Red Stahley born 98 years ago.

My father, George “Red” Stahley was born on December 20, 1924. Today marks the anniversary of his birth. He died on November 13th, 1999, a few weeks shy of his 75th birthday. It seems impossible that he’s been gone for over 22 years. In the photo, he is pictured with his granddaughter, Sarah, in 1997.

As I continue to research my father’s WWII service on the PT boats of the US Navy and learn more and more about the fighting spirit of the sailors who chose to be on the front lines in those small, fragile boats, my admiration and respect for the Ukrainian people grows deeper by the day. In their noble fight against a larger, better armed enemy, the men and women of the Ukrainian armed forces continue to hold their own against the Russian invaders who are intent on wiping their nation off the face of the earth.

In the war against Russia, the stakes could not be higher for Ukraine. And the spirit of defiance, bold courage, and undiminished determination demonstrated by the Ukrainian fighters have taught me–in real time–what it must have been like for the PT crews in WWII as they went up against the armed might of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

As I remember my father’s service with reverent gratitude on the anniversary of his birth, I give thanks also to the people of Ukraine who are fighting so bravely for the same things he fought for as a young man in WWII–freedom, democracy, and the precious right to vote in free and fair elections.