Credits:
Memorial Day kit by Kuper Doodles
Journal:
Papa Jett was my husband’s grandfather. I never had the priviledge of meeting him, because he passed away before Ryland and I met. The stories that I have been told about him make me feel like I knew him, and knew him well. He served his country for years in the US Navy. He survived the attack on Pearl Harbor while serving on the USS Zane. His ship fired on, and is believed to have sunk, one of the small single-man submarines piloted by the Japanese that invaded the Harbor that day. Papa was an electrician on the ship, and he worked in the same capacity on submarines during the remainder of WWII. His sacrifice of service to our country included being injured during an accident on board one of the subs (USS Garr). He also was accidentally over radiated by the US Military physicians while being treated for a medical condition. These two incidents would impact him for the remainder of his life. While serving, he was married and celebrated the birth of two of his daughters. After leaving the military, he had an additional daughter for a total of three, and then a son. He was blessed with seven grandchildren, and there are now five great-grandchildren with a sixth on the way. He worked as a civil servant at a naval radar station just outside of Quantico, Virginia (in Manassas). At some point, he attended school and obtained a degree in business administration and accounting. Eventually, he worked at a very popular local department store called Miller & Rhoades. He was in charge of shipping and receiving. He held various other jobs over his lifetime, too. He enjoyed a good cigar and a glass of bourbon. He used to fuss at Ryland for taking long routes to their destinations ... something we share in common, because I fuss about the same thing. Ryland tends to spend a dollar in gas to avoid a fifty cent toll (Papa is probably rolling his eyes in Heaven as I type this). Papa gardened, tinkered around the house, and did his level best to make my husband and his cousin John behave themselves. His family was so important to him. When I listen to my husband and his family tell stories about Papa ... I know in my heart he isn’t just Ryland’s hero ... he is ...
Our Hero
There are so many things to share about Papa. Too much to fit on one page! I fell in love with this photo of Papa in particular. I used to think that I was attracted to it simply because he was a handsome man in a uniform (what girl doesn’t just melt over that anyway!). But, as I began to blend the photo into the background paper, I was struck by the resemblance to my husband. Especially as I began to blend the cheeks of his face ... I recognized the curve of that face and the handsome chin, because I hold it in my hands when I kiss my hubby. I’m sure the resemblance is what adds to the odd feeling that I somehow knew the man ... proof that when your life touches another, you live on in their hearts forever. Papa & Nanny Jett are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.