Inklings 2020

MCCLINTOCK Jack Fitzpatrick Joseph McClintock, Tec 5 of the 1110 Engineering Combat Group in the 7th Armored Division — known as the “Lucky Seventh,” landed in Normandy five days after the D-Day landings. McClintock had slicked-back hair that was thick and brown like mine. When I saw my wide, goofy smile in our family photos of him, I had to find out more. Opening multiple browser tabs, I dug through US Army records, old post battle reports, and the draft registration cards online at the National Archives. I looked through photos of WWII veteran monuments to see if his name had been recorded on any of them. I rubbed my watery eyes to refocus and scan each paragraph, each photo, each list for his name until my mom and dad let me know I was being obsessive. “Jack, we’ve got to get dinner before the restauants close. Will you please just stop!” my mom yelled through the door of our room at Hotel Cures Marines in Trouville, Normandy. But they didn’t understand. We were here. How could I not search for my great-great-uncle? This was not the first time my historical obsession had manifested itself. In my seventh-grade American History class, I made it a habit to blurt out the answers until the teacher barred me from being the first to answer. It’s not that I was trying to show off: I just loved history. Nowadays, I watch hours of historical documentaries about subjects like tanks of WWII and the cover-up of JFK’s assassination (by the way, it’s not LeeHarveyOswald). I’ll download documentaries to watch on a flight or after a long night of studying. It’s my downtime. While my friends wakeboard in Biscayne Bay, I study the battle tactics of the Egyptians and Assyrians, the militaristic and rigid society of Sparta, and the captivating history of the Greeks and the Romans. Learning about Joseph McClintock was even better. It signified a personal connection to amomentous time in history.While researching in France and trying to fit all the missing pieces together, I felt like Nick Cage in National Treasure; however, my experience didn’t include evading bad guys and doing parkour, the 19