Lolo Charles Hankins

May pinsan kaming nagbigay ng documents sa mom ko on how we could possibly apply for US visa being (distant) descendants of an American serviceman. Di ko masyadong pinansin yung application procedure dahil feeling ko it's a very long shot. But what caught my attention were the details about our greatgrandlolo Charles Hankins. Maraming info don na ngayon ko lang nalaman and some of them actually cleared notions which I thought were facts.

Si Charles ay lolo ng tatay ko. Born in Tennessee on August 16, 1861, this light-blue eyed, brown-haired man earned his medical degree from the University of Texas (akala ko dati dentist sya). He married Laura Crescini who is an Irish (Irish-Italian siguro). World War I brought him to the Philippines. He was part of the US armed forces. Ito ang pinaka-interesting, he was discharged from service because he couldn't march. Why? Because he has flat feet (yes, both feet) and general obesity (kita naman sa picture, halos di mag-abot yung butones ng shirt nya). He later on settled in Odiongan, Romblom. Dun na rin pinanganak yung mga anak nya. My dad's papa, Alexander, is the eldest child. Isa sa mga anak ni Lolo Alex ay pinangalanan nyang Charles.

Isa sa mga documents na nakita ko ay yung request nya to be transferred to a military hospital in Caloocan. Hanep, ang galing nyang mag-english. Nagulat ako sa writing stroke nya, parehong-pareho sila ng handwriting ng tatay ko. Namamana siguro yon.

Nakakatuwa di ba? Feeling ko I unearthed an unkown part of me. If I have the time, I want to know more the family's history which will make me know more about myself.

A man's history doesn't begin the day he was born. It started way before that.