Happy Veteran's Day

In honor of Veteran's Day, I'd like to make this post about my dad. My father was born November 21,1923. He was the youngest of 5. And he only went to school until the 3rd grade because they were so poor he couldn't afford to go. He grew up in West Virgina and moved to Baltimore in his 20's for work. Here he taught himself to read and write. My dad learned as much as he could by reading anything and everything. He started to work at Bethlehem Steel building ships, where later he worked his way up to be a supervisor until he retired when I was born.

During WWII he met a woman who he planned to marry, at that time he was drafted into the war and sent over seas. Only to return to find out she was pregnant with his son but already married to another man. Just like a movie right? I know. Although he stayed in contact with them, he respected her wishes and didn't tell him that he was his father. A few years later my dad met his first wife and together they had my brother, Ivan Jr.

Eventually they ended in divorce and he met my mom. My mom was quite a bit younger....30 yrs to be exact. They were married in 1980 and are still happily married to this day. Eventually my eldest brother did find out that my father was also his father but died a few years after in an accident.

My dad is getting ready to celebrate his 87th birthday and he is my hero. When you're a small child you always think your parents know everything, and then as a teen you think they know nothing. And now as an adult I am always calling him for advice or to ask him about this or that. My dad with no formal education is the smartest man I know. And I am really lucky to call him daddy!