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In observance of Memorial Day this year, I thought I would share this personal writing with my friends who read my Catholic Finish Strong blog and the 24HourCampfire.
This story is absolutely true and I tried my level best to relate the experience precisely as it unfolded in my life.
As a note: The First Lieutenant’s family still lives in the Milwaukie, Oregon area, so I X’ed out his name to protect the family’s privacy.
Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day and God Bless,
Steve
TO A SATISFACTORY SON
One day, in the 1980s, a young man walked into our jewelry store. He handed me a pocket watch and a ring and said that he wanted to sell the pair for scrap gold.
I looked at the items and was surprised. The ring was marked "United States Military Academy" with the date 1916 and it was gorgeous. If memory serves, the ring was fourteen-karat yellow gold and the inside of the shank was engraved with the graduating cadet's name.
The watch really set me back on my heels. It was a twelve-size Howard, which was arguably the finest pocket watch ever made in America. The case was eighteen-karat yellow gold, hunter style with the crystal cover and in perfect shape.
On the back of the watch was engraved:
To First Lieutenant Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx,
Upon Graduation from the
United States Military Academy
Class of 1916
To A Satisfactory Son
I had to read the last line again … "To A Satisfactory Son."
Later, I came to understand that the cadet’s Mom & Dad were so incredibly proud of their son that they could not describe their feeling with mere words.
After all, this wonderful young man had excelled to a degree that was well beyond what any reasonable parents could ever expect. And he’d worked for four long years at West Point, scoring high enough in his class to be commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Army.
Sometimes words fail.
I suspected that the long-haired youth who was trying to sell me the watch and the ring had stolen them. His story was that he'd inherited them from his grandfather, who was a local medical doctor. Anyway, the stuff didn't mean squat to him and he just wanted to sell it. He told me that it would be fine to call his mom, just in case I suspected the items were stolen.
His mother happened to be a good customer of ours, so the call was friendly. She told me that her son had inherited the ring and the watch from her father, the doctor. Further, that nobody in the family particularly wanted them, so it was fine with her if the kid sold them.
She went on to tell me that the ring and the watch had been given to her father’s cousin by his loving parents. She was aware of the fact that the cousin had graduated from West Point and he’d left a lot of personal effects, including the ring and the watch, with his parents when he shipped out to fight in World War One.
And he was KIA ... killed in action.
Tears welled up; Steve kills big furry critters, but part of him is a big old softy.
To make a long story mercifully short, I paid the kid about three times gold scrap value for the ring and $200 for the watch.
I kept the watch and the ring for a couple of years. It seemed inconceivable to me that anyone could sell such a family treasure. I vowed that if any of the family came into our store, wanting to buy back the watch and the ring, I would simply sell them back to the family member for what the articles cost me.
Nobody ever came.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed the pieces of history. Every time I popped open the hunter case and looked at the Howard's enamel dial, it was like I stepped back seventy years in time. And, in looking at the engraving, especially the "To A Satisfactory Son;" well, to me the words always related a special love between parents and an exceptional young man.
On a sad note, every time I read those words, I secretly wished that my own father had considered me a satisfactory son … but this was never to be.
A Permanent Home for the Ring and the Watch
I guess I always knew that it would be my responsibility to find the proper home for the watch and the ring. Eventually, I called the US Military Academy and asked to talk to someone in their museum. A very nice young man answered and he was thrilled when I told him about the Howard watch and the USMA ring.
When I offered them to him, he guardedly asked "How much?"
I said, "It would be my total privilege to donate the ring and the watch to the USMA Museum. This young man, this ‘Satisfactory Son' gave his life for our freedom. How could ANYONE sell these wonderful pieces of history?"
At that, the young man was silent. He did not speak. The phone was silent for a couple of minutes. I was beginning to think that he just thought I was a crank and put me on hold.
Finally, he came back and said, "How can we possibly thank you? This is literally beyond anything I've experienced here."
I told him that no thanks were needed; I just needed a proper address and I'd drop the watch and the ring in the mail.
He gave me the address and asked me to send them in care of him, so he could truly appreciate the additions to the USMA Museum. I mailed the package to him that afternoon.
About a month later, I received a really nice “thank you letter” from the Head Curator of the USMA Museum. They loved the items and would put them in a proper display of WWI items.
Also enclosed was a long letter of thanks from the young man on the phone. In the letter, he told me that he was an upper classman and that he would be graduating from West Point in a few months.
The cadet told me that his father had been killed-in-action in Viet Nam and it was by his father’s sacrifice that he had been allowed into the United States Military Academy. He wrote that, without pride, he was in the top ten-percent of his class ... and he prayed to God that HIS father considered HIM to be a "Satisfactory Son."
I wrote back: “There is no doubt in my mind that your father, that martyr for our American freedom, is in Heaven and looking down upon you right now … And he absolutely considers you to be A Satisfactory Son.”
A Reflection on Stewardship
In looking back over the three decades since I bought the United States Military Academy ring and the Howard watch, I’ve never regretted the donation to the USMA Museum. In my mind, they were never truly mine to own. Indeed, there was never any other choice BUT to donate those incredible pieces of history and of sacrifice.
If I had kept the items, only I would have enjoyed them. And if I’d sold the pieces, the buyer alone would have gotten pleasure from the ring and the watch and I’d have eventually spent the money on something considerably less meaningful.
As I saw it, the only right choice was to donate the ring and the watch to a facility where they would be enjoyed by the public for all perpetuity. Eventually, I decided that the perfect place for the items was the United States Military Academy Museum.
I always intended to visit the USMA Museum, just to see the First Lieutenant’s ring and watch permanently and properly enshrined. Reality seldom equals our dreams, however, so maybe it’s just as well that I never made the effort to travel there.
After three decades, I really don’t know why I even bother to think about the watch and the ring. After all, I never really owned them. Indeed, we really never “own“ anything … we are only stewards of the physical things that we acquire.
We are made richer only when we see that physical things that are temporarily in our possession are properly used and then passed on for others to enjoy.
A Closing Thought
I believe that there are no coincidences; that there are no accidents, and that our existence on earth is not guided by mere chance. We are not pawns, set adrift in a life of randomness.
Further, I believe that God carefully weaves situations, opportunities and problems into our lives. He does this because He wants us to learn patience, tolerance and love; He wants us to become better people.
The real meaning of life is the love we share, the love that we selflessly give and the lives we touch in a positive way. That is the only heritage we truly leave behind.
Nothing else is important.
May God Bless All of You,
by Steve
"God Loves Each Of Us As If There Were Only One Of Us"
Saint Augustine of Hippo - AD 397
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A great story worth repeating.
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Once again, I thank you for posting this. Wonderful read.
BTW, how is your lovely bride doing?
I've always been a curmudgeon - now I'm an old curmudgeon.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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] Once again, I thank you for posting this. Wonderful read.
BTW, how is your lovely bride doing? Dear Friend Mark, Karen is doing really, really well. Amazingly, actually. Me? Maybe not so much. Sucks, but that's the truth. I reposted To A Satisfactory Son on the CFS website and it's currently going viral. More "hits" and "likes" than I ever imagined possible ... So, I thought I'd try it on the 24HCF. Hopefully, the guys will like it; or maybe not. Got an offer for a book on my recent CFS blog post on The Didache, but I suspect I've not enough life-energy left to finish it, so I'll most likely decline. God Bless YOU, my good friend, Steve
"God Loves Each Of Us As If There Were Only One Of Us"
Saint Augustine of Hippo - AD 397
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Love that story.... Really glad to hear Karen is doing better. Now we just need to get you fixed up. Oh, by the way Steve, if a guy of your character doesn't meet the qualifications of a "Satisfactory Son," none of the rest of us stand a chance.  Thanks for letting those items go to where others can see them.
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The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.
- Michael Friedman
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Member: Clan of the Turdlike People.
Courage is Fear that has said its Prayers
�If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.� Ronald Reagan.
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I've had this story on my mind, lately. My son just graduated HS and will be going off to Parris Island in July.
He'll be getting something with "TO A SATISFACTORY SON", on it.
I'm leaning toward a Randall, but haven't set my mind on the proper model.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them."
-Master Chief Hershel Davis
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Well, if that does not break your heart, you probably don't have one.
Thanks for posting this Steve.
(another)Steve
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Steve, my friend,thank you for posting your story. Pretty profound thoughts within it.
Glad to hear your wife is doing much better, good news indeed.
Pat
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Thanks for sharing this again. It is a wonderful story.
The Karma bus always has an empty seat when it comes around.- High Brass
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
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Friends, I'm delighted that you enjoyed the piece.
I posted it last year, but did a lot of polishing and pruning a few weeks ago and thought it was worth posting again. Doing the rewrite was hard ... extreme allergy time and my face kept leaking.
Blessings to all of you,
Steve
"God Loves Each Of Us As If There Were Only One Of Us"
Saint Augustine of Hippo - AD 397
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Steve,
Thank you for that story, and thank you even more for being the kind of man who would do such a thing.
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
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I've had this story on my mind, lately. My son just graduated HS and will be going off to Parris Island in July.
He'll be getting something with "TO A SATISFACTORY SON", on it.
I'm leaning toward a Randall, but haven't set my mind on the proper model. I met you and your son. Both of you deserve that something already. Tell Tide Jr that I wish I could do it all over again. God Bless the Republic.
Me solum relinquatis
Molon Labe
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I've had this story on my mind, lately. My son just graduated HS and will be going off to Parris Island in July.
He'll be getting something with "TO A SATISFACTORY SON", on it.
I'm leaning toward a Randall, but haven't set my mind on the proper model. I met you and your son. Both of you deserve that something already. Tell Tide Jr that I wish I could do it all over again.
God Bless the Republic. Don't we all. Yes, this is a great story. My son wanted to join the Army and fly helicopters but life got in the way and he is very successful at another career. He has grown into "a satisfactory son" even though I had some doubts when he was young. kwg
For liberals and anarchists, power and control is opium, selling envy is the fastest and easiest way to get it. TRR. American conservative. Never trust a white liberal. Malcom X Current NRA member.
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WOW!! That is a wonderful story!! Thanks for sharing.
The foundation for old age is good memories.
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Steve,
Thank you for that story, and thank you even more for being the kind of man who would do such a thing. My friend, it took me a couple of years to figure out the right thing to do. During those years, I often wore a vest to work. Ours was a fine jewelry store, Rolex agency, lots of 18karat gold jewelry I made by hand and all that ... so a vest was right in line. The Howard watch came with an 18karat vest chain and a gold USMA fob that would choke a horse. Anyway, at least once a week, I'd get all duded up; vest, 18k Howared watch and all and I thought it looked pretty spiffy. And, yes, I would wear the USMA class ring. But, after those years, I came to realize that I was wearing things that belonged to a dead soldier. I alone was enjoying the items and that was not right. If I'd have sold the items, I'd have pocketed a tidy profit (Howard was probably the finest timepiece ever made in the USA). I'd have spent the money and had no particular good feelings from the sale. Also, if I sold it to an individual, only HE would be enjoying it. So, I made the decision to donate the Howard watch, incredible chain & fob and the USMA class ring to the USMA Museum. That way, the pieces would be enjoyed by many thousands of folks and for generations to come. It was the right thing to do and I've always had a warm-fuzzy feeling for having donated the pieces. There's more to the story ... the fate of the cadet who was working in the Museum. It hurts me to tell the story, so I will not. We became kinda long distance friends and let's just say that he joined his Daddy; his father who was KIA in Viet Nam. Allergies kicking up, dammit; gotta go. God Bless, Steve
"God Loves Each Of Us As If There Were Only One Of Us"
Saint Augustine of Hippo - AD 397
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Dam. Just dam. The price of freedom is so very dear.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
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not that I'm piped in, in any special way.
but I'd bet my bottom dollar our Father in Heaven considers you a satisfactory son Steve.
good form my man, good form indeed
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Steve,
I enjoyed the story. Thank you for your example to others.
God Bless all who gave their all for our country.
Nifty-250
"If you don't know where you're going, you may wind up somewhere else".
Yogi Berra
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