I'll see you again Papa Mickey! Praise God for that Promise!

Just moments ago, my dear wife Katherine informed me that my Grandfather, C.E. Edgerton III, “Papa Mickey” as we so affectionately called him, has gone to be with Our Lord on this 12th Day of May, 2010.
Father mercifully called him home just moments after my sister was able to speak with him about how much he has meant to our family for all of these years. I write without boast or shame that I undoubtedly knew him better than most of our family. While he was not my Grandfather by blood, he was as the law would define it, my step-grandfather, he was never anything else…nor could he have been anything less…than my Grandfather and a true American. He was like most of his Greatest Generation, a proud and patriotic Veteran of The United States Army, a Military Policeman, having served in the Pacific in World War II.
He was, as he should have been, proud of his service and always eager to share in a story of how things were back then. He loved to talk with me about the modern Army of today, with all of our technology and cutting edge equipment. I think he was as fascinated by our machinery as I was about their sheer will and fortitude in WWII. I am so very proud to have followed in the footsteps of so many great men of our family, serving our Nation in peacetime and in war.
How many countless lessons have I learned from Papa Mickey? How many have I forgotten? I think that both are countless. Papa Mickey was a history buff…he was an encyclopedia for military facts and figures. He had a particular fondness for Air Combat…he watched 1000’s upon 1000’s of hours of documentary on fixed wing combat and was a glutton for pictures and books of historical and modern military aircraft.
There were many years that we would only see our grandparents for very short occasions. Papa Mickey and my Grandmother “Mur” as we call her (the name given to her by my cousin DD, the firstborn grandchild of my Saint generation) spent years and years traveling full time when they retired. They owned several RV’s over the years and visited almost every single one of our 50 states…many of their favorites were done on multiple occasions. They travelled to (by Cruise) Europe, Canada, and even as far south as Guatemala. So many of my first visions of other states of our Country were viewed over a Video Cassette made by Papa Mickey. Finally, my Father realizing that we didn’t see them so much because they lived in their RV (that they Christened the “Wild Goose”)…built a parking spot, driveway, and full utility hookup next to our home. That way whenever they wanted to visit, they could “fly” the Goose in and light for a bit next to the house. When they would, I’d spend every afternoon, many days skipping homework and chores, just talking and listening to all of their tales of their travels and their younger years. It was always so captivating. Papa Mickey was a World Class story teller….his deep voice was soothing…the inflection rising and falling in perfection to keep his audience captivated. His sense of humor was legendary…so quick to smile or laugh…and sneak another shot of his cheap, blended, Canadian whiskey into his double insulated cup of ice and water. His surroundings in the Goose were like a command post…everything had its place…it may have appeared disorganized to the lay-person, but everything was within arms reach…or a grabber’s reach. He was never far from a GIGANTIC container of popcorn…and he always had candy for me…especially Werther’s originals as they were my favorite. I always thought it was funny that he had one of those power chairs. He loved those things. He abhorred walking. He honestly felt that if he could do everything from his powerchair, what reason did he have to walk? It was dreadfully bad for him…almost as bad as the copious amounts of salt that he added to his standard meal of meat and potato’s…but he was as stubborn as on old ornery mule…and I loved that about him. I laughed and laughed about how much damage he could do with that power chair. There wasn’t a doorjamb within 100 miles that had been spared a battle scar from an encounter with his chair. He could knock the trim off of a handicap accessible doorway within the blink of an eye…and never even slow down…it was as if he was oblivious to obstacles…and he may just have been…
Then in my Freshman year of High School, actually the summer after my Freshman year, I spent nearly 2 whole months on the road with them. I flew to Colorado Springs to meet them and we travelled all across the Western States of America…from New Mexico to Montana…I had the vacation of a lifetime. I saw so many of the greatest natural wonders that you could imagine. What takes most people a lifetime to accomplish in terms of travel, I did in one summer with my Grandparents. It was the kind of education that you cannot buy, you cannot plan, you cannot script. Because of Papa Mickey and Mur, I have stood at the summit of Seven Falls, I have been to the top of Pike’s Peak, I have hiked in the Garden of the Gods, I’ve ridden a horse around the rim of the Royal Gorge. I have seen the power of the Arkansas river in June. I have marveled at Devil’s Tower, beheld the beauty of Old Faithful, rowed a boat in the pristine waters of Lake McKinley, seen the blanket of stars from the backs of the rolling Black Hills. I have been to Sturgis during the Harley rally, waded in a creek in Yellowstone, and seen a Glacier. It was one of the most amazing summers of my life. And every bit of it was spent with my beloved Grandparents…teaching me and charging me with so much energy and freedom to see and explore the things I wanted to see. I read what must have been almost 50 books that summer….I took hundreds of pictures…and I stored memories that will last me a lifetime and now inspire me to share them with my own little ones. Most importantly, I spent quality time with Grandparents who loved me and shared something so priceless with me, their time, experiences, and Love.
I could so easily write a book on the life of my Grandfather…my Papa Mickey. He was such an amazing man. He was the simplest of folks, not needing much to make him happy. He understood what it was like to be content and at the same time he understood what it was like to have an unquenchable desire for knowledge and travel. That was a balance that few people achieve in life. He simply set one part of his life down for another. He didn’t over analyze the situation…if you’d asked him how he could possible travel fulltime, living on the road and at campgrounds for the better part of two decades…he’d have simply told you (in no less than 1000 words) to unhook the utility connections and crank the motor…it was that simple. I still laugh at the thought of the sheer weight that was hauled around in the belly of that 37 foot long Pace Arrow motor home, powered merely by a Chevy 454 V8….it seems so unlikely that two people could have amassed such an incredible hoard of treasures….but he’d have just told you that the “Wild Goose” was fully equipped.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of my Grandfather…my Papa Mickey. He was such an honorable man…such a great role model…and such a hoot. I am perhaps more saddened by the fact that I am serving in Iraq and will be unable to pay him the respect that his funeral and more importantly his Life, warrant. But I know that as a Combat Veteran…he understands…and beyond that, he was proud of me. I am so grateful for Our Father’s promise. I know that Papa Mickey now resides in Our Father’s House…and that he is there waiting for us. I know that he is with my Son, William…and if I should be so blessed, so honored, and so lucky, maybe my precious baby boy will learn something from him…maybe even more than I did.
Thank you for everything. I Love You Papa Mickey! I hope that I did enough to assure that you knew this.

Your Honored and Loving Grandson,

CPT William W. Saint

Pro Deo et Patria