Deserving of Thanks

                              His memory of that fateful day is a constant companion: World War II.........Normandy, France, 1944..........an accidental bazooka explosion.........jagged shrapnel tearing into his stomach, arms and legs........the chilling squeeze of death's cold hand.
                             Should the events of that day 70 years ago ever become clouded by the passage of time, a glance at his right hand, where his pinky used to be, will provide renewed clarity.
                             Shortly after surviving a mild heart attack a few months ago, 90-year-old Walter F. Thompson''s memories of that day shone clear as he was en route to Carroll's Jewelers in Doylestown.  The Army veteran is a member of the often-called greatest generation that sacrificed so much for so many.  But on this day, he was about to do something for himself.
                             Along with his memories, Thompson toted a damaged high school graduation ring to his jeweler ------ the ring he wore on his right hand when that bazooka shell exploded.  His pinky was so severely damaged it had to be surgically removed shortly after he was wounded. 
                             The graduation ring from Northeast High School in Philadelphia was severely damaged too, bent out of shape to such a degree that it couldn't be worn.  Still, Thompson tucked it into his uniform pocket, took it back to America, put it away and forgot about it.
                             The passage of time often draws our gaze over our shoulders, to the days when our lives were new and the future was an open highway.  And as Thompson's 90th birthday approached, he began thinking about that ring and how much he wanted to wear it again.
                             "I didn't want to restore my ring to exactly the way it was, but to change it to reflect my Army service," said Thompson, a resident of Ann's Choice, a continuing care retirement community in Warminster.  "I wanted to get it re-stylized with the insignia that officers put on their caps ------- a large eagle clutching arrows.  I was only an Army staff sergeant, not an officer, but I didn't think anybody would mind.  I was doing it to remember my service and to honor my country."
                            When Thompson visited the jewelry store and handed the damaged ring to Carroll's owner Joel Robinson, the jeweler immediately knew restoring it to the man's specifications would be challenging.
                            "The ring was damaged and needed to be reworked," Robinson said.  "Plus, he wanted a particular insignia."
                            Thompson described what he wanted, and Robinson said he'd do his best.  But the jeweler soon realized the insignia Thompson chose was too large for the ring's stone.
                            "I told him that if he couldn't find what I was looking for, he shouldn't worry about it.  I told him to just fix the ring.  But he said, 'Don't worry.  It might take some time, but I'll find the insignia for you.'"
                            Months passed.  Thompson hadn't heard a thing.  He gave up on the project.
                            Two weeks ago, Thompson answered his phone.  It was the news he was certain he would never hear: Robinson saying his ring was ready to be picked up.  The next day, Thompson excitedly walked into the jewelry store.  He approached the counter, where a sales clerk handed him the ring.  It was just as he had hoped.  The look and fit were perfect as he slid it onto his left ring finger.
                            And then Thompson hanbded the saleswoman his charge card.
                           "She handed it back to me and said, 'Sir, your bill has been taken care of,'" said Thompson, who celebrates his 90th birthday today.  "Then she told me she'd like to read me a note."
                           The note was from a gentleman who was in the store when Thompson brought the ring in.  The man, a regular customer of Carroll's, had overheard Thompson talking about how the ring was damaged during the war.  After he left the jeweler, the man went home and thought about doing something nice for Thompson.  He phoned the jewelry store and said he wanted to pay for the ring's repair, and asked the clerk to make sure to thank Thompson for his service to our country.
                           Thompson asked the clerk for the man's phone number because he wanted to call and thank him for his unexpected generosity.  The clerk informed Thompson the man wants to remain anonymous.
                           "That was sure nice of him, but I don't think I did anything special," Thompson said, his voice cracking with emotion over the generosity of a man he doesn't know.  "People are always saying thank you for your service.  That's nice, but I tell everybody, that back then, we were all eager to serve.  We did it for our country.  We don't need to be thanked."
                          There are those of us, anonymous and otherwise, who couldn't disagree more.