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stephenPE

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Jul 20, 2014
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Good thread. Great story. I was holding my brother's hand when he died. He was 44 yrs old so he lived some life and some would say he lived it fairly fast. He was a veteran. About 10 yrs after he died a boy called me asking to speak to "Brad". He was Kevin to me but I knew it was someone he met after he changed high schools. This "boy" had been in the army with Kevin and wanted to express his gratitude for my brother's guidance, friendship and help back then. I had to tell him Kevin was gone. Still miss my little brother.
 

gingerlover

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Sep 20, 2014
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Those kill me. I have an 8 year old and 1 year old boy. My biggest fear in life is something happening to me and them growing up without their father. They would have amazing men in their life to guide them (grandparents, uncles, family friends), but it's not the same. Those that sacrificed while knowing what could be left behind have my upmost respect.
 

CDGator

Not Seedy
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Jul 24, 2020
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Those kill me. I have an 8 year old and 1 year old boy. My biggest fear in life is something happening to me and them growing up without their father. They would have amazing men in their life to guide them (grandparents, uncles, family friends), but it's not the same. Those that sacrificed while knowing what could be left behind have my upmost respect.

One of the most difficult things for us to do was to write a will and appoint a guardian for our children if something catastrophic happened. We have wonderful family members that would step in but it just wouldn't be the same. It took us years to do it but it did finally give us peace of mind to have it done.
 

Marine1

Semper Fidelis
Dec 20, 2015
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I spent 2 1/2 years on a ceremonial squad as an additional duty. I went kicking and screaming as nearly all details were at night or on weekends. We presented the colors at ballgames, civic activities, etc. We donned dress blues and traveled in school buses with no A/C. The reward was the groups always gave us plenty to drink and we got laid a few times.
Then I moved over to the funeral detail....either as pallbearer or rifle detail doing 21 gun salutes. Did one where we presented a flag to the oldest son who might have been all of 8 years old. All of us tough Marines had tears streaming down our face and fought hard not to lose it altogether as taps played and that child struggled to be the “man of the house”. A Marine funeral is as solemn as it gets and often very emotional.

I buried many Marines and it was the honor of my life.
 

deuce

Founding Member
"Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war."
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Jun 11, 2014
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I spent 2 1/2 years on a ceremonial squad as an additional duty. I went kicking and screaming as nearly all details were at night or on weekends. We presented the colors at ballgames, civic activities, etc. We donned dress blues and traveled in school buses with no A/C. The reward was the groups always gave us plenty to drink and we got laid a few times.
Then I moved over to the funeral detail....either as pallbearer or rifle detail doing 21 gun salutes. Did one where we presented a flag to the oldest son who might have been all of 8 years old. All of us tough Marines had tears streaming down our face and fought hard not to lose it altogether as taps played and that child struggled to be the “man of the house”. A Marine funeral is as solemn as it gets and often very emotional.

I buried many Marines and it was the honor of my life.

Semper Fi !
 

Nalt

Well-Known Member
Jul 23, 2020
6,657
18,146
I spent 2 1/2 years on a ceremonial squad as an additional duty. I went kicking and screaming as nearly all details were at night or on weekends. We presented the colors at ballgames, civic activities, etc. We donned dress blues and traveled in school buses with no A/C. The reward was the groups always gave us plenty to drink and we got laid a few times.
Then I moved over to the funeral detail....either as pallbearer or rifle detail doing 21 gun salutes. Did one where we presented a flag to the oldest son who might have been all of 8 years old. All of us tough Marines had tears streaming down our face and fought hard not to lose it altogether as taps played and that child struggled to be the “man of the house”. A Marine funeral is as solemn as it gets and often very emotional.

I buried many Marines and it was the honor of my life.
Thank you for all that you've done for this country and for those families of the Marines that were lost.
 

stephenPE

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Jul 20, 2014
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Those kill me. I have an 8 year old and 1 year old boy. My biggest fear in life is something happening to me and them growing up without their father. They would have amazing men in their life to guide them (grandparents, uncles, family friends), but it's not the same. Those that sacrificed while knowing what could be left behind have my upmost respect.
that was me, Ginger. I had it done and in the clear. Then my dumasss had two more kids.........well, at least it makes me more health conscience and active to hang around much longer...........
Did one where we presented a flag to the oldest son who might have been all of 8 years old. All of us tough Marines had tears streaming down our face and fought hard not to lose it altogether as taps played and that child struggled to be the “man of the house”.
I few years ago a student of mine that had to be the adult at the funeral. He may have been 12. His dad died from long drug abuse. Mom was the same. I never saw anything more impressive than Saul up there by the casket consoling people and letting them talk about his dad. He is my son's best friend. Thankfully his grandmother stepped in long ago to raise him and his two younger brothers. Thank you for your service as always.
 

Treebeard

Oops, just stepped on a Lorax.
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Dec 23, 2015
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The most-deserved belt in history was given to Bridger Walker the little boy who saved his little sister from a German shepherd dog. He had 90 stitches all over his body, but saved his three-year-old sister from certain death. And had stated ′′ If anyone has to die, it's me, I'm the big brother." The World Boxing Council (WBC) recognized him as a full-time world champion. He has the official WBC historical record, of being the best fighter in the world for one day.

Brave six-year-old Bridger Walker smiles as he holds WBC belt after being named ‘Honorary Champion’ following dog attack - Sporting Excitement



165276276_152108446795750_2863600023105232517_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
Jun 2, 2015
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I was with my 25 year old son when he died..... It was the hardest, most traumatic thing I have ever experienced... but if my voice telling him that I loved him was the last thing he heard, it was a Blessing.

Excuse me while I dry my eyes...

So very sorry to hear that you lost your son. I can't think of any worst heartache than losing a son or daughter.
 

stephenPE

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Jul 20, 2014
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Something I wrote two years ago for FB:

Two years ago on this day one of my best friends left this earth. We talked almost everyday on the phone. I would take the kids to see him every weekend in Branford after Kathy passed away. He always had time to listen to me and engage me in conversation about the gators or national politics. His journey in life began in 1930 as the youngest child of Fred and Ernie Acree. He was a walking encyclopedia of family information. Not a week goes by when I really need to talk to him or ask him about somebody or better yet tell him about someone we knew. He taught me so much and I always knew he had my back and loved me unconditionally. It is the least a father can do for his child. You could learn more fishing with him than in any classroom you ever sat in. Mike, Kevin and I were so fortunate to have him. Friends called him Stu, or Stuart or even Stuff. We called him daddy until we had kids and then it was dad. Yesterday, I saw two darling little boys at the Dollar General with their father. They must have called him daddy a dozen times the few minutes I observed them. It took me back to my childhood. I was so lucky to have him as my daddy. I am not sad today. I am just recalling how lucky I was.
 

stephenPE

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Jul 20, 2014
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This guy is good. Sometimes great. I thought this was great. I get one each day in my email.




Holy Joes
SEAN DIETRICH MAY 8, 2021
He sat alone in a breakfast joint. He was old, wearing wrinkled clothes, with white stubble on his chin, like he forgot to shave. He was doing a crossword puzzle.

When I am old, I will forget to shave and do crosswords.

He wore a Navy ball cap with scrambled-egg embellishments on the bill, his reading glasses on his nose.

Buck Owens was overhead singing “Together Again.”

I pulled up a stool beside him. Socially distanced, of course. We micro-smiled at each other. The waitress handed me a menu, I gave it back and replied, “Three eggs, sunny, and bacon, please.”

The old guy and I exchanged another formal grin. Minutes went by. He broke the ice first. “Where’s home, fella?”

When I am old, I will call strangers fella.

I jerked a thumb behind me. “About three hours that way. You?”

He laughed. “Nineteen hours in the other direction. On vacation with my kids in Crawfordville this week.” He looked at me over his readers. “Had to get outta the condo, my granddaughters were driving me insane.”

The waitress refilled his mug. The man used six packets of sugar in his coffee.

I will someday use six packets of sugar.

The inscription on his ballcap caught my eyes, it read: “Navy Chaplain Corps.”

I pointed to his hat. “Bet I can guess what you did for a living.”

The man smiled. “Yep. I’m an inactive chaplain—there’s no such thing as a retired chaplain.”

“So, how’d you get into the business of saving Navy souls?”

He laughed again. “Well, I didn’t save’em. I just listened to a lot of’em talk.”

Silence.

He added, “My daddy was a preacher. But that ain’t what made me wanna be a Holy Joe.”

“What did?”

“Oh, lotta things.” He looked at me with eyes of slate blue, the color of dungarees. “You ever hear of the SS Dorchester?”

I shook my head. “Was that your ship?”

“No way. The Dorchester was back during the War Against Hitler, in ‘43. I was busy filling diapers in ‘43. You weren’t even a glint in your grandfather’s eye.”

I will also tell youngsters they weren’t glints in their grandfathers’ eyes.

“The Dorchester was a troop transporter, carrying 904 passengers. They were in a three-ship convoy in the North Atlantic when they sank.”

“Sank?”

“Sank.” He nudged his cap backward and acknowledged a young waitress who had joined our little conversational soirée. I got the feeling the old preacher didn’t get captive audiences like this anymore.

“How’d it sink?” asked the waitress.

“Torpedoed.” He clapped once. “The Dorchester got attacked by a German sub, middle of the night, just off Newfoundland. Enemy fire knocked out the electrical system, left 904 folks in the pitch dark.”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice for effect.

The waitress leaned in too.

“You wanna talk fear, fella? Try being stuck in the North Atlantic in the dark.”

He let the melodrama breathe for a few moments, then pretended to work on his puzzle again. He was probably waiting for us to beg him to keep talking.

Preachers.

“So what happened?”

The Holy Joe shrugged. “Panic. Suddenly, the crew was going ape, screaming. The ship was going down. Crewmen were trapped below deck. Game over. No hope.”

By now, another young waitress had joined storytime circle.

“So,” the old man went on, “guess who helps organize an orderly evacuation, guess who calms everyone down and keeps 900 people from losing it?” He thumped his hat. “Chaplains. There were four of’em on the Dorchester.”

He placed four fingers on the bartop. “George Fox, Alex Goode, John Washington, and Clark Poling—a Catholic priest, a rabbi, and two old-school preachers.”

The waitress interjected. “I’m Methodist.”

Everyone paused to look at the young woman with confused but polite smiles.

“Well, I am,” she said quietly.

I attempted to bring us back on track. “So they sank?”

“I’m getting to that part. See, these four chaplains were in charge of getting the panicked and wounded to safety, but first they had to pass out life jackets to everyone—in the dark, mind you—and that’s when it all hit the fan.”

He froze to add more tension. This guy was a showman.

“So what happened?” said the professed Methodist.

“What happened is they ran outta life jackets, and without those, you’re dead. Lotta men died.

“Survivors said the only thing you could hear that night were prayers in Hebrew, English, and Latin, filling the air—it was the voices of the chaplains. The chaplains never quit praying. There were 674 lives lost at sea.”

“Wow,” muttered the waitress.

I looked downward at my coffee and thought about brave men I never knew.

The old man’s voice hushed. “Survivors were swimming away from the wreckage, dog paddling through 34-degree water. Some said they looked at the ship behind them, in the glow of the emergency flares, and you know what they saw?”

“What?”

“The four chaplains were removing their own life jackets and giving their jackets away to save others, while the ship was going down.”

The old man had glazed eyes now. “Last thing anyone remembers seeing was one priest, one rabbi, and two preachers, holding hands, linking arms with crewmen, and singing hymns. The waves crashed in, swallowed everyone whole, killed’em. And those four chaplains went down singing.”

He turned back to his crossword. “That’s what made me wanna be a chaplain.”
 

Spectator

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2021
868
1,594
True Story: I once was riding in a work truck, and the driver was on the cell/radio talking to his nephew who was lost going to a job for the same business in the next county. He thought the big H on the sign meant Highway.

184647837_4224948720848516_4001418169996729459_n.jpg
 

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