Each person who served in the military during a U.S. or foreign war and died before his or her time while making that effort, has a unique individual story. Some such stories are lost to history and recollection. But not all are. In fact, we ourselves may carry part of the story of a particular service member, who, though lost to war, nonetheless endures, still special and present to us.
Maybe it’s the story of one of the 6,000 Oregonians who served and died in war. Or maybe it’s the story of someone who lived outside the state and served and died from war and whose connection to Oregon is, well, us. Remembering a person who served in wartime and died as a result can of course be very hard, on Memorial Day or any day. Sharing their story is a deeply personal choice. At the same time, for many, recalling someone’s life and being willing to share how it intersected with service during wartime is a gift.
One story
For me, as a lifetime Oregonian, it is a gift on Memorial Day to be able to remember and appreciate the story of my cousin, Second Lieutenant Sidney C. Mink. Born in 1917 in Portland, Oregon, in the midst of World War I, Sidney was the only child of Russian immigrants Rose and Benny Caplin. Before Sidney’s first birthday, his father Benny died of Hodgkin’s Disease. Sidney then grew up mainly in Los Angeles, raised by his mom and step-father, Harry Mink. At 24, in the middle of World War II, Sidney enlisted in the U.S. Army, becoming a bombardier flying B-17s . He died in battle on January 29, 1944, age 27, while flying over Hamburg Germany when he and his crew mates’ plane was shot down. He received a purple heart and two bronze stars.
Their story
Memorial Day in Oregon provides a way to make present, and potentially even more lasting, something from the past that has great meaning to us, namely the people we have lost to wartime military service. Simply by thinking about them on Memorial Day, we honor them. Simply by using the day to talk about their lives, we honor them. And we honor them simply by going, perhaps together with a friend or family member, to a local Memorial Day commemoration. When we turn our attention to what the people we have lost to wartime military service did–when we help tell their stories–they re-influence the world, in new ways.
Your story
Is there a special person connected to Oregon who died while in service during wartime who you remember on Memorial Day? Below in the Comments section is one place to share something about that person, if you like. What was his or her name? Which branch and war(s) did he or she serve in? What did he or she believe about life and service in America’s military?
Thank you in advance for your words.
