Cousin Al letter resonates for many reasons

Gary Simon’s letter about his cousin Al resonated with me, not only because I endorse the writer’s position about taking personal responsibility for the safety of others as we ride out the pandemic, but also because my father, Harper, like the cousin Al in the letter, was drafted right out of high school to serve in World War II in Europe. Both men endured an unpleasant trans-Atlantic crossing and entered the war against the Nazis in 1944. Harper recounted that some of the guys on the troop ship were seasick for the entire week-long voyage. Harper shipped out in August and Al in October. Unlike Al, who was killed in action, Harper, who had the good fortune to be a jeep driver instead of a regular grunt, managed to avoid being in an actual battle and survived the war intact. The fact that he died peacefully of natural causes at age 94 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic this past summer is a testament to the resolve of the caretakers at Grace Ridge Retirement Community in Morganton, North Carolina, to observe the strictest of precautions to protect everyone living there, even though these precautions have been inconvenient and have placed substantial limitations on personal freedom. For example, I had to say farewell to my father via FaceTime, since I wasn’t able to be at his bedside in person. On a related note, those of us old enough to remember the Ad Council’s circa 1970 pro-seat belt television warnings will recall seeing a perfectly reasonable man in a business suit explaining that he doesn’t wear seat belts because they are “too confining,” with the next image showing the same man permanently crippled in a wheelchair. The seat belt crusade of that era has parallels to the campaign today to wear masks and practice social distancing.

— Cleveland Thayer,

Pacific Grove