Uncle Sam didn't have children of his own, so he made up for it by being the most amazing uncle to everyone else's children. Uncle Sam never missed a birthday, a holiday, a soccer game, or a graduation (I don't even know how many of our graduations he watched via online video streams!). He checked the newspaper for the weather in every city he had relatives in. He was the go to confident, and he always kept the secrets.
At dinners, he would try to teach me Japanese - we decorated too many tablecloths with my attempt at hiragana. His favorite ice cream was cookies n cream, but he never told his caretaker Joseph because he always bought the ice cream on sale and Uncle Sam didn't want to make things complicated. He never wanted to be a burden or nuisance, and like his brother Mark, he never wanted any birthday or christmas gifts - he just wanted your company...and maybe some leftovers.
He could talk for hours.
He didnt talk too much about the internment camps, but when he did he always said it was like a summer camp because he was young. He said he and his friends used to throw rocks at the guards in the watch towers, oblivious to the danger. They also used to play the system by going to more than one mess hall if it was spaghetti night.
Uncle Sam had a story for everything...everything from walking the hills at Berkeley to something weird done by the frogs that court and Mel got him. He knew everything about anything, especially about our family.
Uncle Sam, I will miss your history lessons the most.
Love always, your girl.