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PORTRAIT OF ROGER

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My Friend Roger

Roger Percy is a friend and I consider him to be a hero, although he is too humble to accept that label. I first met Roger when I started attending The Lake California Community Church about five years ago. He was in a wheelchair and his daughter Sue wheeled him in on Sunday mornings. He also attended the Men's evening bible study on alternate Thursday evenings. He has a smile that illuminates a room and is wonderful to talk to. This lens is a tribute to Roger.






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Table of Contents

  1. An Unsung Hero
  2. The Actual Portrait
  3. WWII Life Boat
  4. Naval Heroes
  5. World War II on Amazon
  6. Naval Battles on eBay
  7. Donations for Child Aid
  8. Roger's Guestbook
  9. About Me

An Unsung Hero

by John N. Stewart

  • Today, Roger Percy is in his early 90's. His home is a place called "Oak River Rehab" in the little town of Anderson, CA. I just turned 70, so he considers me to be a kid. I get to see him every other week since I play the piano for Roger and his friends in the dining hall of Oak River. His favorite song is "Tangerine". The first few times that I saw Roger at Oak River he kept saying that he just wanted out of there and to be at home, but eventually he seemed to acclimate to his surroundings.

  • I like to hang around after the music and talk to the "inmates" as one of them calls the residents. One day I sat with Roger and he told me a story about one of his World War II experiences. He was in the Navy and served on a US Naval ship that was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, probably near European waters. They ran into a German destroyer and as Roger described it "they simultaneously sunk each other". Must have been quite a battle. He managed to get into a life boat with several of his crew members and they proceeded to float in unknown waters for about 30 days.

  • Needless to say Roger prayed continuously during this ordeal. One by one they lost their precious crew members and friends due to the lack of food and water. By the time that they saw land there were only three left in the lifeboat. They washed up on a beach that turned out to be located on the coast of Brazil. I am certain that Roger's prayers were answered by the fact that one of the remaining survivors spoke fluent Portuguese, so when they were found, communication was easy and they were taken to a safe place. An incredible story.



  • A few months ago I took a photograph of Roger with his new girlfriend Melissa. He was beaming. I painted a small portrait of him that I was able to give to his daughter Sue, who is one of my wife, Valerie's hair clients. You can see a larger version of the painting on Fine Art America by Clicking Here.

    • The Actual Portrait





    Click on the portrait to see it on Fine Art America......


    WWII Life Boat

    Naval Heroes

    Amazon books about American Naval heroes.
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    World War II on Amazon

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    Naval Battles on eBay

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    Donations for Child Aid

    Child Aid works to alleviate poverty in some of the world's poorest communities by partnering with rural, mostly indigenous communities in Guatemala and helping them create sustainable educational programs for their children.

    Roger's Guestbook

    • Mar 6, 2012 @ 4:59 pm | delete
      This is a very nice tribute to a friend. Especially a Vet. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
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    About Me

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    by

    jonart

    John N. Stewart was born in San Bernardino, California in 1940. Moved to the Los Angeles area(Glendale, CA) a year later. Developed interest in drawin... more »

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    Radical Bliss

    Radical Bliss

    Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now

    Intriguing and compelling music....................

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