It’s the week of the Fourth of July and my thoughts turn toward our veterans and active duty military. I am so appreciative to what they do and what they have done for our country. It’s always a tradition at Kingwood Church to honor them on the Sunday before Independence Day. It brings tears to my eyes every time. And I can’t help but think of my father, Coolidge Sims. He was a veteran of World War 2, and my personal war hero. But “hero” is not how he described himself. The following is a conversation I had with my dad in 2012, not long before he made his journey to heaven. It is an excerpt from a book I am presently writing about his life.
I had joined him for supper one evening in the dining hall of the assisted living center, and randomly we were talking about the fear of death. He recounted a wartime story that I had never heard before.
“When you were young, Dad, do you remember a time when you thought you might die? I asked candidly.
