TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS

 BRAVERY - LEADERSHIP - PERSEVERANCE

Hendrick served as a Staff Sergeant in the 70th Tank Battalion (U.S. Army) during World War II. Prior to the war he resided in Piscataquis County, Maine. He was killed in action in Sicily and awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. He left behind a wife and son.

His Silver Star award citation reads:

"For gallantry in action. When he learned that remnants of an enemy infantry battalion had moved into a farmhouse and nearby caves atop a steep mountain and were halting the advance of our infantry, Staff Sergeant Wansink organized a small patrol and established an excellent observation post from which he directed effective fire upon the enemy. This action, at the loss of his life, compelled the complete withdrawal of these enemy forces."

I never got to know my grandfather, so he became a legend in my mind. Hendrick is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy. I wrote this poem after I visited his grave with my father. 

Legacy, Part 1

I found my father’s father
right where they said I would—
Plot C, Row 10, Grave 23.

Buried beneath this manicured lawn,
a piece of the country he served,
resting in the land where his life was lost.

77 acres and 7,800 of his closest friends. 

this poem was originally published as "Legacy Part 1" in the Eckerd Review

—Submitted by Jonathan, Surviving Grandson