John Pool laid to rest

The military honor guard knelt before my mother and said these words; “On behalf of the President of the United States we thank your husband John Pool for his service to his country.” The immaculately uniformed Sargent then presented her the perfectly folded flag from my father’s coffin. With that, a defining tribute was over and a remarkable journey for John Pool ended after 92 years. He was not only a military hero, he was a wonderful father and a patriarch for literally dozens of nieces and nephews and grandchildren and great-grandchildren all around the country, and of course, for me and my sister.

Our grief is no greater or no less than anyone else who has lost a parent. We join those of you who have experienced it. We shoulder it and we move on but we never forget. If you wish to see a gallery of the ceremony you can do so here. There’s also a short video on his life. Finally, I must express again how much the kind words and condolences from so many people mean to our family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.