On this Veterans Day, I remember my Dad, Jack Kirnan — not only for his service as a Marine during World War II, but for the extraordinary father he was to me and my siblings.
Looking at this photograph of him as a young Marine in 1945, I think about the challenges of his childhood and the painful experience of living through the Battle of Iwo Jima. I can only imagine the memories he carried home with him and how those experiences helped shape the man he became.
But today, I remember not only this highly decorated Marine who served his country so well, but the father who taught me what it means to live a good and meaningful life.
The Dad who worked the midnight shift while raising five children so my Mom and all of us could have opportunities greater than either of them had known.
The Dad who taught us the respect and manners that came with being a Marine: “Yes sir. Yes ma’am. No sir. No ma’am.”
The Dad who reminded us to do the right thing, even when no one was watching.
The Dad who taught me how to hit a baseball and throw a curveball though truth be told, I became much better known as the greatest bunter in Little League.
The Dad who attended almost every game I played in growing up. Always the quiet one in the stands, but always there with a kind word and encouragement — even when a ground ball went through my legs and we lost a Little League championship, or when my jump shot just wasn’t falling in during my high school basketball years.
The Dad who taught me how to cut the lawn, to cook, and to nurture those juicy tomato plants we always grew in our backyard.
And most of all, the Dad who never, ever judged me. Who loved me, believed in me, and gave me the time and space to discover my own identity and calling in life, especially in the period after his oldest son Dennis passed away unexpectedly at the age of 19.
When I reflect on all that my Dad experienced — from the challenges of his childhood and losing his Mom at the age of 2 and his Dad at the age of 12 — to the horrors of war and Iwo Jima — he was the only survivor in his troop — what stays with me most is that he chose to live his life with kindness, humility, integrity, and unconditional love.
His service to our country was an extraordinary chapter in his life and the values he lived every day became his enduring legacy to our family.
So today, Dad, thank you. Thank you for your service to our country, for your sacrifices, and most of all, for the gift of your unconditional love and for being my Dad and my hero.
And to all the men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform: thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Happy Veterans Day, Dad 🙏 ❤️
#Veterans Day # Semper Fidelis
