A Summer with Papa(Jerry Poli) A SUMMER HANGING WITH GRANDPA
By Jerry J. Poli

It was a perfect spring day in New Hampshire, there was a slight breeze blowing off of Hampton Bay. The Pelicans were sitting on the pier posts, and we were playing on the beach, building Sand Castles and collecting Sea Shells that were scattered along the sandy beach front.

Grandpa was sipping his coffee as he watched his grandchildren frolic in the heavenly surroundings that they had grown accustomed to. My dad Jeffery has been deployed to Viet Nam. He was in the United States Air Force, rank of Lieutenant Colonel. My mom Angela, along with us four kids, was asked to move in with my grandparents until by dad returned home to the States. Grandpa had been retired from the Military going on ten years. He and my grandmother always loved the Hampton Bay area, and so after he retired with twenty five years in the Military, they decided to move to this location. He told us they always loved this area, ever since he was stationed here years ago.

I remember running up to the porch were grandpa was sitting on his rocker. I asked him, “Papa, can we go down to the pier and go fishing?”

“We sure can, let me go to the shed and get a couple of fishing poles.”

“Cool, I love to go fishing with my dad, but he’s in Viet Nam.”

“Jeffery if ever there is something you want to do, all you have to do is ask Papa, Papa would love to do things with his favorite grandson. Sometimes Papa gets bored just sitting around. What about your sisters? Would they like to go fishing with us?”

“Nah Papa, they like girly stuff.”

Down at the Pier, Papa told me, “Jeffery let me show you the correct way to use a clamworm as bait.” Papa reached into the bucket and grabbed a clamworm. “You want to hook him here through his head, this way when you cast your line the clamworm stays on the hook.”

I reached into the bucket and pulled out a clamworm, "is this the right way Papa?”

Papa smiled a patted me on my shoulder. “It certainly is. I can see you’re going to make great fishermen when you get older.”

A big smile came to my face, I was so proud that grandpa had complimented me. "I like fishing with you Papa, this is fun," I told him.

“When your dad was around your age we used to go fishing all the time.”

“Was my dad a good fisherman like me?”

“He sure was, he's pretty good as an adult fishermen also.”

“Yah, I wish my dad was here fishing with us.”

“Your dad will be home by next summer.”

“My friends all say that Viet Nam is a very dangerous place to be at.”

“Sure it’s dangerous, but your father knows what he is doing. Come on, let's have some fun and catch a big fish for dinner tonight.”

“Papa and I had been fishing for a little less that an hour, when all of a sudden there was this big tug on my line.”

“Papa, Papa, I got something? I don’t know if I can bring it in, it’s real strong.”

“Let the fish take the drag, then start reeling it in, when you can’t reel it again, let it take more drag from the line.”

Jeffery followed Papa's directions and reeled an Atlantic Cod that weighed around twelve pounds. After fighting the Atlantic Cod for over ten minutes, I felt totally exhausted, my arms felt like they were in a bucket of cement, but I was so excited and so proud of myself, just because grandpa had showed me how to do it.

Back at the house, Papa asked me to pay attention and watch him fillet the fish, because one day I may have to do it by myself. Grandma cooked the fish that I caught. During dinner and even later that evening I couldn’t stop talking about my adventure with Grandpa.

Grandpa said, "Jeffery, how about tomorrow we'll go back to the pier, maybe we can catch another big fish?" I was so excited I couldn’t sleep all night. That was the best year of my life hanging around with Papa.

It was Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2005; Major Jeffery McDonald Jr. placed a floral wreath against the headstone of his Grandfather, retired Colonel Thomas McDonald at the New Hampshire Veteran’s Cemetery. He turned to his son, standing next to his Grandfather Jeffery McDonald Sr.
“I wish you would have known your Great Grandfather, he was a remarkable man. That year until my dad returned home from the War in Viet Nam, it was one of the happiest times of my life hanging with Papa. Those memories are etched in my mind forever."

Second Lieutenant Jeffery McDonald III replied; “It must run in our genes dad, I couldn’t ask for a better Father and Grandfather like you two.”

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