The backstory here is Durty disappeared for a short time in the early days of Covid. This was back when the Chicken Littles thought the WuFlu was going to be Captain Tripps and kill everybody.
Of course if Durty missed a couple of days of posting, it must mean he died of Covid
so I wrote a tongue-in-cheek eulogy for him (he didn't really have Covid, he was just busy with the real world).
Several months later, Swonk disappeared for a few days and I recycled the eulogy (with some edits) for Swonk.
I can find the Swonk version but I think the original Durty version has been forever lost in the ether. Swonk version:
https://gatorchatter.com/threads/swonkey-to-the-rescue.29057/#post-1191761
Durty famously married up, far outkicking his coverage, so one of the bits in his eulogy was about the line to hit on his lovely widow starting behind me. Tasteless? Yes. Mildly amusing? Also yes.
Durty is a great guy, smart, funny (though not as funny as his toe, but that remains a mystery and another backstory for another time) and he really has a beautiful young family.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery Durty. Chesty Puller famously said "There aren't enough Chinamen in the world to stop a fully armed Marine regiment from going where ever they want to go." I'll paraphrase and say there aren't enough Chinese germs in the world to stop a badass Marine like you. You and your family are in my prayers.
Alex.