I salute you, mothers, who send their children off to war, their sons, their daughters.
My mother sent her son off to war, Daniel Shemanski. My half brother was some 18 years my senior. He had just turned 17 when she signed the paper that allowed him to join the U.S. Navy.
In 1944, a hand-delivered letter from then-President Roosevelt informed her that her son had been killed in action. A torpedo from a German submarine had found its mark, sending his ship to the bottom of the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
I have the original flags that were displayed in our window at 4651 Manistique Ave. in Detroit that let the community know that my mother had given her son up for the freedom that we take for granted today.
My mother did her part in the war effort. She worked at Bud Wheel in Detroit, where at that time the wheel and the hub were riveted together on the army jeeps. My mother was one the many of the "Rosie the Riveters" who took up the workplace as the men went off to war. Yes, her name was Rose!
And so, mothers, I salute you. May God bless you and may the peace of Christ be with you always.
Roger Keebaugh
Gainesville