A few years before my grandfather’s death, I made a list of questions that I wanted to ask him - questions about his youth, his family, how he lived, his early career and marriage, and his experiences in World War II. On a visit one Christmas, I recorded hours of him talking about these things as I asked him questions. I loved listening to his stories particularly the ones that made him laugh.

Recently, when my parents were in town, we listened to one of the tapes I had made many years ago. We listened as grandpa Richardson talked about his experiences as a Navy chaplain. While there were many aspects of being a chaplain that he found interesting, there were mundane tasks as well. To liven up his day, he would sometimes go out on the PT boats near where he was stationed. One day, he was listening to a young sailor who had come to see him. The sailor lamented about how much he missed his girl back home. He went on and on as my grandfather checked his watch hoping the young man would finish before the boat left to search for enemy destroyers. As soon as the young sailor left, my grandfather ran down to the dock and watched as the PT boat left the dock. He had missed it by just a few moments. That boat never returned. He later learned that it hit a mine and all on board were killed.

I can’t imagine how my life would have been if my grandfather had been on that boat. I spent a lot of time with him growing up and he influenced me in many positive ways. Grandpa was a great joke and story teller and someone who loved his family dearly. He was one of the most amazing, humble, kind, and loving men I have ever known.

Today, I am particularly grateful for the many people who, like my grandfather, served or are serving our country. It’s always sad to hear the news of a soldier who sacrificed his life in defending freedom. So many will never make it to 90 years as my grandfather almost did. Thankfully, I have stories that I can listen to and pass on to future generations in my family. That’s what today is about … remembering and being grateful to people like my grandpa who made life for others better because they served.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go towww.TimRichardson.com