I’m probably not the one to tell you Fog’s story as I didn’t know much about the man. 

I don’t know the year he was born.  I don’t know if he was a tall man or a short man.  I saw a picture of him once. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me.  Unfortunately, I do not know where the picture is.  I don’t know his hobbies or pet peeves.  I do know that he had at least one sibling. He never married or had any children. He never had the chance. It’s why I’m the person who’s telling his story now. 

Fog fought in World War I. He fought in France with the Fightin’ 69th. I don’t know if he was drafted or he enlisted. What I do know, through a little research was he was killed in action on July 28, 1918 in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. He’s buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetary in France. This is the full extent I know of Fog’s life. 

Well, that’s not exactly true. I do know my son is named after him. 

No, not directly. Fog was my grandfather’s uncle. They both shared the name my father, son, and I share. As the joke goes in my family, the name is so old it pre-dates Jesus Christ. No matter the machinations of who was named after who, I do know we share a name. 

I also know he’s the only one of us to die defending our country. It makes him a hero. He’s a hero even if we don’t know much about him. 

That’s the point of Memorial Day. We take time to honor those who gave their lives in defense of this country. We remember those people who are long forgotten.

I don’t know much about Fog. However, with Memorial Day on the horizon, I took time to research Fog and find out more about him. Hopefully, we all take time to learn about the sacrifices made by the people who gave their lives defending our country.