As a small girl, one of my joys was going to my paternal grandmother’s for adventures in the city of Washington followed by reading in her apartment until bedtime. One of the places that we often ate while out, was a now long-gone place near the White House called the Allied Inn. This was a favorite of hers since she had served in the Red Cross in World War I. I was too young to understand the historical implications of who those allies were, but I loved the colorful flags of all the countries that circled the room high above our heads. I also liked the fact that the lunch was cafeteria style, so I could pick exactly what I wanted to eat. My grandmother always allowed herself a slice of French apple pie for dessert, and I was allowed to have lemonade with lunch.
As I matured the meaning of the word ‘ally’ grew. First I learned that we all have important allies in our lives, from family members to friends to people with whom we work. We look to them for help, support, encouragement and mutual trust. But following that understanding, I realized that we also have allies that are beyond our borders. This realization may have come because I have so many family members who have served overseas in the various conflicts in which our country has been engaged. In addition to the grandmother mentioned above, I had two grandfathers who served in World War I, a father, grandfather and father-in-law who served during World War II, a grandfather and father-in-law who served in Korea, and a husband who served in Vietnam. In all of those wars our nation had friends upon whom we depended for support on the field of battle and who, by-and-large, remained our allies when the conflicts were ended. We even made allies of our two enemies in World War II.
One thing I have learned in over three quarters of a century of living, is that you do not want to squander any allies you may have either personally, at home, or abroad. The bonds that run deep, can also be broken by neglect or lack of respect. This came to mind when I recently received an email from an attaché in the South Korean Consulate General’s office in Los Angeles. She had read my book on my grandfather, For Country and Corps, (found elsewhere in this blog. The illustration for this blog is one she sent me.) She wrote, “As you see, this year we commemorate 70th year of Outbreak of the Korean War. I am glad to be able to getting to know more of General Smith. His selfless sacrifice not only saved the servicemen in Changin Reservoir, but my country from communists. As a token of respect and appreciation to your late grandfather, I was able to visit his grave in the Golden Gate National Cemetery. There are hundreds and thousands people in the States who were backbone of my country's freedom and development. General Smith is one of them. On behalf of Korean people, I thank him for his dedication. Thank you.”
This is truly an ally we do not want to waste --- one who can still say thank you after seventy years have passed. We should treasure this, and work to retain this alliance as well as others around the world with whom we have shared trials, hardships and goals.