Paul Vess

I’d like to tell you about my dad, Paul. A living legend is not a title he’d ever think to give himself, but I think that is part of what makes him one. He is humble and quiet and gentle most of the time, yet he’s strong and fierce when he needs to be. He served his country proudly, although he is a true pacifist at heart. After he retired from the army, he began volunteering at a local veterans’ hospital. As he got to know people and hear their stories, he began to write them down—with permission of course. He has boxes and boxes of notebooks that contain the lives of many brave men and women who sacrificed so much for our freedom. He even wrote a book about his experiences, but he was too humble to try to get it published. My dad is in his 90s now, and he still talks of the people he met, some who became close friends of his and of our family. My dad never turned anyone away. It didn’t matter what they needed, my dad would find a way to help. If you ask me, that is a true hero.