He was always "Grandpa John," even though he wasn't my biological maternal grandfather. He was the third and last husband of my mom's mom, and I would see them on holidays and one week during the summer, when I would stay with them in their small brick house on Outer Drive in Dearborn, MI.
"Grandpa John" wasn't grandfatherly in any sense, but he did have a cluttered basement with a working bar and cool collectible Jim Beam bottles, so being of kid of some imagination, I didn't mind the visits. John mostly sat in the den, chain smoking and drinking, semi-watching television while he fell in and out of sleep. When I was young, I just thought that's what old dudes did. Later, I found out there was more to the story.
From a 1943 citation:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to John T. Yaksich (336911), Private, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous devotion to duty while serving as a member of a Rifle Company of the Second Battalion, Second Marines (Reinforced), SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 12 November 1942. In the front lines west of the Matanikau River, Private Yaksich, approaching an enemy machine gun on his own initiative and under heavy fire, courageously advanced to a point-blank range before opening fire with his rifle and killing the Japanese gunner. Throwing a hand grenade into the emplacement before rushing the position, he was subsequently engaged in desperate hand-to-hand combat wherein he bayoneted two of the enemy. However, when several other Japanese appeared, and he sensed that he might be overpowered, he ran back to his own lines, rearmed himself and brought three men forward to help him capture the hostile machine gun. His relentless fighting spirit and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
There's a lot that's not said in that citation, and now that I'm an adult (-ish) with a better understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, it's pretty clear that John Yaksich dealt with PTSD from his experiences in World War II in ways that he never explicitly expressed with words. Instead, he let his actions -- social isolation, emotional instability, and so on -- tell the tale.
Today, please keep in mind the fact that many of those who served our country might be silently suffering as a result of their service, and any act of kindness you might extend might be more healing and helpful than you would ever know.
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