Happy Birthday Grandpa Hancock!

Today was Grandpa Hancock's birthday.  He was either 100 years old or 99 years old, depending on which records you believe.  I personally believe he was 99 because when I was about 12 or 13, I went to the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City with my Grandma Dyer and found Grandpa Hancock's baptismal record from the Snowflake, Arizona Stake.

The government always thought he was a year younger than he thought he was.  Because of that, they gave him a hard time when he applied for Social Security when he retired.  My understanding is that Grandpa Hancock ran away from home when he was a pretty young guy, so it makes sense that he might have gotten his birth year wrong.  Plus, I'm thinking that as a young man on his own, it was probably helpful to be able to tell people that he was a year older than he really was.

Grandpa Hancock was a pretty interesting guy. As a young man, he enlisted in the Navy during World War II. In February 1945, his ship--the Bismarck Sea--was an aircraft carrier that was attacked and sunk by Japanese kamikaze airplanes. Grandpa Hancock managed to make it to a life raft. Here is what the Navy's magazine "Our Navy" said about his heroic actions during that battle:

Nightmare off Iwo Jima

"Tall, rugged Lynn Young Hancock, Cox. [his rank of "Coxswain"], from Challis, Idaho, somehow climbed into a life raft. He was tired. But the water was filled with tired and weakened survivors. Some were going under. Exhausted himself, Hancock left the safety of his raft to save the lives of shipmate after shipmate. When he was pulled aboard a rescue ship, he was physically weakened and in a semi-conscious condition."

I didn't know this, but in the U.S. Navy, a coxswain basically has the authority over the boat to provide for the safety of the crew. Ever since I first read this story (Grandpa Hancock never told me about it himself), I have admired Grandpa Hancock for risking his life to help save his crewmates. War can be a very terrible thing, but sometimes those extreme circumstances can bring out the best and noble in us. I'm grateful to have an example of such actions like Grandpa Hancock in my life.  Grandpa Hancock, we miss you!

Today is Pioneer Day in Utah. I grew up in Southern California, but I do have a few memories of this holiday from when I was younger. I remember going to the rodeo in the old Salt Palace and I remember going to a few of the parades in downtown Salt Lake City.

I have a vague recollection of my dad running in the Des News Pioneer Day Marathon one year.  He bought his shoes the night before.  He said that running up hill wasn't too bad--but running downhill was just a killer. I thought about trying to run the Des News Marathon this year.  It's probably a good thing I didn't, but maybe next year!

I asked one of my friends at work to name the famous holiday that happened today in Utah. The two best guesses were: "Brigham Young Day" and "Salt Water Day."  As big as Pioneer Day is in Utah, I guess it's just not as well known outside the state--at least in Southern California!