Thank you Papa. Inspired by Mona's papa..

Thank you papa. FRANCO.. Inspired by Mona's papa..
 My papa is something else.. I mean he grew up in the Philippines and witnessed the horrors of the Japanese invasion, he saw the death of his parents and others first hand and In a way I don't blame him for the hatred he had for them.. Sure it was war,, but sometimes, you must know the difference between fighting for honor , then senseless killings of civilians and raping of young girls.. To this day He has never owned anything Japanese.. Cars, anything.. But hey it was a different time..
 Now the time is thank my papa, I know we had many wars about his views and demeanor. Any one who has a dad especially a Navy raised one ,, knows the old school in your face , punch your face attitude.. I know I was whupped up many times, It made me mean and angry too, Something that later follow me through my Navy Career, But regardless of our past I want to thank him for giving me the strength and fearless heart and mind under any conditions, Because without that mind set,, I would never lasted 20 long years in the Navy. I have seen and done many unmentionable things because of the heat of battle or stress. Am I proud of that? No,, but sailors at times have to do what they have to do to deal with issues..
 I saw shipmates dropped dead in front of me because of heat , stress and lack of sleep.. The heat of the Persian Gulf is no joke, and I also had to be part of rescue crews for downed pilots that crashed their planes and we had to pick up plane and pilot.. The horrors of the Persian Gulf war, even when it officially ended, they're were still scary times back then, No Wonder at Boot camp they were so hard on us,.. and especially me.. I mean My papa was very influential impact in my life he lessons about character and being an example to your men will carry you through not only the good times , the tough times too. A true leader manifest themselves when times are bad.. He was so right it's easy to look like a good leader when things are going well.. But its the true leader m motivator that can lead in times of trouble,, and many times My superiors would ask me or order me to take over teams or crews to get the taskings done..
  But most all all..  I just want to give thanks for my dad for always being a hard ass and helping me develop that hard mentality , that I needed to survive the stresses of military life. His over the top positive attitude m some call it arrogance or pride , but those qualities for better or worse helped over come many tragedies and hardship's that I witnessed first hand. Its funny how TV or the movies dramatize death,, but let me tell you , those images and incidents of death with shipmates I knew were haunting and life changing.. I know its the past and I must go on.. But the seen of death and the feelings of losing shipmates under battle and non battle conditions still wears heavy on my heart. I know I shouldn't feel bad for them, we all knew what we signed up for,, the dangers , the threats, its just the families , because I have a loving family,, to lose a loved one , is the most devastating thing that can happen to anyone,, I know I lost my grandma , and my mother in law mamang and my loving mama Maring , at very young ages,, and I must be honest still haunts me and make me sad at times. I mean I love them all so much , and for them to leave so early in my life was tough.. Its true only the good die young , and they were everything you should be in life.
 LOVING , CARING , SHARING and above all just being there.. They were strict and sometimes unbearable , but the love for me was un approachable. I love them all and miss them dearly.. BUT ..MY PAPA was the one to teach me how to be a man,. not just the tough minded and mean when you have to man,.. But Also instructed me to be a gentlemen,., Respect women and don't ever lay your hands on anyone of them .. I know my papa is suffering through the ravages of age related issues , but he still has the fiery heart and passion for life and I admire that , because I know my destiny will be similar, but for now ,, I will continue to live life as he preached to me..
 PRAISE GOD
 DEFEND AND SUPPORT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
LOVE MY WIFE AND FAMILY
BE THANKFUL FOR TRUE FRIENDS AND TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT AND HONOR
TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WANT TO BE TREATED..
Lastly.. Always be thirsty for knowledge and skills, You will never stop learning..

Its those words and advice is what I embedded in my mind and life and helped me carry through all the stresses of life and Navy..

THANK YOU PAPA FRANCO.. I will always respect your teachings and I will make you proud of the man you help create and eventually become and pass down those ideas to my sons and your loving Grand sons.. Brandon and Martin..

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THE SOURCE PRODUCTIONS @ 2013