As I sit there I tried to think what I was doing when I was 19. I thought about him often. In the middle nineties when I got my computer I would go to Memorial Wall site a lot. It took a while with a dial-up modem at 28K. So every year on my birthday I always celebrated it with William. I don't know if he is my older friend or younger friend, perhaps I never will. I just know he is my friend that I never got to meet. I understand his remains were found and that he was sent home to his family. I wanted to get a bracelet before his name was removed the list. I will always wear it. And that's that.
In the 1970's, we wore Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) bracelets. Today, we also keep others in our memories; Victims of Terrorism and Military Casualties. To keep the memory alive of those who have died at the hands of terrorists or fighting terrorism, we now also wear Memorial Bracelets. People from all over the country are wearing bracelets from Memorial Bracelets located at www.memorialbracelets.com for their own very personal reasons. Below are some of the stories that we have received.
Friday, June 13, 2008
For a Friend I Never Got to Meet
Sometime in the late eighties I took a friend to the VA hospital. While I was waiting, a man had a computer printout of the POWs and MIAs. As I looked through the pages, I passed by what I thought was last name Derringer. I backed up to see what would be the first name of someone named after a gun. I turned out to be Dillender, William Edward. Then a chill hit me as I saw his D.O.B 10-06-51. The same as mine.
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