A salute to those who kept us safe
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
There was a knock, and my mother squealed with delight. She ran, opened the door, and this tall, uniformed Naval officer, Lt. Cmdr. Carlton H. Doud, swept her up in his arms. He was home. World War II was over.
Joy filled in our little basement apartment in Idaho. I was just a tot, and hardly knew my dad because he had left for war not long after I was born. But even though I was still a young child, I knew a time of great danger was finally over. I knew my dad and our family had sacrificed much, but finally we were safe.
At about the same time in San Diego, another uniformed Naval officer, Cmdr. H. R. Packard, my uncle, rushed into his wife’s arms. His years as a Navy dentist were finally over. He could start the rest of his life. But there was more he had to do. He was called up for the Korean conflict, and spent more time in San Diego, keeping sailors healthy. Only after that war could his life, and his family’s life, go on. They, too, had given much, but they felt safe because of that.
Seven years ago, just west of the China Lake Naval Weapons Station in the Mojave Desert, Lt. Cmdr. Jason Bayer was in his last day of duty as a test pilot at China Lake. He was to be assigned to Lemoore for carrier training. But a contingent of safety specialists was practicing a helicopter rescue, and needed a “victim.” Bayer, ever willing to serve others, volunteered to go.
An hour later, he fell to his death in a craggy canyon of the Sierra Nevada when a helicopter cable snapped. He was a good friend, a good father, a good husband and a great American.
On this Memorial Day weekend, I honor these Naval officers and all service members now departed who kept me and all of us safe. May God forever hold them in the palm of His hand.
