My dad is my best friend

[osprey]

WARNING Necro thread revival !

Such a great topic brought to us by @Kruel J. I missed it the first go around so here is my contribution. My old man was not real patient or a great teacher but looking back I learned so much from him by just being around him. I learned the love of fishing and hunting and being outdoors. Growing up commercial fishing with him in WA and Alaska I learned the love of being on the water, especially salt water. Unfortunately I did not see it at the time as working for him as a teenager was a hard road to hoe and tempered my experiences at the time. Unfortunately he drowned making passage to AK in a storm, going up to fish. I was 23 at the time. That was 34 years ago this Spring. At the time of his passing my head was just starting to firm up and we were starting to see more eye to eye. I am sure we would have been famous friends if he had lived. I miss him every day. RIP "Wild Bill"

 

[bionic knees]

my dad is awesome. we camp together, fish together, ride four wheelers together when ever we can. he taught me how to shoot, hunt, fish, camp, water ski, work on cars, just about everything a man needs to know. when my mom got sick and passed a few years ago dad took care of her at home until she passed just like she wanted. i couldnt have asked for a better role model, he worked his tail off so that his family could have a good life. the first camping trip of the season is coming up shortly, as well as his 84th birthday. i can hardly wait to get the four wheelers out and hit the trails.







U.S. navy vet korea

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update, I changed my handle on here after being gone a few years. we have a 4 wheeling trip planned this spring, dad will be 91 in may still going pretty well all things considered.

 

[Kruel J]

I had totally forgotten about his thread.

My dad passed away in 2020. I miss him every day.

 

[40Garand]

My dad was medically (honorably) discharged from Vietnam in 1972 with 3 bronze stars, M16 (rifle) Sharpshooter, and a few other service medals. Within a month of being back here in the states I was conceived. Unfortunately my dad had to many agent orange baptisms and returned home with a heroine addiction. My grandparents and law enforcement had to intervene and my mom left my dad shortly after I was born. He spent the rest of his years in and out of the VA hospital fighting a majority of the ugly stuff that goes along with the exposure to that nasty chemical and it all caught up with him in 2009. A few years prior to his passing I finally got to meet my dad but time and life had run it's course and that small spark of reuniting wasn't enough to form a bond. Growing up as a kid I gave my mom a ton of grief for not letting me see my dad. I lost my mom to cancer in 2019. All of this tore me up pretty good. I envy a lot people that had the opportunity to to grow up with their fathers or parentals intact. I'm glad that I'm a dad and that my son has been with me full time. I'm working with a couple veteran non profits to get my dad some proper recognition and a purple heart. I'm not holding my breath but that's what I have felt compelled to do.

 

[ma96782]

Rrrrrright.......



Aloha, Mark

 

[Kruel J]

If you guys don't mind I'm going to close this one.

 

[Kruel J]

Since I was asked via convo, I thought I would elaborate. I made this thread back in 2013 when my dad's health started to decline. He gifted me multiple firearms over the span of several months and I made this thread originally to share that. It was nice to share it with you all when it was happening.

That said, he's gone now. And this thread being revived kinda brought it all back today. I think if anyone wants to make a thread about their own experiences with their father that's great. But I'd like to let this particular thread rest.

Thank you for understanding.