(By Jason A. Dixon, 12th of March 2004)
Richard E. Coert was born in
1922 in what is now Indonesia, where he grew up. He dreamed of becoming a pilot in the Dutch air force, but before
his 18th birthday German forces swept through the Netherlands during World War
II. He was promptly drafted into the
army where he became a mechanic. In the
following two years he saw the Dutch declaration of war on Japan after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor, the invasion of Java, his home island, and his
capture. As a prisoner of war he was
forced to work on the Burma-Siam railroad.
Three years later, after being tortured, contracting Malaria, suffering
from malnutrition, and seeing many of his friends die, he was liberated by
American forces.
Richard returned to his home village
where he met and married his wife, Elaine, of over fifty years. Choosing to remain in the Dutch military he
was forced to leave Java for New Guinea following the Indonesian National
Revolution. From there he moved to the
Netherlands where the first of his two daughters was born. In 1959 he retired from military service and
he and his family immigrated to Huntington Beach, California. He worked as a diesel mechanic in Long Beach
until 1990 when he retired and spent the remainder of his years in Oceanside, a
quiet city in Northern San Diego County.
I was raised by Richard. He was my grandfather, or as I new him,
‘Opa’. To him I was his only son, and
to me he was a father. He is not only a
hero to the Allies of World War II, but a hero to me and my family. The love and support he gave to his family
was the cornerstone of the wonderful environment that I was lucky enough to
grow up in. If it were not for him, I
wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Despite the horrors of war and
the atrocities of the P.O.W. camps that my grandfather experienced, he remained
a kind and gentle man. He was a devout
Catholic and very active in the Church.
His faith, however, went beyond the rituals of the Church; it was also
practiced in his day-to-day life, especially with his family. He gave much of his time to assisting the
community, often through the organization the Knights of Columbus. I have begun to follow Taoist teachings and,
although it may seem unrelated, his ability to be at peace with himself and the
world around him through his faith has provided an excellent example of
spiritual well-being.
I learned the value of
education and hard work from my grandfather.
At an early age he taught me the workings of an engine. Anxious to help him in the work he did from
his garage I hunkered over the grinder, smoothing out the edges of valves
before dinner. After dinner he would
help me with my math homework, often times pulling out old textbooks from his
childhood. He always recognized my
achievements, especially in school, and never failed to give me a reprimand
when he felt I wasn’t showing my potential.
My grandfather always encouraged me
to participate in extracurricular activities.
He never missed any of my high school football games. We shared a love for the outdoors. As a child he took me camping every year for
as long as I can remember. When I was a Boy Scout he often joined my troop for
outings. After his retirement his
favorite pastimes were reading and working in his garden. Kung Fu and my study of Taoism have made me
aware of something that he has already taught me; the mind cannot be healthy
unless the body is healthy, and vice versa.
My Opa was very happy when he found
out that I was attending college full time and that I had set new goals for
myself. When I spoke to him about going
to school on the East Coast, he was saddened that I would be so far away. Even so, he said that it may be for the best
and gave me his full support. When he
became ill, I knew that I had to stay near, for my time with him was
waning. The decision of where to go for
my education was going to have to wait.
My grandfather passed away last
October. He won’t be sitting in the
audience at my graduation, but he’ll always be with me and I’ll know I wouldn’t
be there if it weren’t for him. He is
the greatest man I have ever known, and I aspire to be like him. I will not squander the tools that he has
given me to succeed in life and in his memory I will always try to be a good
man.