MOM'S TURN

First a note:  until we get things straightened out, it may appear as though Jeanne - Mom - Grandma - is posting these.  That is because we have only one Google account.  For the most part, I (Steve - Dad - Grandpa) will be the one posting, so references "Mom" or "Dad" will mean my mom or my dad, on the Lambson side.

Last week was about Dad; today it is my Mom's turn to shine.  In sorting through some documents I came across a letter addressed to Iola Lambson, and it had a return address for Dick Jackman.  I recognized the name as one of my Mom's cousins who appeared occasionally at the annual Jackman Family Reunion, so I started to read.

Apparently he and his family had recently been in a serious accident in late 1964 or early 1965. The letter is postmarked February 2nd, 1965.  I pick up his words there

"Dot and I catch ourselves whispering at night in the front room where her hospital bed is and where I sleep on the couch.  We actually caught ourselves trying to keep quiet so as not to disturb the sleeping Robyn.  Habit is a strange thing---and it is hard to break--hard not to give way to unmanly tears and yet we read in scripture which state that IF we live for it we might raise him to manhood in the next life..."

He mentions the rest of the family: "We took Dot home from Malad (Idaho, to Blackfoot , where they live at this point) a week ago Saturday and Jeff will come home in about a week wearing a body cast until he heals enough for a fitting of that new lower leg."

Then, in different parts of the letter there are references to Mom's prayers:

First paragraph: "Your letter is something I will treasure as long as I live.  The verses and wishes for blessings,the words of comfort were just wonderful & were just what this 'ol pair of eyes needed to see!"

Later, after citing their hopes to raise their deceased son Robyn:"Our Grandma Jackman and Mom both gave me the thought that when we pray we'd better wish for his will to be done.  It is a strengthening to my testimony of this that you should include it and write it in your letter."

Finally, regarding Jeff, the son who apparently lost a leg: "If Jeff wasn't the recipient of a real miracle, I have blind eyes and deaf ears, and my sense of touch is gone---I have seen him change from blue to natural color; from choppy breathing & a fluttering heart to steady health; from fever to normal; from weak to strong!  And I know just as surely as I'm penning this that this was a direct answer to your prayers!"

Whatever her shortcomings were (and aside from a lead foot, I don't know of any) my mother was a ministering angel.  I hope I can follow her example.

Steve Sr. 

I AM BACK

...in more ways than one.  Jeanne and I just returned from 2 years in Arizona to our home in Columbia, Missouri; and I hope to be a good deal more regular in posting here.

Since we returned, most of our time has been spent putting our yard and our household back together. As we were looking through family history boxes deciding what to bring upstairs, i ran across several things that had not caught my attention before.  I will share information from two items, one each of the next two weeks, the first pertaining to my father, Virgil G. Lambson, the second to my mother, Iola Lambson.

For my father, I came across a very official looking document with "Army of the United States" emblazened across the top above the great seal of the United States. The title of the document is "Separation Qualification Record". under the title is a warning: "SAVE THIS FORM. IT WILL NOT BE REPLACED."

It appears to be a list of responsibilities he had while serving in the Army Air Corps for the purpose of certifying to potential employers his skills in these areas.  I was impressed because it gave in one paragraph an amazing array of responsibilities that he rarely talked about:

AIRPLANE ARMORER GUNNER 612   Inspected, repaired and maintained all aircraft armament.  Preflighted all armament equipment on plane before each mission.  Loaded, aimed and fired Cal 50 machine gun if combat occurred during flight.  Operated nose turret while serving tour of combat duty in B-17 aircraft over Germany.  Served with the 381st Bomb Group in England for 5 months.

In addition, on the back side of the document it listed related work he had done as a civilian from May, 1940 to October, 1941;

SHEET METAL WORKER  Worked for the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego Calif. Fabricated, assembled and installed various sheet metal parts including wing and tail assemblies.  Cut metal; shaped it with forming machine.  Punched holes with drills and joined sheet metal parts by means of pneumatic riveting machines.  Worked on B-24s, X31s and XPB-2Y3s and 4s.

A regular Rosie the Riveter!

Some things I never knew about my Dad...and I am prouder than ever.