This is a story about one of the hardest working men that I know. It’s tough for me to write this story because the man that I looked up to passed away last year. This man was my Papa, my dad’s dad, James “Buddy” Dove.

James “Buddy” Dove was born in May of 1937. Growing up on a farm, he had a strong work ethic instilled in him at a young age. Later in life, he joined the United States Army, serving with the 101st Airborne Division. At one point during his service, he was stationed in Alaska. I’m currently working on trying to figure out what his MOS was, but all I can remember is him telling a story about having to crawl out of an army tank gun after it broke through a section of frozen water and the only way out was through the tank’s gun. Side note: I just looked, and those tank guns are extremely skinny. This might be one of those fishing-type stories. If you’re a fisherman, you know what I’m talking about.

After his service, he went on to become a body shop owner. Then, before his retirement, he became a poultry farmer. I wasn’t old enough or even born to see how strong his work ethic was when he had his body shop, but when I was old enough, I remember helping him in his chicken houses. Anytime he would receive baby chickens, my dad would tell us, “Papa is getting chickens tomorrow. Wanna go help?” “Absolutely,” I would say. He would always pay us way more than he should have, but he was always a provider for his family and went above and beyond. At the same time, he wanted you to earn it, like any father or papa would want from their kids or grandkids. There were always lessons being taught anytime we were around him, whether we knew it or not.

Once he retired from the poultry business, he continued his, what I like to call, side career: fishing. But now he could fish full-time. You can eventually see a pattern here. This man was constantly on the go. If he wasn’t working, he was fishing. If he wasn’t fishing, he was working. But no matter which one he was doing, it always had to be spent with family. That is another lesson I learned. Honestly, I didn’t realize that until now. Hmm, looking back, he was always spending time with his family. Now I see why that has always been important to me. Reality check!

The years we spent fishing were some of the most fun I have ever had. From 3am alarms, to our military conversations at Huddle House before being out on the water by daylight, to frying the catfish on the riverbanks after catching a mess. Those are memories that I’ll always be grateful for. As I’m writing this, the smell of his tobacco mixed with the smells of the catfish batter being fried in his famous frying pot just came across my nose as if we were back on the riverbank. Those are the moments I miss the most.

These are memories now only because time eventually caught up with him. In December of 2023, my Papa passed away, leaving his family and friends with all of the life lessons and fun fishing memories for us to tell our friends and family. And that brings me to today; the reason why I’m writing this. I never want his memory to fade. So, what you are about to read is in memory of him, James “Buddy” Dove.

A little over a year ago, I had this militaristic dove drawn, and at the time, I didn’t understand the direction for him. Until a few months ago, after my Papa had passed, I had this thought, “Duh, why didn’t you think of that?”

If you’re in the Army or come from an Army background, you will get this. In the Army, you have what are called battle buddies. A "battle buddy" is a fellow soldier assigned to be a partner, providing mutual support and assistance in both training and combat situations. This partnership enhances safety, accountability, and camaraderie, ensuring that each soldier always has someone to rely on during missions, exercises, and everyday activities. The battle buddy system promotes teamwork, vigilance, and a sense of responsibility towards each other, strengthening unit cohesion and effectiveness.

After realizing this, I thought, there is a lot of correlation between a battle buddy and the role that a father or grandfather plays in our life. Grandfathers provide unwavering support, guidance, and protection during challenging times in our lives. They offer wisdom, share experiences, and stand by your side, ensuring you're never alone in your journey. Their presence instills confidence, teaches resilience, and fosters a deep sense of loyalty and trust, much like the bond between military battle buddies.

What tops all of this off is their names. This is what told me, this is a God thing. I have always wanted the character’s name to be Battle Dove, and if you remember, back at the beginning, I told you my Papa’s name. His name was James “Buddy” Dove, but everyone called him Buddy. Heck, I didn’t even know his first name until I was in my 30s. This gets even crazier. So, we have Battle Dove and Buddy Dove. Their FREAKING initials are the same!

The signs were there the whole time. It took a quiet place and a lot of reflecting to find what was there all along.

This is a lot of words to tell you about my Papa and a silly military dove character idea that I had a little over a year ago. However, this is something extremely special to me. I could sit here for days and tell you the lessons I learned and the memories he shared with our family. But, that will be for another day.

If you read this, thank you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read about the man my Papa was. I hope you were lucky enough to have someone in your life just as special as he was to me.