WWII Veteran Roy McGinnis turns 96 years young today. Feel free to wish him Happy Birthday in the comments and I will be sure to pass them on. My step-dad Roy as you can imagine has truly been a shining example for any young person to emulate with his striking career in the military along with his civilian time as the Director of Veterans Affairs for the State of Alabama.
*This post is not possible without the assistance of Justin Stanley and Stephen Jenkins.
The study of past events in American History have always intrigued me as it relates to genealogy of my Jenkins family. There is nothing more amazing and perhaps imaginative than pondering the Wild West or in this case the east coast in the 17th century of Virginia. I had the opportunity a month ago to be included in a research project by Real Estate Appraiser Justin Stanley of Hampton, VA. Justin contacted me via my Descendants page on Facebook inquiring about land formerly owned by Jenkins owners in VA.
The Atlanta Falcons football team surprised me losing to the New England Patriots in the super bowl. We witnessed one of the best comebacks in football history. Maybe the lesson to be learned is we should never say a “patriot” will lose.
Since landing in Honolulu, I have been going nonstop. This is a place where memories are indeed made. For me fortunately, many past childhood thoughts came flooding back as I embarked on visiting my past homes on the island of Oahu. I lived here for over four years from 1969-1974. Come down memory lane with me, but first let’s stop at Pearl Harbor. It was today, I was approached by two young adults traveling from their homeland of Japan. They seemed to be working on some school project and handed me a paper with historical questions they politely asked me to answer.
We quickly became friends and are now following each other on Instagram. I was touched by their genuine desire to know my reactions to Pearl Harbor. However, today we stood together gladly not allowing the past to identify who we are in the present. As an American, I welcome my new friends to my country.
A portion of the Berlin Wall. Photo taken by Alesia in 1989
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