The fellow staring at my lens is John Graves, a WWII Marine, retired rancher and Texas' most beloved writer. That last is not my opinion, many in the Lone Star State will say so, including former first lady (and librarian) Laura Bush. He is best known for Goodbye to a River, which has never been out of print since it was first published in 1957.

Are we related? No and yes. No clear connection we can point to, but Graves is not an uncommon name, and he told me we probably are, way back. Although my dad's from Tennessee and John's from Texas, people keep moving west, he said, looking for a new opportunity or abandoning the last one that didn't work out. My dad left Tennessee as soon as he could and followed his older brother west to California, for instance, before the Army sent him two steps back to New Jersey before sending him overseas in 1943.

John Graves was a young Marine lieutenant in the Pacific and was wounded on Saipan. He recovered well but lost sight in one eye. I asked him if it affected his marksmanship (a Graves point of pride) and he admitted it did. Like many others, the GI Bill allowed him to continue his education, which he did at Columbia University, earning a master's degree. It was the 1950s. He traveled to Europe when it was cheap and led the life of a young American writer abroad at the same storied time as Hemingway and others. He wrote and for a while sailed the Meditteranean in his own boat--something I found unusual for a man growing up far from the coast. Europe was cheap then, even so, writing is rarely a profitable pursuit. The disability payment for his wounds must have helped pay his way until his career was established.

We met only one time, but we wrote back and forth; I always began my letters, "Dear Cousin John." He was amused but not truly comfortable with that. I bought every book he published and sent them to Texas for him to sign and mail back to me. My collection is small but very valuable to me.

Graves passed away Wednesday at age 92. I suppose the family is gathering at the ranch this weekend. I'll think about a good time to give them a call.

Korea, the "Forgotten War," was remembered Saturday, the 60th Anniversary of the armistice between North and South Korea, with the dedication of a Korean War Memorial site at the Presidio of San Francisco. Well over 100 people rose early to brave San Francisco's summer cool and fog to attend the site overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Noise from construction of a new bridge approach sometimes interrupted the ceremony, and traffic below the site produced a constant hum, a reminder that even at the Memorial, and the Civil War-era Golden Gate National Cemetery beyond it, time marches on.

Many who gathered shared a lot of gray hair. There were two wheelchairs, a few walkers and many canes. Red, Marine Corps caps punctuated the otherwise dark and somber jackets and overcoats. The South Korean veterans present displayed their medals. News reporters and cameramen were there in force, but fewer children. Two little ones belonged to San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell, who spoke about the memorial. (We in San Francisco have supervisors instead of city council members.) Another speaker was former U.S. Congressman Pete McCloskey, who was awarded the Navy Cross, Silver Star and two Purple Hearts as a Marine rifle platoon leader in Korea. He now leads The Korean War Memorial Foundation as its president. Consul General Han Dong-man of the Republic of Korea thanked the veterans present -- and America -- for his country's freedom and prosperity. Korean school kids sent the veterans here a bedsheet, hand lettered with their thanks and good wishes for old men who left their blood on Korean soil decades ago. American suffered over 33,000 killed in action. Another 7,000 are still missing.

Retired USMC Lt. Col. John Stevens (second from left in photo), spoke about the price paid for freedom, and said it was worth it to see a thriving modern South Korea, in contrast to a starving and impoverished North. Now 92 years old, a much younger Stevens led a company of Marines onto the Korean shore at Inchon.  All of America's armed forces fought in the three-year war, alongside soldiers of other United Nations members, but Korea is special to the Marines, and the Chosin Reservoir is one of the most significant battles in their history.

Korean War Memorial Foundation President McCloskey is charged with raising $3.1 million for the monument and nearby landscaping. The lion's share of the money goes to the Presidio Trust for maintenance of the monument-- in perpetuity, one hopes. When contributors were asked to identify themselves, only three or four arms rose from the audience. Four donors, all on the foundation board, have contributed $280,000 of the $300,000 on hand. The Marines must now win this financial battle, or Korea may remain the Forgotten War. You can donate at http://kwmf.org/donations/

San Francisco resident Odette Le Pendu has been decorated many times for her work with the French Resistance during WWII. On July 10, 2013, she was named Officer in the Legion of Honor, an elevation of her existing commendation, in a ceremony I was honored to attend.

Odette was born here in San Francisco to French parents, gaining dual citizenship. Her family returned to France and was unable to leave when Hitler invaded in 1940. Eighteen-year-old Odette joined the Resistance, at great risk to her parents and herself.

"There was no question," she said. "It had to be done."

Her command of French and English made her invaluable translating and transmitting radio messages. She was arrested and imprisoned by the Germans, until Swiss authorities intervened, pointing to her American citizenship. With the end of the war in sight, the Germans released her. She went right back to work for the Resistance.

She works now honoring American veterans of WWII.  It is a pleasure to know Odette and to share a little French wine with her, now and then.