Sunday, September 7, 2014

The search for an origin.

Jird. Or maybe its pronounced Yird. I don't know, I hope it's Scandinavian. I've looked up it up on Google multiple times. Baby name and name meaning websites yield no results. It's interesting too. I'm the fourth generation to carry this name. I'm sorry, let me back up. Jird is my middle name. It was my grandfathers first name and two more generations for that. My grandfather was a man that I highly respected and wish I had more time with.It's a pity to think that I missed all my grown up years with a man so calm and put together. I decided to use this post as a eulogy and a small history lesson.
Jird Fidler was his name. At least that's all I know when its too late to call my mom. He was a shorter man, made out of leather and steel. Born in the early thirties, he remembered living through WW2 and the post war golden age. Then came the Korean war and he enlisted. He started as a normal crew man and worked up to Aircraft mechanic. He never talked much about the war. The only story he ever told me was. "One time, I was on my ship. This aircraft carrier The Missouri. And there was a foul up in the munitions hold. Suddenly. BOOM!." He slammed his hand down on a table and a long stare got into his eye. "I saw half my crew go up right then. My two best friends just disappeared about thirty feet away." I don't remember this but my grandfather apparently grabbed a boar by it legs. Flipped it over. Then yanked out its teeth in front of us kids.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you the Fidlers came from what I can find out pretty hardy farmer stock. The very first Jird came out west ahead of the railroads. Laying gravel beds and scouting routes for the trains. I loved the fact my grandfather lived in Iowa. Owning a subsistence farm became a dream because of his garden. He would have fresh radishes and corn. You never really realize how much you miss someone till their gone. My grandfather was a stubborn man. I, of course, am also headstrong man. But my grandfather's stubbornness was his downfall. As he fell to emphysema from smoking. When they first found the spot on his lung they told him if he would just quit smoking. He would have twenty more years to live. He didn't he died. Now my grandfather was an old school taught person. And his one regret seemed to be never having a son to pass on the family name too. Jird. That's where I came in.
My mother wanted her father to be a happy man. And named my middle name after him. He was a great man and I wish I could have met him later in life and learned more about the origins of where it came from and some history of the family. Perhaps I can. Perhaps not. I do know that my grandfather and myself share a common ground in living unique lives. My stories of him and how they influence me could go on for days. At one point during the seventies coke era, my grandfather was a Coast Guard customs agent. He carried a sawed off shotgun and a bad attitude. I don't know much, but I know I'm proud to have Jird. A unique and interesting name. As the name that I carry.

3 comments:

  1. Wow thats an interesting name!!! Ive never heard of it!!!

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  2. It is great that you can carry a part of your grandfather with you, and not just the memories. If there is any other living elder relatives that you can get more history from, you should try to search it out, before they too are gone.

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  3. I love how your presented everything it was really unique. I understand about having an older relative in a war they never really do talk about it, my great grandfather served in three wars and worked his way up to a sargent major and when he retired he worked fot veterans to make sure that they had appropriate living conditions.

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