Remembering Grandpa Murray on Veterans Day

My Late Grandpa Was a B-29 Tail Gunner who fought for Democracy

Written Ben Meiselas

Back when I was in law school, I carried my late grandpa’s World War II memorial belt buckle in my pocket during every exam I took. The buckle bore the insignia of the B-29 Superfortress he flew in, where he served as a tail gunner on 32 combat missions over the Pacific. He was awarded the Purple Heart and many other distinctions. Keeping that buckle close reminded me that no law school exam could compare to the sacrifices my Grandpa Murray made for our country during World War II.

My grandpa passed away many years ago, when I was in 8th grade, long before I entered law school. But as a young child, I remember how he would recount, often in vivid — perhaps too vivid — detail, his gun battles during the war. He’d use my teddy bear, named Teddy, as a prop to show me the flight patterns of his plane and the close calls he had with enemy forces. He was nearly shot down, but he persevered. The United States prevailed, and we defeated fascism.

On this Veterans Day, I find myself looking at that belt buckle again. And again. And again.

When I started MeidasTouch, I put the buckle in a display frame behind me, where it now sits in view during my videos. It reminds me not only of Grandpa Murray’s heroism but also of the courage of all our troops and veterans. I feel blessed to contribute to our democracy through this network my brothers and I created with all of you in the Meidas Mighty, though I confess that sometimes I wish I could do more. I know that I owe my very presence here to the sacrifices of veterans like Grandpa Murray and all those who serve and have served.

This is typically the part of an essay where one might quote FDR, Churchill, or a great general from World War II to reflect on the present moment, which may sometimes feel bleak and grim. But I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’ll quote my grandpa’s words whenever I visited him at his small house in Boca Raton, where he lived with my late Grandma Minnie by a large, swampy pond: “I love you, Benji. Let’s go fishing.” I was never much of a fisherman, and I often felt bad for the fish, if I’m being honest. But I always loved hearing Grandpa’s stories. I hope someday to take my future grandkids fishing and reflect on what we did to save democracy, even if my stories are far less exciting than Grandpa Murray’s.

I know my grandpa’s legacy lives on in the work we do and the media network we’ve built. I find myself looking more to that belt buckle for inspiration, calm, answers, and motivation. I refuse to let my grandpa’s sacrifices — and the great American dream he fought for — be taken away from us.

I know there’s a lot of work left to do. But I promise to make you proud, Grandpa. Happy Veterans Day.

Here is the belt buckle:

Here is my grandpa, his flight log, and his Purple Heart:

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