United in our Grief Forum.

My father led a tragic life before he met my mother. His mother died in his arms at the age of nine, his father gave him and his two siblings up for adoption at the age of ten, his siblings were adopted into well to do families a year later but he was left behind as he was seen as 'too old'. He left the orphanage at the age of eighteen to join the Dutch Army. After his tour, he moved to the United states and later joined the American Army. Family became everything to him as he essentially lost his own to unfortunate events. He and my mother raised my three siblings and I the best they could, showing us the value of family and the strength it brings. I miss his warm smile, his hearty laughter, and his seemingly endless talents of which he passed down to us.