Old Glory flaps in the breeze
red and white stripes unfurled,
grommets clank against steel pole
as I walk by in a rush.
You loved the beauty of our flag.
You actually lived the flag.
The greatest generation, and you a woman,
a Naval Commander among them all.
Young girls should know your name.
Short in stature, you stood tall
saluted boys and turned them back into men
healed so many, traveled so far.
So many times we sat at your table
ate lemon meringue pie
and rolled the Yahtze dice
the infamous photo above our heads.
You and Admiral Nimitz, side by side.
One honored hero, known by many.
The other, slipped through time
a silver haired, kind old woman.
The wind stops, the clanking too
and I stand still remembering you
in that faded black and white photo
of your glory days.
Florence M. Frazier, 1915 – 2010. Former Commander in the U.S. Navy. Photo is from Aunt Flo’s visit to us in Boston, celebrating her 90th birthday. At our urging, she brought one of her military caps. We took her to the nearby Charlestown Navy Yard and visited this ship. As she boarded and as she walked on deck, every military personnel we met saluted her. It was an absolutely magical day!
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was Commander in Chief of the U.S. Naval Fleet in World War II.
lillian the home poet 
wow, what a lady. I’ll bet she has a phenomenal life story. Your poem offers quite a sketch of her.
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She was truly a very very special woman. Never married – friend to so many. She lived her last 20 years in an amazing complex for retired service people. And she was indeed a Commander! Very rare in those days. Her best friend was a Lieutenant Commander and Aunt Flo never let her forget she outranked her! 😊
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Wow. Her story needs to be told
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You’re right. We should know her name. It’s great that she was a relative.
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Very very unique and amazing woman!
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We should tell our daughters of such a woman. What a wonderful influence and a family member to boot.
I’d love to hear more abut Commander Aunt Flo (all due respect) 🙂
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Good morning Lesley! So nice to see your reply this morning….She was indeed a special lady. And, just as you’ve called her Aunt Flo, whenever she visited we always introduced her as Aunt Flo, as did our children — so she was known to all our friends as Aunt Flo! 🙂 She always made lemon meringue pies — enough so my husband and I could both take one or two to work during her visits 🙂 When she was 80, she went to a small village in Africa and worked for a month as a volunteer in a hospital with dirt floors. She was, in a word, amazing. I miss her.
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WoW! Do people like that even exist anymore!?
I’d like to think so.
Thanks so much for sharing.
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Lillian,
It is an honor and a privilege to meet your aunt – an amazing woman with an unsinkable heart. To read a story such as this, rekindles the kind of patriotism that speaks to more than defense, it speaks to belief in possibilities.
Thank you for sharing your Aunt Florence’s story.
am:)
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Wonderful words from you my friend.
I should have posted this on veterans’ day. May repost to honor her then again.
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