Whenever Veteran\u2019s Day draws near, I am reminded of the story of Samuel Snow who believed an apology was important enough to wait more than six decades to receive one. In July of 2008, a then 84-year-old Snow traveled across the nation to accept a formal apology and an honorable discharge from the United States Army. According to media reports just hours later, the World War II veteran from Leesburg, Florida, died in a Seattle hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad has been standing in formation all these years, waiting to have his name cleared. With the Army\u2019s honorable discharge, he was at ease\u2026and he went home,\u201d said Ray Snow, son of the late soldier in a released statement after his father\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
In 1944, Samuel Snow was one of twenty-eight black soldiers wrongly convicted of rioting charges resulting in the death of an Italian prisoner of war. In his book, On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II<\/em>, author Jack Hamann pointed to \u201cserious flaws\u201d in the prosecution of the case.\u00a0According to Seattle Times <\/em>staff reporter, Sandi Doughton, \u201cHamann championed the cause of the black GIs. His investigation cast suspicion on a white military policeman, now dead, as the prime suspect in the murder of the Italian soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n After Snow\u2019s conviction, he spent 15 months in a military prison and received a dishonorable discharge, which greatly altered his life opportunities. Upon his release, the African American soldier returned to a then segregated Leesburg, and his \u201cdishonorable discharge\u201d became a sort of \u201cdeath sentence\u201d according to Ray Snow. The senior Snow could only find work as a janitor or handyman following the scandal, but he was a man of deep faith who refused to grow bitter. Although his son who became an elementary teacher in Leesburg said that it became his father\u2019s \u201cmission\u201d to obtain official documentation regarding his innocence.<\/p>\n This tragic tale points to the significance of an apology. Sadly, the ability to admit wrong in life\u2019s lesser matters than the grievous offense Snow suffered has been radically altered by our progressively lawsuit happy world. To explain, blame seems to be readily pronounced in our society, despite motivation or intent in many situations. That\u2019s why fear can keep an individual or organization from assuming responsibility for a mistake or error, because it could result in life-altering financial or professional consequences. Still, a sincere request for forgiveness can be an influential tool in mending any rift. Besides validating the offended party, it can also set the perpetrator free of the guilt that wrongdoing intended or unintended can create. Yet when the words, \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d are said, it appears to matter a great deal how they are delivered.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the method we use to apologize can contribute to whether the apology will be accepted according to the classic book, The Five Languages of Apology. <\/em>Co-authored by Dr. Gary Chapman who also wrote the New York Times bestseller, The Five Love Languages<\/em>, the book\u2019s cover explains that, \u201cSometimes, saying, \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019 just isn\u2019t enough.\u201d Chapman and co-author Dr. Jennifer Thomas believe that there are people who have been wronged who need to hear the offender not only confess regret, but also accept responsibility for their actions. Along with accountability, there is the act of \u201cmaking restitution\u201d by asking, \u201cWhat can I do to make it right?\u201d This might also be necessary, if it is the injured individual\u2019s language of apology according Chapman and Thomas.<\/p>\n For Snow, a 2002 verbal apology by an Army major general just wasn\u2019t enough. That\u2019s why the elderly man traveled from his Florida home to Seattle with his son in July 2008 to attend the ceremony honoring him and the 27 other falsely accused GIs posthumously, because all but one other soldier had died. Snow refused to let questionable health prevent him from making the historic trip. Unfortunately, the aged veteran was hospitalized in Seattle and unable to attend. His son went instead. Returning to his dad\u2019s hospital room, Ray presented his father with the framed honorable discharge from the ceremony. Reports say the falsely convicted man held the official plaque in his arms, clutched it to his heart, and smiled. With his dignity finally restored, he died just hours later. Like every dedicated soldier with his mission accomplished, I\u2019m hopeful that Samuel Snow is now resting in peace enjoying a hero\u2019s reward. But I wish I could extend the same gratitude to him that every military man or woman deserves to hear, \u201cThank you for your service!\u201d<\/p>\n Christina Ryan Claypool is a freelance journalist and inspirational speaker. Contact her through her website at www.christinaryanclaypool.com<\/span><\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whenever Veteran\u2019s Day draws near, I am reminded of the story of Samuel Snow who believed an apology was important enough to wait more than six decades to receive one. In July of 2008, a then 84-year-old Snow traveled across … Continue reading