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September 9

September 9 is a day that I am always deep in thought of both my mother and father. I suspect it was one of their favorite days. On September 9, 1927, my mother was born. On September 9, 1944, my father enlisted in the Army at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio. On September 9, 1945, my father proposed in a letter written from the Philippines. On September 9, 1948, they were finally married.

On their last September 9, my father wrote my mother:

Today is our day and although we are worlds apart our love is together. You will be in my every thought. I love you. (excerpt from letter written for Vietnam on September 9, 1965).

Although my parents spent many September 9ths “worlds apart,” I take comfort in knowing that they will now spend an eternity of September 9ths together. 

Happy Birthday Mom. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

James b. Wells's avatar

By James b. Wells

JAMES B. WELLS is a retired criminology and criminal justice professor in the School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science at Eastern Kentucky University, and is the recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given intermittently, upon significant demand, to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. A former carpenter, soldier, and correctional officer in a super-maximum-security prison and later as a researcher/planner assisting architects in prison design, he has multiple degrees, including an M.S. in Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in Research, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He’s authored or co-authored over sixty-five books, chapters, articles, and essays, as well as over a hundred and fifty research reports for various local, state, and federal agencies. Recent essays from his research and memoir work appear or are forthcoming in Collateral Journal, About Place Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Military Experience and the Arts, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Shift, Proud to be: Writing by American Warriors, Trajectory Journal, and From Pen to Page III: More Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition.

His investigative memoir about his father's still CIA-classified death in Vietnam in 1965, titled Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, will be launched on Father's Day weekend, 2025. Links to publications, presentations, trailers, social media, blog, and other information can be found at https://jamesbwells.com. James enjoys spending much of his leisure time with his spouse on their Lexington, Kentucky farm located on the palisades of the Kentucky River, where he is an organic gardener and beekeeper.

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