First I am eternally grateful to Tom Hanks and the whole cast and production crew who brought GREYHOUND to the screen. Second, I can say that my father who served in kind aboard a US Destroyer, escorting convoys across the Atlantic and even to Murmansk Russia, would have been honored by this accurate portrayal of The Battle of the Atlantic, thus thirdly I am, as an arm chair historian, I'm undoubtably impressed with Mr. Hanks' accuracy in his helming this critical time in our Allied fight against Fascism.
My father never spoke of his service, having kept his memories sealed in the now worn and battered sea chest that he lugged around during his commission as a Naval officer.
My mother, then his fiancé awaited his return in New York, downtown Manhattan on West 56th street in a Brownstone apartment, a stone throw's to the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Park. They were high school sweethearts and soon married after Germany surrendered.
My father retired as an assistant dean to a law school he help build throughout his life time, a man of impeccable ethics to the rule of law and yet a humble man in character to all who came to know him.
It was in his mid-seventies that I coaxed him to open up the sea chest and reveal that epoch period of so many souls' conviction and sacrifice to our democratic cause.
I do believe God has a hand in all things, and it was shown to me one early evening while he read from his private sea log journal to my mother and I revealing his personal thoughts journaled during those treacherous convoy crossings in stormy, icy seas.
And perhaps, given all that he overcame in life's hardships and accomplishments leading him in becoming a living legacy who embraced his community's common good, of which he was publicly honored, molded him into the loving husband and father that I still admire.
My father passed that evening while reading from his personal ship log in mid sentence before his wife and son. It was tragic and yet God's blessing he did not suffer, for which I am grateful.
Hundreds attended his memorial. I arranged a military 21 gun salute, as one more WWII veteran passed on to a better place, I'm sure he would meet up with his two cousins who gave their lives in The Battle of the Bulge.
Since that time I've researched all I can about our naval destroyers role in the Atlantic convoy crossings, so I can attest that GREYHOUND is so much more than a movie. It has, for me, given an authentic visual and emotional portrayal of the reality that my father participated in, no easy task in surviving the Wolf Pack attacks. It filled in the gap to my fathers own story.
Thank you.
My father never spoke of his service, having kept his memories sealed in the now worn and battered sea chest that he lugged around during his commission as a Naval officer.
My mother, then his fiancé awaited his return in New York, downtown Manhattan on West 56th street in a Brownstone apartment, a stone throw's to the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Park. They were high school sweethearts and soon married after Germany surrendered.
My father retired as an assistant dean to a law school he help build throughout his life time, a man of impeccable ethics to the rule of law and yet a humble man in character to all who came to know him.
It was in his mid-seventies that I coaxed him to open up the sea chest and reveal that epoch period of so many souls' conviction and sacrifice to our democratic cause.
I do believe God has a hand in all things, and it was shown to me one early evening while he read from his private sea log journal to my mother and I revealing his personal thoughts journaled during those treacherous convoy crossings in stormy, icy seas.
And perhaps, given all that he overcame in life's hardships and accomplishments leading him in becoming a living legacy who embraced his community's common good, of which he was publicly honored, molded him into the loving husband and father that I still admire.
My father passed that evening while reading from his personal ship log in mid sentence before his wife and son. It was tragic and yet God's blessing he did not suffer, for which I am grateful.
Hundreds attended his memorial. I arranged a military 21 gun salute, as one more WWII veteran passed on to a better place, I'm sure he would meet up with his two cousins who gave their lives in The Battle of the Bulge.
Since that time I've researched all I can about our naval destroyers role in the Atlantic convoy crossings, so I can attest that GREYHOUND is so much more than a movie. It has, for me, given an authentic visual and emotional portrayal of the reality that my father participated in, no easy task in surviving the Wolf Pack attacks. It filled in the gap to my fathers own story.
Thank you.