ATLANTA — The photograph is creased and torn. Tape from all the places it's been hung still rests on its frame. For eight decades, the picture honored the man Gerald Layson looked up to most: his dad.
Gerald has carried this photograph with him his entire life as a memory of the service and sacrifice his Dad made for our country.
James Layson was born on April 3, 1914, in Monticello, Georgia and was stationed at Angel Island in California before he deployed during World War II.
He took this picture as a US Army Private in 1941 before he shipped out.
James was captured by enemy soldiers shortly after deployment and spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war. He survived the Bataan Death March, starvation, and abuse, but his son says he left it all overseas. He was not bitter or unkind. He believed in forgiveness.
Gerald's dad was a good man who cared deeply about his family, and those roots run deep. Gerald has always dreamed of visiting the rock where his dad stood and recreating that powerful image.
James died of a heart attack when Gerald was just 21, and the picture made him feel close to his father. But he never imagined it would happen.
However, when their family was invited to a wedding in California, Gerald's daughter knew she wanted to make his lifelong dream a reality.
Point Blunt is on the south side of Angel Island and is closed to the public.
Gerald's daughter, Christi Evangelo, wrote to the state park to ask if they could secure special permission for her Dad to visit the rock.
"His wish to stand where his father once stood, in light of all my grandfather endured, is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by previous generations," she wrote.
Not only did the park permit them, a ranger offered transportation and a personal tour.
Gerald got to stand on that same rock in his father's footsteps.
"This was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I have heard my daddy talk about wanting to sit on that rock his dad sat on for my entire life. Getting to watch him fulfill that dream was so emotional. Seeing him finally sit there was incredibly emotional. It was a powerful moment of connection to our family’s history, one that I’ll never forget," said Evangelo.
Gerald waited at that rock long after the last picture was taken. He sat and remembered his Dad. It's an image he'll never forget.
