In 1895 the first Navy ship to be named after our state of Maine was commissioned. She was built to combat the increase of naval forces in Latin America. In 1898 the ship was destroyed by an under water mine. The explosion killed 266 American soldiers...
Growing up in a family of 9 all of us vied for our father's attention. Dad worked nights and Mom worked days so time spent with each of them was sometimes hard to get. But we all got it.
And some of the best memories I have are listening to the stories from my dad.
My dad is a veteran...and proud of it.
I write this with a very heavy heart. I learned this morning, that an old friend of mine, Robert Michael Paul Roy, 33, died after a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 10 in Florida this past Sunday morning.