Terry T. Sliter, of Abilene, Texas, made the 2,200 trip with his 22-year-old son Braxton and 18-year-old daughter Kaitlyn “Peach Fuzz” to show them where their grandfather — Terry D. Sliter — grew up and played high school football.

They met up with local firefighter Gifford Hosler, who was Terry D. Sliter’s good friend from when they both went to Petrova Elementary School.

When they left school, Terry D. Sliter enlisted in the Marines and moved away. The two lost contact for a long time, but reconnected over social media several years ago.

Terry D. Sliter died on Aug. 18, 2020 from lung cancer.

Terry D. Sliter (Provided photo)

He had fought in Vietnam. His barber in Da Nang turned out to be a Viet Cong soldier. He didn’t know this until there was a firefight and he saw his barber firing at him. His only thought was “What the hell man?” Terry T. Sliter said.

When Terry D. Sliter got out of the military, he moved to Abilene, Texas, where he had family.

Terry T. Sliter said his father was a hardworking man, a truck driver with the CB handle “Dirty Harry.” At the Texan VFWs, he was known as “Yankee.”

His father was exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange in Vietnam, Terry T. Sliter said, and suffered health complications, including diabetes which led to him being a double amputee. Veterans exposed to Agent Orange have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Terry T. Sliter said his father loved his grandchildren dearly.

A yearbook photo of the Saranac Lake football team showing Terry D. Sliter in the center of the back row, taller than the rest of his classmates. (Provided photo)

“He knew no limits,” Terry T. Sliter said. “He had the biggest heart.”

He has wanted to bring his kids here for a while to show them where their grandfather grew up. Terry T. Sliter said the NFL helped out a bit.

He’s a huge Jets fan. His 22-year-old son is a Texans fan. So when the two teams were scheduled for a Thursday Night Football game on Halloween game in New Jersey, the timing worked well for them to make a sojourn to Saranac Lake.

Hosler showed them around. The house Terry D. Sliter grew up in is pretty beat up now, with broken windows and doors, Terry T. Sliter said.

But the Wilson-Raymond field at Petrova Elementary School where his father played football looks pretty much the same as it did back then.

A yearbook photo of the Saranac Lake football team showing Terry D. Sliter in the center of the back row, taller than the rest of his classmates. (Provided photo)

Terry T. Sliter took photos of his father’s burial flag in the same end zone where team’s yearbook photo was taken.

“I told my dad, ‘You made it to the end zone one more time, Dad,'” he said.

Terry D. Sliter was a solid scorer for Saranac Lake football and basketball teams. There are newspaper clippings of his exploits, including photos of him dunking. Terry T. Sliter said his father was always a foot taller than everyone else and never lost an arm wrestling match.

They also visited the World War I monument on Church Street, where Terry T. Sliter’s great-grandfather’s name is engraved.

Terry T. Sliter had been in Saranac Lake once before with his father, who drove him here when he was 14 to visit his grandmother in Lake Placid.

A yearbook photo of the Saranac Lake football team showing Terry D. Sliter in the center of the back row, taller than the rest of his classmates. (Provided photo)

Terry T. Sliter said it meant a lot to him now to see the village again and while it was probably more sentimental for him than it was for his kids right now, he knows this trip will be something they’ll appreciate throughout life.

“I know my dad was very proud,” he said.

To be able to visit his father’s hometown, and honor his military service, athleticism and love for family, made the trip priceless, Terry T. Sliter said.