I met Joe Watson 20 years ago, this summer. In 2005, six decades after the end of World War II, there was a gathering at the Onondaga County War Memorial, part of the Oncenter complex, to honor hundreds of gray-haired veterans who survived the war — and, beyond all else, to reflect on the many names on the wall of those who never made it home.
When I introduced myself to Joe, he was with his wife Lynne and a 4-year-old grandson, Colby. In those years, I was a columnist with The Post-Standard | Syracuse.com. In a piece I wrote at the time, I mentioned how Joe — for specific reasons of loss and loyalty I’d soon come to understand — was so “overcome with emotion that he couldn’t speak.”
At that moment, Joe was 83. Tuesday will be his 103rd birthday. He’s an extraordinary guy, and I need your help with a small project over the next few days. There’s something simple but beautiful we all can offer to Joe as a gift – and I hope you don’t mind bearing with me as I use this column to explain both the how and why…