Pustay Beaven: On historic anniversary, a hero is defined

I have a picture of my hero on the wall in the hallway.

Time has adjusted its colors, giving the creams more of a yellow hue and the sepia tone browns less of a vibrant shade.

But time hasn't tempered the pride that swells in my heart every time I look at that image of my grandfather.

He's young in the picture—maybe 25 or 26—and he's dressed in his U.S. Army Air Corps-issued uniform and leather bomber jacket. His headset rests on his head, and his pilot wings are clipped to his hat.

That photo used to hang in my grandparents house, and I remember studying it with awe and curiosity as a tot, wondering how that person who looked so young could be the same man I loved so fiercely.

When I was small, I spent a great deal of time with my grandfather. Both of my parents worked, so I spent weekdays with my grandparents, but it was often Grandpa who would end up keeping an eye on me.

We'd read together, watch Bonanza reruns, wish for luck and pick lottery numbers out of a hat, go for walks and tend to the tomatoes in his garden. My heart catches every time I smell the sharp, earthy scent of tomato vines. Because it reminds me of him.

My hero.

Sometimes, it makes me sad. Sad that I can't talk with him anymore, have a beer with him and ask him about the past.

My grandfather died unexpectedly more than two decades ago, but the pain of the loss lingers, even after all these years. Maybe it's because I never got to say a proper goodbye, to one last time tell him how much he was loved. Or to simply say how proud I am to be his granddaughter.

In place of those conversations I can't have, I crave stories about him, and I often ask my mom or my uncle to retell some of my favorites, the ones that make me laugh. The ones that prove there's a whole lot of my grandfather in who I've become.

But I love most the stories about his time in the service, flying a C-47. My grandfather served as a flight lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, and during World War II, he spent time in England, France and Italy.

This year, time turned over another historic milestone, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. And amid it all, I couldn't help but think of my grandfather and the role he played in helping to change and shape the world for the better.

That makes him a hero.

And for the ways he shaped me and my world, well, that just makes him a hero all over again.

Pustay Beaven is managing editor of Rubber News. Connect with her on LinkedIn or by emailing [email protected].