October 10, 2009

Josh Brashars is married to Elizabeth, Gene and Emily's first grandchild.  He and Elizabeth also have Gene and Emily's first great-grandchild, Elijah Howard Brashars.  Josh came to know PaPa through his memoirs, and the letters he wrote to Elizabeth and her family. He was eager to have a chance to visit with PaPa and get to know him on a personal level.  They met and visited twice - once when he and Elizabeth came to Shelley's wedding, and again, when Emily and Gene traveled to California for their wedding. The day Josh had to travel back to Atlanta, he and Elizabeth and Russ went to the Army surplus store, and he came back with an army jacket, airborne patches, sergeant major patches, and who knows what else. 

Emily kept a journal in the hospital so that people who came to visit could leave a note.  Several people who were here for the funeral wrote a note in that journal.  Josh was one of them.  Here's his entry -

Pa Pa
I hope you know , for eternity, that I hold you in the highest regards.  Through you and your stories, I have gained a passion for the history of our great country.  Your book has improved the way I look at our servicemen who offer up their lives on the altar of freedom. 

I regret that you and I never got to go fishing.  I know how much you enjoyed it, and I know that you would have taught me to improve my skill, with patience and love the way you did for your children and grandchildren.  I want you to know that I will always honor, cherish, protect and love your family and mine in a way that befits your character. And know that Russ and I will do everything we can to carry on your values to our family. 

Rest assured, good soldier, that your funeral service would have warmed your heart, and you would have found it quite to your liking - words with such warmth and love, befitting a man of your greatness. 

I will carry you in my heart for the rest of my life, until such time that God finds it fitting for us to be together again.  I will always cherish you, Pa Pa as my surrogate grandfather. 

At ease, soldier.

Joshua