Paul Sassone

July 21.

That’s when I decided to write this.

July 21 isn’t a holiday and it doesn’t commemorate a notable event on the American calendar.

But, for one family, July 21 may be the most significant date in American history.

Because on July 21, 1943 Vincent Howard was killed.

He was a 20-something young man from Maywood Illinois and one of my mother’s three brothers.

Early in the war he enlisted and became a pilot in the Army Air Corps.

His plane was the C-47, a twin-engine workhorse that moved men and materiel wherever needed.

In 1943 Vincent Howard and thousands of other members of the armed forces found themselves in North Africa. There are photos of him riding a camel and playing tourist at the Great Pyramid.

But Vincent Howard wasn’t on vacation. He was there to take part in Operation Huskie, the code name for the invasion of Sicily. Operation Huskie was a first step in the Allies invasion of southern Europe —

the soft under belly of the continent. Vincent Howard’s job was to fly paratroopers over the Sicilian jump site.

Tragically, the U.S. Navy was not fully informed of plans. And when the air armada flew over the U.S. Fleet on its way to Sicily the Navy thought the planes were German and opened fire. Hundreds of paratroopers and plane crews were killed, Vincent Howard among them.

Operation Huskie was one of the greatest disasters in American military history. But all the telegram stated was that Vincent Howard had been killed in action over Gela, Sicily.

So, you can see that July 21 is an important date — to someone.

And it occurs to me that every day is July 21 to somebody.

We might want to keep that in mind when dealing with our fellow human beings.

Today might be their July 21. They may need to be treated with kindness and consideration.

But then, that’s how we should treat others every day.

Isn’t it?

–What is your July 21?–