This might be a long post, but you don't have to read it if you don't 'wanna! I'm going to agree with "Raptor," in that my Daddy is my hero. He always was and he always will be. I'll justify it by giving two examples of his actions:

While my Father was born in the U.S.A., he was born into, and raised within a pure Finnish community. Both of his parents had immigrated from Finlad (Suomi) in the 1890's. As the son of immigrants, he was always sensitive to immigrant issues. He was raised within the "pure" Finn culture. The schools was taught in Finn, the language of the Church was Finn, all the neighbors spoke only Finn. This was a very common story in the midwest (Minnesota) in the early years of this nations' development and expansion. Like people congregrated together.

My Father first encountered the English language when his family moved to Eastern Washington state when he was eight. He was speechless! He, and his brother and his sisters, were stood up against the baseball backstop while the other school children threw rocks at them and teased them because they could not speak english. This left an indelible mark on Dad. He never forgot it. Later, after he was grown up and married and had fathered myself and my older brother, I was given a living example that has guided me.

My father was a wonderful builder of beautiful homes. As such, he built up a strong group of craftsmen friends who helped him: masons, painters, cabinet makers, etc. His mason of choice was a German immigrant named "Billy, the Witchen." Billy had a strong accent to his speech, and he built wonderful fireplaces, chimneys and stone floors.

Close to the end of WW2, I'm guessing 1944, Hilter put out the call to all Germans living abroad to return gome to the Fatherland. Billy returned, with his wife. He served about six months there as a fire warden with a town fire dept.

About 1947, Billy managed to get himself and his family back to America, in the same town he'd left before. But, no one would give him any work as a mason. In those days, and I remember them well, any German was a "Nazi."

At this same time, Dad was giving Billy as much work as he could, but Billy was starving. Also at this time, Dad was invited to join the local "Masonic Lodge," in our home town. On the night that was supposed to be his acceptance, he stood on the floor and rejected the invitiation to join. He said that he refused to belong to an orginization that would NOT give work to a loyal American! He then walked out of the meeting hall. That opened the door for more work to Billy.

I warned you this would be a long posting.

Another quick story. Close to the end of the Korean War, Dad organized a community effort that resulted in everyone building a house for a returning vet. He was now leggless and had a family to support. Everyone donated materials, labor, and we gave "Ken" house keys to a brand new home, land and all.

So, that's just two stories of why my late Father, "Thekney Hjalmer Niemi Knuttlia Rajaniemi Nelson" (yes, that's his real name) is my hero today!

(I warned you this would be long). Bob