Day 199 - Nov. 11
Listening to: Hero
Thought for the day: Freedom is never free.

One of my favorite veterans.........

This is Red Dean with his new bride in 1949. I love this photo because there is no hint of the unimaginable cruelty Red had suffered just five years earlier. Red is a WWII Prisoner of War and Purple Heart recipient.

Red was captured on Christmas Eve in 1944 and spent six months in a German POW camp. His imprisonment began with a 4-day march without food. He and his fellow prisoners were beaten, slept on a dirt floor, witnessed the shootings of other prisoners , and were basically starved. ''Each day, we would have one raw turnip. Twice a week, we would have a piece of black bread that we found out later was made of sawdust. But we ate it. And twice a week, we had a cup of potato-peeling soup,” Red told a Tennessean reporter in 2008.

My favorite thing about Red? He has not wasted one second of his life since his release in 1945. He married, had a family, graduated from college and worked as a civilian until he retired. At 90, he continues to serve his church, volunteer tirelessly, and he never misses an opportunity to honor his country. Red exemplifies all that is good about this country.

A fun fact about Red..............
He is believed to be the oldest living Vanderbilt fan. He has been attending football, basketball, and baseball games since the 1960. Here is an article about Red's claim to Vandy fan fame.... http://www.dupontalumni.org/articles/article89.htm