In 1971 I took a furlough from the Army in order to go on a fishing trip to Strawberry Lake in Minesota with my father.
One evening on the lake, we observed lightning way off in the distance in the reflection off the clouds and setting sun. A slight hint of thunder would slowly roll over us as we set and fished. There was no danger to us, just a wonderful far off display of Mother Nature
My father served in the Pacific theater in Guadalcanal during WWII. I inquired if the distant lightning and the thunder reminded him of long ago battles. He replied, "Yes. I was witness to a naval battle far out at sea over the horizon from my fantage point high on a hill in the jungle and those lightning flashes and thunder do resemble that battle." That was about the only time he shared any memories of battle and warfare he endured.
We then went to shore and were loading our fishing gear into the small camping travel we had towed with us as our residence for the week.
I was exiting the trailer with a 7 foot rod as dad attempted to enter the trailer. My rod tip went straight into his belly and the look on his face indicated that a Japaneese soldier and "run him thru" with a bayonet.
A split second later he knew what had happened and starting laughing. We both enjoyed the laugh and then fixed supper and downed a few "brown pops" to finish the day.
Dad passed in 1982 and I still miss him every day.
