Posted by Carol Anne (Puckett) Mann on May 30, 2011:

My dad was born in Dallas, Texas on November 11, 1920 and I was born on his birthday 31 years later, what a birthday present, another girl! From my earliest memories of my dad he was an adventurer. He loved to travel and he took our family on several road trips across the country. My two older sisters, myself and baby brother were all in the back seat as we drove for hours to the next destination. I am sure we were a handful getting impatient for the next stop since there was no air conditioning in cars at that time. He took us to see Carlsbad Caverns, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon. He liked to try different kinds of food and he enjoyed cooking for his family. He enjoyed dancing and was good at the Tango and Foxtrot! He had a great sense of humor and made us laugh. He loved all kinds of music especially classical and opera. He liked to garden and grew coconut palms from coconuts and planted them in my yard, he had a green thumb I didn't know about. He liked fixing things and was good at electrical and building things. He was an animal lover and enjoyed taking his dog Missy for daily walks. He enjoyed deep sea fishing and had a large collection of deep sea fishing poles. He enjoyed taking his kids and grand kids fishing. He was really good at the computer even into his 80's and was able to use it even though he was legally blind. He was quite amazing. He was very smart and spoke several languages. He was in the June 1943 West Point graduating class. He wanted to go into the Tank Division but for some reason he ended up in the Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Purple Heart in WWII. He was a WWII hero. He is featured in the book "The Sky Men" by Kirk B. Ross, the story of F Company of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 17th US Airborne Division which became the 101st Airborne Division., this group of volunteers were a new elite Corps of Airborne that went into the war in the midst of the hardest European winter in forty years. This book details the heroic effort of our servicemen including photos and stories about my dad during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. This book is a tribute to all who served during this invasion. My dad passed away on November 17, 2011 at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife, ex-wife, 3 daughters, 1 son, 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. I love and miss you dad and your weekly calls and emails. Your daughter, Carol

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