Veterans Day Salute

Today is Veterans Day and as I reflect on the freedoms I enjoy and life in this great land of ours I am reminded of the veterans in my family history.

While growing up and for many years of my adult life I was completely unaware of the fact that my father Richard Warren Tindall served in the armed forces during WW2 until I read his obituary in 1991.  My father enlisted in the army towards the end of the war in 1945 and served at Fort Lewis.  He didn't see any action overseas but served in the state of Washington as a defensive detail in case of invasion and had been preparing to serve overseas up until the war was ended.  He was trained in explosives and because of this training he was hired on with the U.S. Forest Service after the war to work on blazing trails in the national parks and forest lands. He later became the Director of the BLM for Alaska in Anchorage where he retired and passed away in 1991.  My father taught me many things including skiing, fishing, hunting, baseball and a love for our country and the beauty of God's creations upon this earth.  We saw together some of the most beautiful lakes and camping areas in the entire Northwest.

My father-in-law also served at Ft. Lewis, Washington around the same time as my father.  Neil retired as a Lt. Colonel in the National Guard and was an engineer for the military.  My wife was born at a military hospital in Aberdeen, Maryland.  Neil also served on assignment after the war in Germany for a time and had some interesting stories of his service there.

My grandfather Frederick Bryan Tindall enlisted and served in WWI and moved up the ranks from Pvt. to Sergeant and honorably discharged in 1919. 

My great grandfather George W Tindall was born at the beginning of the Civil War and though he didn't see any military action in his lifetime he did serve as Sheriff of Okanogan County, WA for several years during the turn of the century and helped keep the peace prior to WWI.  I have other ancestors who served during the Civil War on both sides of the conflict.

My 2nd Great Grandfather was Charles Marion Tindall who was an Oregon Trail Pioneer and had to defend his family from Indians along the way and after they settled in their pioneer home in Scio, Lynn, Oregon.  His father-in-law was Col. Daniel W Moore who served with Henry Dodge during the Black Hawk War and also served as Commandant of Ft. Jackson in Mineral Point, Iowa.

One of my 3rd Great Grandfather's was William Beals, Sr. and he enlisted as a Marine in NY in 1807 and was a prisoner of war during the War of 1812 and nearly starved to death in Canada while in captivity.

My 4th Great Grandfather was Thomas Tindall and was a Revolutionary War Patriot and has a headstone marker in the Lusk Cemetery of Edwardsville, IL provided by the Sons of the American Revolution for his service.

I am grateful for their service and for the liberties and freedoms we enjoy today.  I am also mindful that if they had not survived my family and I would not be here or have the country we love so much.  

To my forefathers and to the veterans of the United States of America, I salute you and thank you.  Happy Veterans Day!