Page 88 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2025 - Online Magazine
P. 88
by Tammie Ware
ighteen years ago, my life Above that list,
changed in a way I didn’t someone had written
Eexpect—not just because I what may have been
lost my beloved uncle to cancer, but their unit: 70th TK,
because of what he left behind. possibly short for
“Tank.” Underneath
As I began the emotional task of that, the word "Best."
going through his home, I was These few words
surrounded by the life he had built painted a vivid picture
over the decades. My uncle was a of young men traveling
man with a deep appreciation for the across continents in
past. He had a particular passion for the throes of war,
estate sales, garage sales, and flea dreaming of one final
markets—always searching for that destination—home.
one item with a story to tell. From
vintage radios to antique books, he From the very
had a knack for finding pieces of beginning, I knew this never fails to spark conversation and
history that others might overlook. flag wasn’t just another war relic. It curiosity. Still, I’ve always hoped for
was a message. A time capsule. A
But one item stood out above all the testament to camaraderie, bravery, something more—for answers, for a
others. and relief at a war’s end. These connection, for a way to trace it back
to the men who signed their names.
Tucked carefully away in a small men had survived. They had stood
cedar box, wrapped in plastic, together in foreign lands, fought Over the years, I’ve posted pictures
was a flag—unlike anything I’d side by side, and lived to sign their on Facebook and shared the story
seen before. I unwrapped it with names on a symbol of their victory. on social media in hopes someone
reverence, sensing its weight not To some, it might seem odd to would recognize a name or a unit. So
just in cloth, but in meaning. It treasure a Nazi flag, but to me, far, no leads have come through. But
was unmistakably a Nazi flag from its power lies not in what it once I remain hopeful.
World War II, but what made it represented, but in what these That’s why I’m turning to Senior Link
extraordinary were the signatures American soldiers turned it into. and the Veterans edition, hopeful
covering it. Dozens of names, They didn’t sign it to honor what it that someone in our community
handwritten in permanent ink, was—they signed it to mark what might hold a missing piece of
adorned the red fabric. Next to each they had done. They had taken this puzzle. Maybe you recognize
name, a hometown: Wichita Falls, down tyranny. They had claimed a name. Maybe your father,
Texas. Gary, Indiana. Knoxville, their victory. They had made a grandfather, or uncle served in the
Tennessee. Magdalena, New Mexico. declaration: We are going home. 70th Tank Battalion, or a similar
And at one end, scrawled in bold For nearly two decades, I’ve kept unit. Maybe you’ve seen a similar
letters, were the words: this flag safe. It remains one of my flag. Maybe you have a story that
"England, Scotland, Ireland, France, most treasured possessions. I’ve connects to this one.
Belgium, Germany... displayed it on special occasions, Here are just a few of the names
LAST...U.S. – AH! HERE I COME!" including at our Veteran’s Breakfast signed on the flag:
events at Bridge Hospice, where it
88 Lubbock Senior Link
