I
really don't know how to start this post. I think what I am going to need
to do is start writing and see where this goes.
My grandfather Malcom Allred passed away Thursday April 11 in his home ½
hour after bluey my parents and I left to have diner. I am glad that I was not there to see the
last moments of his life. When we left
he looked like he had moved on in everything expect his heart was still beating
and he was still take in air with his lungs.
He was ready to move on and it seems that he waited till we were ready
to let him move on. When we left I went
in, kissed his forehead and told him “have a good night and we love you grandpa”. That was the last thing I told him and I am
glad that I did. I put as the heading on
this post “A Gentleman among Scholars” because that is what Grandfather Allred
was. Ask anyone who knew him and he was
a true Gentleman. Not the Gentleman’s Gentleman
who is Jeeves. No, grandpa would be able
to teach Jeeves how to be a Gentleman by the way he lived and the way he held
himself at all times. He held a great
respect for females and would always show them kindness. The love that he has for his wife Grandma
Allred is what I am striving to show for my wife. I am still working on it but as I told bluey
last night I want to be known like grandfather was known.
A
little history about him (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hjnews/obituary.aspx?n=elwood-allred&pid=164192898&fhid=4507#fbLoggedOut)
(this is the link to his obituary) that I was able to learn. First the obituary tells about where he was
born so I am going to tell a little about him right before the war and a little
during the War. He was in Burley Idaho
when the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor and Grandfather told me that he really
wanted to help and fight but he was too young at the time. He did not look it but he was too young. While still in high school there were a few
times those he was pulled over by the MP because they thought he was dodging
the draft. He told them that he wanted
to join but was too young at the time.
When he was the right age he was drafted along with several other boys from
his town and they were taken down to Ogden where there was a base there. He was did not want to go to Europe, he was
willing to go anywhere but Europe. Also
at first he wanted to be in the air force and be a pilot but he was too
tall. To be able to fly a plan then and
even now you cannot be over 6 feet tall.
Grandfather was about 6’5” or 6’4” so he could not fly a plane. Well while he was at the base and waiting for
his turn an officer walks into the room where they are and asks for a volunteer
to take a message to someone else on the base.
Grandfather volunteered and he told me that he later learned you don’t volunteer
but this time it worked out for him. The
person he took the message to was the person over the navy at the base. They got talking and grandfather said that he
thought that it would be cool to be in the Navy. The officer said you’re in (this is when
grandpa found out who he was) and asked if grandpa knew of anyone else who
wanted to be in the navy. Grandpa did
know a few others who had come down with him and they all ended up in the navy.
He served
on USS Iowa for most of his time but for a little bit he also served on the
Battleship Thompson patrolling up by Alaska.
When he was not on the Iowa or the Thompson grandfather was in the occupation
forces in Japan. I asked him one time
what he thought of the Japanese people now and also then and he thought about
it for a bit and he told me that he never really hated them. That to me shows the love that he has for everyone. While in Japan he got to walk around Tokyo. Japanese people would come up to them and ask
if they had any food with them. He said
that they would take the sea rations that they got of the ship and take it with
them and give it to people who needed it.
They really were not supposed to do that but they did not worry too much
about it. He has two memories that sand
to in his mind while he was there. One
of them is a time that he wondered into a music hall and the people there were
tuning the grand piano that was in the hall.
When he first told me that the joy he had on his face was one of joy
looking back on it because he was able to find such beauty in a country that
had been destroyed. The other story is
when he was trying to see the emperor’s palace that was behind a wall. He later found out that you are not supposed
to see it but he did not know at the time.
He found some tall buildings (10 stories or so) and went into one of them
and was turned around by two MP who were huge by grandfather’s standers. He then went down the block a little bit and
found another building that would work and when in and got out to the
roof. He was looking over the side to
see if he could see the palace when he heard yelling from the street below. There were some Japanese police officers
pointing up to him trying to get and then then some MP burst out of stair doors
and grabbed him and pulled him away from the side. They thought that he was going to jump and
really did not want that to happen. Grandfather
found out why when he was taken down and outside a car pulls up and General MacArthur
gets out and walks in the building grandfather just left. Well now we know why they did not want a jumper.
I love the stories that grandfather would
tell. With his story telling he lived by
a rule, “If it is worth tell, it is worth making better”. There were a few times while we were visiting
where grandpa would tell a story and afterwards grandma would shake her head
and say that she had not heard that story till half way through and think I was
there I don’t remember it like that. That
is not saying that his stories were made up but they were made better. You will find that in all of the Allred’s who
are part of his family. I love my
grandfather but know that he is in a better place. I will miss him but can look forward to
seeing him again. We love you Grandpa!!!
