Published: June 20, 2009 10:59 pm      

Son marches to remember good ole’ dad

Luis Nino honors father with walk from Bunker Hill to Kokomo

Like many of us, Luis Nino had a hard time figuring out what to get his dad on Father’s Day.

Even though Luis’ father, Pablo Nino, passed away four months ago, he still wanted to get that special gift for his dad.

“We don’t spend as much time shopping or figuring what to get Dear Dad like we do our lovely mothers on their special day,” Luis said.

“The usual Father’s Day gift usually did for dad without much complaint or debate or the ‘What the heck am I suppose to do with that?’ comment.”

After pondering for a while, Luis decided some hard work and sweat would be an appropriate gift.

Luis decided to honor his father, who served in the Marine Corps, by walking from Bunker Hill to Kokomo with an American Flag, a Marine flag and a white flag with his dad’s name, birth and date of death attached to a stick like they did in the Marines.

“I am walking all the way to where dad worked at Haynes International — to where he took his last breath on this Earth,” said Luis. “Being a disabled veteran myself, there was no way I could prepare for this journey, which I estimate to be about 15 to 18 miles.

“I have had three foot operations and two knee surgeries as well as a herniated disk,” he continued. “But I could just hear dad say, ‘Hey Momma’s boy, are you going to man up or what? They sure don’t make Marines like they use to.’ So that is all the motivation I need as I pay tribute to the man I loved.

“... I am simply picking up the torch that my dad left for me to carry and showing the pride for all to see what he loved most, his God, his county, his Marine Corps and with his blood pumping through my veins that connects me to his family that he loved dearly.”

Luis said his father was a hard working union man, a proud American, and a U.S. Marine who simply loved going to work to provide for his family then coming home to cut his grass on his riding lawn mower.

“I never met a man who, while in first gear, would be out singing his Spanish songs and smiling enjoying the sun rays as if he was riding a Harley Davidson with Raquel Welch in the back seat,” Luis recalled.” But that was when he was in the happy zone.”

Along with working, Luis said family was a big part of his father’s life. He also liked to tell stories.

A native of Edinburg, Texas, Pablo Nino moved his family up north during the civil rights movement.

“With the bathroom signs stating ‘Whites Only’ or ‘Blacks Only’ as I got older and listened to his stories, I would ask him, ‘What restroom did you go in to, Dad?’ His response, ‘Which ever one I wanted to and decided to go into. I served this country to help make it free and no man is going to deny me to the right to relive [my]self in a public forum.’”

Pablo Nino died of a heart attack while at work on Feb. 21, 2009. It was then Luis started realizing how much he appreciated his dad.

“For myself and my family, his friends and co-workers, the world got a little quieter, a little less ornery, and also [there was] the knowing of the pain of losing a parent,” Luis said.

His dad’s passing also left him with memories.

“The good, the bad, the ugly — the all of it,” he said. “But like it or not, they all had a hand in shaping me. For some reason, I do not waste my time looking at the bad or the ugly, it seems like wasted energy. I prefer to honor my father by thinking of all the times he did do good for me and my family, ...” he said.

As Luis walks in honor of his father today, he hopes others will follow his lead and take the time to appreciate their fathers.

“Remember to tell your dad you love him and that you appreciate all that he has done for you. Whether right or wrong, they are still your father and you should support them,” said Luis. “If your father is resting at his grave site, put the paper down today and make your way to his grave site and share a moment instead of simply driving by and waving. In simple terms, give respect and some of your time to the man who put you on this Earth.”