11-11-11 
     Our family has a long proud military history.  Our ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, The Civil War and several of my uncles fought in WW2.  The brothers and brothers-in-law saw action in Korea, Viet nam, Formosa and in peace time.  Nephews too, were - and are - in the service to this Country.  Three of them in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
      This post is about a military member of my family through marriage.  The picture on the left is of my father-in-law, Anthony Mall.
Antonio Mel was born in the Lombardy region of Italy and came to America with his mother, Regina, and three siblings in June of 1892.   His father, Giovani, had arrived in April of the same year.  The family settled in Kansas City, Kansas.  Grampa John was for many years a farmer.  As the children grew they helped too. Very early in the morning,  Tony and his brother took the wagon and team filled with produce they grew, and they had loaded the night before, into the Open Air Market in town.  Restaurant chefs and cooks and housewives, would come buy their product and when they had sold everything, the boys would get back in the wagon and start home.  Just heading the horses in the right direction, Tony and Ladd, would crawl in the back and go to sleep.  The horses knew the way.  
     Mustered into the Army for WW1, he was sent by train to Fort Washington, Maryland - across the river from Mount Vernon -  and then to France.  He was wounded in a battle in the Argonne forest.  He seldom talked about his time overseas  except to say it was a long time ago.  
      When he arrived home, he and his friend, Bill Curran, took a boat, guns and clothing down to southern Missouri and built a cabin on the White River.  They lived off the land for a year and then he came home, he married his sweetheart, had five children and fourteen grandchildren.  He loved his family.  Grampa Tony always had time for any of us.  His family loved him right back - they still do through their memories.  
     He only went to third grade in School but was one of the smartest, wisest men I ever knew.  He loved to read and especially books about the military. One of the things I loved most about Vern is he gave me a chance to know this wonderful man.