Howard Dickson Pendergrass, Sr. My grandpa

6 year Pacific Fleet Boxing Champ aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, prior to Pearl Harbor.

Stationed aboard the U.S.S. Ludlow

The Howard Dickson Pendergrass men, Sr. and Jr.

This picture, and those above, are my Grandfather, Howard Dickson Pendergrass, Sr.  Retired Navy.  The picture of him in the tent, I thought was my Uncle, his son, who served during Vietnam.  So young and they look so much like each other, could not believe it.  So amazing.

Uncle, William Clyde Chambers

Uncle, Phil Wesley Tindle, Jr.

Uncle, Cleo McComas

The man in the dark sailor uniform is my Uncle, William Clyde Chambers, married to my dad’s sister, Betty Jo Tindle.  (Yeah, named after her)

The next young man, with the young lady, is my dad’s brother, Phil Wesley Tindle, Jr.  With the lady he married.  Aunt Ruth.

The last young man is my Uncle Cleo, married to my Aunt “Pete”, I really gotta find out how she got that nickname, her real name is Lucille.  She is my great-aunt, aunt to my mother.

There are lots more that have served in my family, all of these young men are now gone, including my uncle, in the picture up there with my Grandfather, the two Pendergrass men. He died waiting for a heart transplant, of a massive heart attack, in 1990 at the age of 51.  Shoot, they all died of heart attacks.    Didn’t even think of that.

Anyway, have had cousins in the marines, I heard, while I was in the Air Force that I even had a female cousin in the Air Force while I was in the Air Force.  I think she is from Alabama, I don’t know that I ever met her.  That I recall.  We didn’t live there very long, about one year, when I was a kid, before my brother was born.  He was born there, I must have been young because the two of us are 16 months apart.  I was a baby!

I guess we have a long tradition of military members in our family.  On all sides.  As do many others, everywhere.

My hat is off to all in salute.

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