The Popcorn Stand: Honoring my hero Jerrel Whisnand
Tears. Uncontrollable tears.
As I write this Popcorn Stand, I’m still fighting back the tears. I went to the map on the City of Porterville Parks and Leisure website on Friday morning to find my father’s military banner.
When I found his banner and looked at it on the map I did what any big, strong man would do in that situation. I broke down and balled like a baby.
The City of Porterville now has hanging all 629 military banners in honor of all of our loved ones who served and are serving this country. I purchased just one of the more than 200 military banners that were purchased this year alone.
Almost all of this year’s banners that were purchased are hanging along Olive Avenue from Main Street all the way to Westwood. Those who would like to find where a military banner is can go to this link:
https://porterville.maps.arcgis.com/home/index. html
The military banners will be displayed through Veterans Day but it’s likely the City of Porterville will make the decision just to display the banners all year long.
Jerrel Whisnand served in the U.S. Army from 1958-1960. He admittedly did the minimum of service for his country. And admittedly he didn’t volunteer. He was drafted.
As the story goes my father was a student at Fresno State living with my aunt, his sister in Clovis. My father still had to take one more class to complete his education.
But when the recruiter showed up at my aunt’s house and asked if my father had completed college, my aunt said he had. That was enough. He was drafted.
And my father is no hero by any means, although he’s my hero. And the two years he served his country are two more years I served.
I’ve never had any interest in serving in the military, never was “gung-ho.” So I’m fortunate to live in a time in which military service in this country is voluntary.
As Pat Tillman put it before he paid the ultimate sacrifice, “I haven’t done a damn thing for my country.” Oh sure, I pay taxes and love this country as much as anyone. Like most people, I try to be a good citizen and of course try to honor and am thankful to all those who serve and are serving, including my father.
And my father was fortunate to serve this country during peacetime. But admittedly he served in Alaska during the dead of winter and hated it.
And my father doesn’t have any heroic tales. He was a cook in the Army. But as the saying goes an Army can’t fight on an empty stomach.
My father didn’t share much about his service but did tell me about this one story that comes the closes to be an heroic tale when it comes to his service.
It seems his commanding officer had the idea the cooks for the outfit should be out in the field like everyone else. My father tried to explain that placing all that cooking equipment and trying to use it to cook for a large number of men in a tent out in the field could be dangerous.
And my father KP unit did start a fire and they quickly put it out. The commanding officer tried to punish my father. But when the commanding officer’s commanding officer came to review the situation he said not only should the men in the KP unit be punished, they should receive a medal.
As my father told it, his immediate commanding officer was then sent to “personal relation school.”
So now my father can look down from heaven at his military banner. I know you’re proud of me, dad. And I know that you know that I’m proud of you.