So this is my grandfather, Private Earl E. McLean. He served in the United States Army in World War II and of course, he had tons of stories. Until his death in 1993, he spoke of his time spent fighting in the Philippines and of his capture of a POW. He was proud to have served and from the stories, he did his job well. He was always happy to tell me old war stories when I would stop by my grandparent’s home and I was just as excited to listen. His biggest question: “I wonder what ever happened to my bag I brought back with my service rifle and pistol?” Allegedly, he had the bag when he arrived back on American soil but put it down for a brief second and off it went. The stories and time I spent with my grandfather remain just as fresh as the day he told them and I’m glad we shared those moments. He wasn’t at my wedding in 2010, but I was still able to wed my wife in an outdoor ceremony because “Hurricane Earl” missed the location by a few miles. This Memorial Day, this is who I will be honoring.