Happy SumMEr Solstice & Happy 92nd LIFe Affirmation Day To THE Immortal Arthur 'Soldier Boy Grip' Taylor!!!
JUNe 20th Was Not Only THE Longest Day Of THE Year But Also Marked THE 92Nd LIFe Affirmation Day Observation Of My Late Maternal GrandfaTHEr, Arthur ‘Soldier Boy Grip’ Taylor….My GrandfaTHEr Was THE BEst Black Man That I Have Ever Known & THE GREatest Man I Have Ever MEt…Although HE Has BEen Gone For 11 Years His SpirIT Keeps MarchIN On IN My Heart & MEmory…My GrandfaTHEr Was Generous To A Fault, Loyal To THE Bone, & A True SouTHErn Gentleman…For A Man WITh Just A High School Education HE Was Very WEll REad: HE Was WEll Familiar WITh THE Works Of Richard Wright & Langston Hughes As HE Was WITh THE Sports Section…
DurINg WW 2 My GrandfaTHEr Was A MEmBEr Of THE Legendary REd Ball ExpREss, A UNIT Of Mostly African AMErican Army Truck Drivers Who DeliveREd Supplies INcludINg Food, Oil & AmmUNITion While DodgINg Sniper Bullets And Enemy Bombs To THE Rapidly AdvancINg Allied Forces IN Europe Post D Day Led By General Patton & THE 3rd Army…My GrandfaTHEr Fought IN THE Battle Of THE Bulge...
HE Was Also A GIFted Baseball Player Who Was Scouted By THE Negro Leagues’ Kansas CITy Monarchs (A Major League Baseball Player, E.B. BlackWEll,Was So ImpREssed WITh My GandfaTHEr’s Skills That HE Told Him HE Should Play On THE Brooklyn Dodgers Alongside Jackie RobINson)…UNfortUNately, HE Was Seriously INjuREd IN THE War & Was Not Able To Pursue His DREam Of PlayIN Baseball (HE Contracted TB Of THE SpINe, Had Several BraIN Surgeries & Had To Spend A Year ConvalescINg IN A Full Body Cast)…
Although My GrandfaTHEr Was ‘100% Disabled’ From WW2, HE Did Not Start REceivIN His BEnefITs UNtil 1955, SoME 10 Yrs After THE End Of THE War…My GrandfaTHEr Felt That THE War RobBEd Him Of His Youth & DREams…NeverTHEless, HE BEcaME A Devoted & LovINg Family Man, RaisIN 6 ChildREn INcludINg My Mom WITh My BE-YOU-TOO-FULL GrandmoTHEr, Hattie Mae Taylor…My GrandfaTHEr Was Also A CertIFied Tailor & Only IN HINdsight Do I Now REalize How UNusual IT Was That HE Was So Exceptional @ SewINg & StITchINg… HE Was A Real REnaissance Man…
And BEst BElieve That My GrandfaTHEr SuffeREd Trauma Not Only From WW2 But THE Bigger War Of WhITe SupREmacy/Racism…My GrandfaTHEr Was IN Constant Physical PaIN For All THE Days Of His Adult LIFe Post War But Did Not Take THE REquiREd Daily MEdication On A REgular Basis…WHEn HE Lost A LUNg To Cancer HE Kept On SmokIN His FavorITe Cigars For 30 Plus MOOR Years…HE Was As Tough & Durable As THEy CoME…
As A Black Man From Mississippi HE Had Demons HE Had To Deal WITh But NeverTHEless HE Made His PoWErful Contribution & Pay IT Forward…OTHErwise I Wouldn’t BE HERE…My GrandfaTHEr Was Truly BEyond Category…WE LOVE YOU MADLY SOLDIER BOY GRIP!!! #R2c2h2Says
You Can Check Out My Comic Blog I CREated IN His Honor IF You Want MOOR Stories & INsight…
Arthur ‘Soldier Boy Grip’ Taylor Chronicles
http://www.soldierboygrip.blogspot.com
