So I'm picturing jumbo fried shrimp because Papa loved shrimp. I'm recommending jumbo fried shrimp at The Coffee Shop in McGregor because it doesn't get much more American than The Coffee Shop.
Thanks to The Coffee Shop for serving good old American food. Thanks to all the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice during the most trying of times in the name of freedom and liberty. Most of all, thank God for allowing Papa to be a huge part of my life.
