True Courage - Real Hero

July 16, 2015 a true hero went to meet his maker.  His name is Matthew Duffy.  I only had the honor of spending a very short time with he and his family but my life has been changed for ever by him.  Matt was one of the few remaining WWII veterans.  He served in the US Army in the European theater.  He and his fellow platoon members saved the lives of my father and uncle who were scheduled to be executed at the concentration camp Dachau.  You can read the full story in my previous post This Man Know His History.

The ancient quote of Mark Antony is "I have not come here to praise Caesar but to bury him" is to be rearranged for Matt.  I have not come here to bury Matt Duffy but to honor him.

Matt Duffy served his country with honor.  He faced the worst of what humanity can do to their fellow man.  He had to store those images in his heart for all his life.  This is the definition of true courage. Yet still, he married and raised children and along with many others who served with him, made it possible for millions of others to do so as well.  Specifically, my uncle, my father, and my brother and sisters and me and now my children as well.  He and many others who served in the armed forces faced death and defeated one of the greatest evils of the 20th century.  While he did not die on the battlefield, his friends and brothers-at arms did.  He still made the ultimate sacrifice because he had to carry the memories and images until his body finally failed him at the age of 93. Again True Courage.

I do not know what kind of father or husband he was, but my brief meeting of his wife and children led me to believe that he did the best he could.  My longtime friend, Peggy Frehner, his daughter, is a kind and loving person.  I can't help but believe that part of that was a result of the home Matt and his wife created for her.

If I served in the armed forces I would know how to properly salute him. My heart salutes him and so do the hearts of my wife and children.  He earned the Purple Heart for his battlefield injuries, but to us and his family he is deserving a CMH.  All of his fellow compatriots deserve this honor and those who have served and are still serving as well.

Matt Duffy, rest in peace.  In my eyes and heart and those of my family, you will always be a true hero, an example of true courage, and deserving of great honor.

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