December 12, 2013
December 12, 2013
Friends and family,
When my father, Ralph Campoy passed away he was 91 years old. Many of us have great stories to tell of when and how we know my father. I, myself could go on for hours about what my father taught me and how he impacted my life. But I think I would like to point out how being an airborne paratrooper impacted his life and what he brought to the 101st airborne. This was something that he was very proud to be a part of. It not only gave him a sense of responsibility, it also reinforced a sense of responsibility that already existed within him. He had a lot of challenges that he had to face in his life. One of the early ones was when his father died when my father was only 12 years old. He and his two brothers were faced with finding a means of bringing home an income to support his mother and five sisters during the depression. Because of those circumstances he was able to teach me from firsthand experience the value of work and the importance of facing ones responsibility. He showed me how this is how a person creates his own sense of honor. But like any other person or soldier, he wasn’t flawless. He went to war and he came back with his own demons. When we were younger he never spoke about the war. Instead, he struggled with the terrible memories that come from that experience. You see, my father was two people. From time to time my father could be described as a mean drunk but about thirty years ago he conquered that. One day he walked away from that and he never went back. And for the last thirty years, I am proud to say, that was the man that I knew. He was proud of his grandchildren and loved them and was not embarrassed to say so, not embarrassed to tell them. He was comfortable with showing kindness and friendship and he never shrugged off the responsibility of helping a person who was in need of help. But most of all I think I would like to point out that he taught me that you don’t have to be Abraham Lincoln or Nelson Mandela to have a great impact on the world. But instead, that you did good work, and had a great impact on the few people in your life while you were here. That’s what I will remember about my father.
When my father, Ralph Campoy passed away he was 91 years old. Many of us have great stories to tell of when and how we know my father. I, myself could go on for hours about what my father taught me and how he impacted my life. But I think I would like to point out how being an airborne paratrooper impacted his life and what he brought to the 101st airborne. This was something that he was very proud to be a part of. It not only gave him a sense of responsibility, it also reinforced a sense of responsibility that already existed within him. He had a lot of challenges that he had to face in his life. One of the early ones was when his father died when my father was only 12 years old. He and his two brothers were faced with finding a means of bringing home an income to support his mother and five sisters during the depression. Because of those circumstances he was able to teach me from firsthand experience the value of work and the importance of facing ones responsibility. He showed me how this is how a person creates his own sense of honor. But like any other person or soldier, he wasn’t flawless. He went to war and he came back with his own demons. When we were younger he never spoke about the war. Instead, he struggled with the terrible memories that come from that experience. You see, my father was two people. From time to time my father could be described as a mean drunk but about thirty years ago he conquered that. One day he walked away from that and he never went back. And for the last thirty years, I am proud to say, that was the man that I knew. He was proud of his grandchildren and loved them and was not embarrassed to say so, not embarrassed to tell them. He was comfortable with showing kindness and friendship and he never shrugged off the responsibility of helping a person who was in need of help. But most of all I think I would like to point out that he taught me that you don’t have to be Abraham Lincoln or Nelson Mandela to have a great impact on the world. But instead, that you did good work, and had a great impact on the few people in your life while you were here. That’s what I will remember about my father.