Brad Gates Blog # 2

Now that I have accepted the fact that I should write a blog to supplement the webpage for my book, the challenge before me is where to start. What motivated me to write the story about the two best friends, Manny and Kenny, and why did I decide they would be Marines? I don’t think I am too far off base when I say that many books are a reflection of their author, and that is definitely the case with me. With that being said, I have to go back many years to my days as a young boy. Growing up in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, I distinctly remember looking forward to and enjoying the community Memorial Day Celebration. First of all, Memorial Day meant summer was almost here and school would soon be over and little league baseball would soon be starting. We had a great little league in Roaring Spring. In addition, each year the community had a Memorial Day parade. My friends and I decorated our bicycles with red, white, and blue crape paper and we rode our bikes in the parade, which ended at the Roaring Spring Green Lawn Cemetery. There were American flags everywhere, and there was always a speaker to address the community and share his thoughts about the significance of Memorial Day. However, as a young boy, it was not the speaker who motivated me the most.