Category: My Thoughts

Our family military history can be traced back at least thirteen generations! No wonder our family whole-heartedly supports the soldiers. I am very proud of them all!

Here’s my Dad.
And some interesting facts:
Twelve and thirteen generations ago, my grandfathers, Colonel Thomas Ligon, born in 1609, and Major William Ligon, served in England. A little later Colonel Benjamine Marshall, born 1681, served in Ireland.

We know of at least three American Revolution warriors in our family: Andrew Baskin, “Soldier John” Grigsby, and Captain William Castleman.

War Between the States: We had many direct descendants on both sides.
Several Coffey’s and then David Coffey, born 1839, who was a physician and Presbyterian minister and fought a few miles from his home and took care of Confederate soldiers. Alexander Valentine, born 1832, died in a Union prison in Illinois and was buried there. James Pope was killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge. John Iva Pope entered the war as a 14-year-old drummer boy, and came home four years later. His mother did not recognize him. James Tol Thomas fought with the Confederates and the Texas Rangers and died in 1910 returning from a veteran’s reunion.

WWI soldiers include my grandfather, Thomas Elisha Akin, who received an honorable discharge in 1919 due to Dependents and Distress in the Family. (Okay, I need to do a little more research on that one.)

WWII soldiers include several relatives in the US Army, Air Corps, or Navy. Jerry Akin was 18 when he went through training. He weighed 148 pounds when he left and 98 pounds when he came home. He was stationed in the Philippines. His mother probably didn’t recognize him either!

Korean War period soldiers include relatives Larry Wynns, Judson Pope, Richard Pope, Gene Anglin, and Ted Akin.

Soldiers during the Vietnam era include both of my brothers, Jimmy David Akin and Fredrick Akin.

Iraq War time period service was done by Lieutenant Jamin Miser. My dad was in the military for 33 years through several wars. Here are my nephews saluting at my dad’s 12 gun salute funeral.

This is not even the whole list of military people in our family. Many of our family members are serving in the military now, and I am proud of each one of them! If you are checking out your ancestry, it might be interesting to see who served in the military.

I grew up in Bundang, a suburb of Seoul, and studied at a South Korean college, Seoul Women’s University. I never knew poverty. I went to New Zealand to study language for half a year and then spent eight months in Australia.
Read her story at
http://spurgeons.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/minji-i-had-no-family-here/

Have you ever had a week that went a tad crooked? I just did. Went to the eye doc and he told me not to wear my contacts for 10 days. Of course, I lost my glasses two days later, so I walked around the block unable to see street signs.

Then I lost my cell phone – so no one could easily contact me and, of course, it holds all my contact information. Had digestive flare up from eating cabbage. My car’s starter began to groan, and Bill had to fly out-of-town for work. I found my eyeglasses under the table. One lens was missing and the wire rim smashed. I bent the rim somewhat back into shape and am now wearing bent glasses with one lens, but it’s better than none.

Yesterday, I decided to go visit my family in Shawnee, an hour’s drive away, and proceeded to lock my keys in the car. You know – typical bad week. Paid a locksmith and found my phone last night. Whew.

This week may seem crazy, but I remember someone saying last week on my birthday. “You’ve had a bad year, haven’t you?”

Well, no. I really haven’t. I had 7 weeks of chemo and radiation, spent time in the hospital, had skin cancer removed, lost too much weight, but no, I didn’t have a bad year. My brother had a bad year. He didn’t survive the cancer. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

Then I thought of the book I just read about 18 of the larger genocides during last century. (If you want a wakeup call, it’s an eye opening book called Century of Genocide). Thinking of the millions and millions of people who did not survive the 1900’s, I feel extremely blessed. As long as I am alive, there is a good reason for it. And when the time comes for me to go, I’ll be ready, more ready than I was a year ago.

God knows every moment of our lives. The ups and down, the good weeks and bad. He and many friends and family helped me through this last year, tough year – but not bad, so maybe I should quit complaining about my crooked eyeglasses