This journey begins in the rural North Texas town of Lubbock, Texas, with a large family on a small cattle ranch. The progenitors of the house received a special blessing in the prosperous year of 1926 with a handsome new member of their peaceful existence. Quickly, the newborn proved to be a healthy addition to their somewhat dull lifestyle. Through mischief and mishaps, the young man began to form an identity for himself within the tight community. Once enrolled in school, high performances in the classroom as well as on the court strengthened this identity. Word spreads fast in the small, connected towns of North Texas and this young man had become quite the celebrity in the region by the time high school wrapped up. From impressive showings at the county fair to success on the high school basketball scene, the young cattle rancher created quite the buzz. And with a bright future ahead of him, great success seemed like the only thing headed his way. With an acceptance letter to the University of Texas, and the hopes of his now elder parents, the man was headed into a new realm of adventure and freedom. That is, until the gut-wrenching attacks on Pearl Harbor shook the nation.

The next day, the man found himself with a gun and a uniform, as well as a one-way ticket to Camp Pendleton. Scoring high on the military aptitude test, the man was placed in a chemical research lab for the army. Quickly becoming restless, the man demanded transfer into the then experimental 101st Airborne Division. During his year of training, the man had missed the now legendary invasion of Western Europe on the beaches of Normandy, in which his division played a vital role. But he knew his time would come, and it did on the sunny day of September 17, 1944 three months later.

High above the picturesque countryside, thousands upon thousands of young men hurled themselves into Nazi occupied Holland-- including our young cattle rancher from North Texas. Surviving his hellish descent from the heavens, the man was soon surrounded and alone. Forced into surrender, he found himself in a new kind of uniform in the brutal prison camp of Stalag-XVII. Surviving through eight months of merciless labor and intense physical pain, the man was liberated by the 14th Armored Division in April of the following year.

Upon discharge and return to the states, the man soon resumed his previous life, enrolling at the University of Texas. Six years and a law degree later, the man entered the working world as a lawyer for the Western and Pacific Railroad. Shortly thereafter, the man was married and began to build a family. The successful lawyer and family-man enjoyed his simple Texas life, until it ended abruptly at the age of forty-two from war related heart attacks. With a wife and four children, the man left, but his legacy stayed.

This legacy was idealized and cherished by a young woman by the name of Susan. A decade later, Susan joined in the bond of marriage with a young man from rural Louisiana named David. Ten years following, through their firstborn child, the legacy of the cattle rancher/war veteran/lawyer reemerged and was passed on.

Tom - the legend is in the name. From a young woman’s dad to that same person’s son, the legacy was presented with chapter one finished but part two yet to be written.