Tag Archives: Brother Bob

Rest in Peace Brother Bob

20181122-140248-15 — When Bob wasn’t in uniform he was wearing a race shirt.

Last week my brother Bob was laid to rest, with full military honors, at Pikes National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He passed away in November from complications of Parkinson’s Disease after a six year illness caused by viral encephalitis.

Bob’s marker in the foreground and Pikes Peak in the background.

The military honors were very moving and emotional and I was teared up all the way through the ceremony. The Navy Honor Guard, the Rifle Team, and the Honor Bell crew performed their jobs perfectly and with great precision. I am sure Bob would be happy with how they did it. The Cemetery workers who were almost all volunteers were very soft spoken and gentle with the families and explained how everything would go. I didn’t take any photos of the ceremony. I wanted to be fully in the moment to honor Bob and show my appreciation for the service members and volunteers in the ceremony and there and taking photos requires stepping back (at least for me it does.)

I talked about a little bit about Bob and recounted a few stories of events in his life. My sister, Ellen, the verbal one in our family gave a heartfelt talk. The VFW Chaplain gave a wonderful message as well.

Brother Bob, Sister Ellen, and me way back when.

And a more recent photo of the three of us. Ellen and her husband live in town so Bob will have family visit him from time to time.

And here is Bob and I on Tulsa’s RiverParks Trails. You knew when he visited there was going to be running going on. We would take off and he’d leave in the dust, he’d run back from time to time to make sure I was okay and then take off out of sight again. He ran over 50 marathons and over a hundred half marathons.

Here is his spot. He’ll have a marker in a few weeks.

He is going to be under the big Colorado Sky and have a great view of Pikes Peak in the distance, and he’ll be in the company of thousands of veterans from all branches of the service. He loved the Navy. He served twenty years as an enlisted man and after he retired, he worked another ten years as civilian employee.

Pike’s Peak National Cemetery puts wreaths on every grave every December. The wreaths are donated and volunteers do the work. It’s one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.

The US Olympic Marathon team trains in Colorado Springs not so far from the cemetery. I know in spirit he’ll be lacing up his shoes to go run with them and trying to talk his fellow vets to go with him. He was a great running ambassador.

Bob joined the Navy and his first assignment was to be on the first crew on the rebuilt USS Missouri Battleship back in the 1980’s. He sailed around the word with her and was with the Missouri the Middle East during the Gulf War. He maintained his running by circling the helicopter deck endless times.

So long Bob, you will always be remembered.

2024 Tulsa Veterans Day Parade

Monday was Veterans Day so I went to downtown Tulsa to see their annual Veterans Day Parade.

The Tulsa Police Department opened it up with their motorcycles and right behind them was a Junior ROTC Marine Color Guard looking sharp in their uniforms.

And then dignitaries in vintage military vehicles.

And then the floats. This one was done by my former employer. ONEOK (pronounced One Oak) always shows up big for the Veterans Day Parade.

And then a bunch of ONEOK employees followed the float. Other companies had floats as well.

And then another JROTC color guard.

The Booker T Washington High School Marching band shows up for the parade looking snappy in the uniforms.

And the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department shows up with one of their armored vehicles.

And if you know tornado belt culture you know that Storm Trackers are celebrities. When they are not working they go to events and will sign autographs for you. Here is Van Castor’s pickup truck. These guys follow the storms and tornadoes as they develop. Here in Oklahoma we don’t run for shelter when the tornadoes come, we run outside to take a look at them.

One veteran didn’t make the parade. Here is my brother Bob.

Twenty years in the Navy and more afterwards as a civilian employee. This is his door wreath put together by our sister Ellen.

He is in assisted living here and living life. Left to right, Irv (Career Army Vet), his wife (and sister to Bob and I) Ellen, son to Heather and I, Logan, and kneeling my wife Heather.

A photo I took of Bob several years ago when he turned 66.

Here he is in Tulsa several years ago. He used to visit and run in our local half marathon. He’s run over a hundred half marathons and over fifty full marathons. He doesn’t run any longer but he gives life everything he has.

I’m linking with My Corner of the World

USS Missouri now at Pearl Harbor, back then in San Francisco

One of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii was Pearl Harbor. The old battleship, the USS Missouri is not berthed there and serves as a floating museum just down the harbor from the USS Arizona memorial. I would have loved to tour the Missouri but we were on a tour and didn’t have enough time. So maybe next time.

Brother Bob – all dressed up and the Mighty Mo’

I had actually been on the deck of the Missouri before. Way back in 1986 when it was recommissioned in San Francisco after being modernized with cruise missiles and other modern armament. You see my brother Bob was on the original crew after the refitting. I got to walk across the teak deck and view the plaque commemorating the exact spot where Japan signed the surrender of World War II. I think Bob served on the ship for three or four years and went around the world several times. I don’t think he was on the ship when it served in the first Gulf War. He was and is proud to have served on such a famous ship.

Sorry for the tilt

So, it was kind of nice to see the ship preserved and not salvaged and used to make Kias and Walmart trinkets. Instead it looks to me that it is guarding the USS Arizona Memorial.