Flag is out. Generator is running. No actual damage on the property except for the small already dying redbud tree that tipped over into the front yard. Could have gone a different direction and landed on cars.
Son in law is winding down his long stint in Naval Reserves. Dad served 15 months at the tail end of WW2. Spent his time stateside as a pharmacist’s mate. Older brother walked away from student deferment at the wrong time and saw a lot of Ho Chi Minh Trail with 101st. Infantry, not airborne. He came home but carries a lot of ghosts with him.
I always text him that I’m thinking of him on Memorial Day.
I used to tell our Marine friend that I slept better at night knowing he was watching over us. He is retired, but they are still doing that.
There is a Thornton Wilder play The Skin of Our Teeth. Humanity continues against all odds, by the skin of its teeth. We all have our obligations, and so it goes.
A terrific message, poignant. As a Vietnam veteran and US Army Captain, I feel your words about our people/country today. OG’s like me served in a war we didn’t understand because our country needed our service. I get frustrated/angry today at the attitudes of my generation which may conflict with peace/compromise with other age groups. Well written Doc and thank you Dick Kerin!
A good friend of mine and former marine study quite a bit of history. We are 3 generations and 75+ years removed from the Great War which is historically when civilizations collectively forget and often, repeat history. This is not that unusual when viewed against the long arc of history.
I agree today’s issues are our own doing and mostly about fighting over the spoils of prosperity and how to best look out for one another.
Our institution’s have been challenged in the recent decade and are withstanding that test from my vantage point.
I have not firgotten. My grandfather served in the European theater, my wife’s grandfather in the Pacific. My Dad served 36 years in the Air National Guard as a fighter pilot. My two brothers and I racked up 40 yrs part-time air guard service in exchange for GI bill benefits that allowed us to become engineers in IT, Power & Water supply industries.
My deepest sympathy and gratitude to anyone on this thread who lost a loved one fighting for our freedom’s.
So beautifully done...and tearful as these brave few remaining Vets are passing. I was one who bought drinks for a Korean Vet who used to come to the Pub up the street proudly wearing his Vet cap. Each time I came in and he was there I bought him a glass of wine. I would stop and talk to him a few minutes and thank him with tears in my eyes. It was a small jester, but not meant to make me feel better, as it saddened me. I shared that my father was in WWII in the Philippians. No one could feel the pain of this man, of the loss of his brothers who so valiantly fought for each other, and died in pits in each other's blood. It saddens me more that he lived to see now how may have forgotten, or don't even care to remember those horrific battles. And now history is being removed from the schools. We all have to learn thru trial and error...and now we have to start all over again. One week he didn't return for his escape from nightmares at the pub, and I knew I would never see him again. He is the second one we have lost there in the last few months. Few remain.
Perhaps those angry people who don't seem to care didn't have families who fought in WWI or WWII. They can't seem to get past our Civil War...and they can't seem to care about saving this beautiful Country by coming together for the benefit of all for our Freedoms and Democracy, to save our planet and nature in the name of Love...in the name of America the Beautiful.
Oh, I could go on and on. First, let's not forget that we still have brave patriotic men and women who volunteer to serve. After 9/11, volunteerism surged. We have become jaded after nearly 20 years of wars that didn't produce much in the way of a tangible outcome. There were no unconditional surrender. We just packed up and left. Today, very few Americans serve their country, be it in the military or any other capacity. Our military is like a mercenary force. Americans are critical of it without even understanding it. It's dangerous that so few serve, because then it easily can become just another part of the Government to fear and loathe. We see this from claims of a "woke" and soft military from people who've never picked up a rifle. Every year my wife and I watch the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. Last night they featured a female Marine who was a helicopter gunner. Her chopper went down and she was severely injured, including losing a leg. She has since climbed peaks on 6 of 7 continents. Hey Ted Cruz, this woman would lay you out in 3 seconds. I've known gay men and women who are far more fit than the average heterosexual male and definitely not pansies. You would not want to take them on.
I'm probably off topic but I believe that we need mandatory service of some sort for 2 years for all able-bodied men and women. Not only will this Instill a sense of pride and accomplishment, it will get us out of our bubbles and expose people to others who are different than them. It won't cure all our ills but it would be a good start.
Now the problem with the military is that DT asked his MAGA people to join up and learn how to fight...he also asked that of the police force. The military is now divided and I'm sure there is a lot of discrimination and bullying going on, trying to get the 'weak' to quit. He is preparing His MAGA Military.
Although I didn’t serve in the military I’m very proud of my dad who did in WWll, my brother in Vietnam and nephew in Desert Storm. Thank God they all returned safely to also enjoy the liberty they help bring to all Americans. The USA is far from perfect but the country I love despite our internal differences and global foes!
So glad you don't stick to sports. You engage with those you disagree with respect and intellect. Why do I feel like most of them are not capable of reciprocating?? Am I part of the problem?? Thanks Doc.
Absolutely loved your article today Doc. At 80 I cannot remember a day in my life that I took being an American for granted. My father fought and loved this country. He instilled this in me. I lean more conservative in my politics but that does not mean that I agree with the policies of either party now. I fear for my grandchildren and pray they realize they need to be responsible for upholding the values we espouse.
As the treasurer of the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association I got to work closely with Dick Kerin who was Chairmen of our Annual Football Clinic . We celebrate the SWOFCA / Dick Kerin Clinic each year in his honor. Dick and his buddies from the Greenhills American Legion Hall would provide the Color Guard for our yearly All Star game. Amongst the many great accomplishments that Dick achieved in his life, his love for his country but more importantly his love for his wife Ginny and family inspired me to be a better husband and father. Dick was a founding member of SWOFCA in 1954 and we are so grateful for his efforts . Thanks Doc for your best column yet!!
My dad coached baseball at Glenbard West HS outside Chicago, from 1957 to 1987. As you can imagine, more than a few of his ballplayers had a tour in VietNam. One of those exceptional young men was Bruce Capel. 6’3”, smart, athletic, movie star looks. Right out of central casting, and a great young man. He starred in both football and baseball at Glenbard. Graduated in 1961 and went to the University of Illinois to play football. He ended up as the backup center behind his road roomie Dick Butkus. UofI won the Big Ten title and Rose bowl his last year. Bruce was named to the Big Ten All-Academic team.
Bruce graduated in June 1965 and joined the US Marine Corps in Quantico, VA for platoon leader training. He also played on the base Marine football team. He had an option to extend his base stay and keep playing football, but he opted to go to VietNam, arriving in mid March 1966. 1Lt Bruce Capel died in a fire fight in mid May 1966, less than two months after arriving in Nam. Only 2 men in his platoon survived that day.
When Bruce arrived at Illinois, he had always worn #50, but that was also Dick Butkus’ long time number, so Bruce took #51. Dick was the #3 pick (Chicago Bears) in the NFL draft in late November 1965. By the time Dick arrived at Bears training camp in the early summer of 1966, Bruce had already been killed in action. Dick switched to Bruce’s #51 in his honor, wearing it to a Hall of Fame career.
We lost so many great young men & women. How does a country, state or city fill that hole? How does a country think of electing a man to be president who calls these heroes “suckers”? We owe it to Bruce Capel and Dick Kerin and thousands upon thousands of others to do better. To be a little less selfish.
We cannot waste their sacrifice. They deserve better from us.
We all deserve better than what we’ve got right now. We owe that to Dick. We owe that to ourselves. We owe that to the world. We should make sure our kids learn history, civics, discourse. Less standardized tests, more subtle reasoning.
We are who we were when, but we learn, grow and get better. We learn what we didn’t previously know. We shed the small jacket and grow into the knowledge of the larger one (from the Thomas Jefferson quote).
We haven’t gone backwards as much as we’ve lost our light, our purpose, our reason and responsibility for being.
So, yes, on Memorial Day especially we’d be very well served remembering who we are, as a collective unit “All that was once good and can be again”
“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as a civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
Flag is out. Generator is running. No actual damage on the property except for the small already dying redbud tree that tipped over into the front yard. Could have gone a different direction and landed on cars.
Son in law is winding down his long stint in Naval Reserves. Dad served 15 months at the tail end of WW2. Spent his time stateside as a pharmacist’s mate. Older brother walked away from student deferment at the wrong time and saw a lot of Ho Chi Minh Trail with 101st. Infantry, not airborne. He came home but carries a lot of ghosts with him.
I always text him that I’m thinking of him on Memorial Day.
I used to tell our Marine friend that I slept better at night knowing he was watching over us. He is retired, but they are still doing that.
There is a Thornton Wilder play The Skin of Our Teeth. Humanity continues against all odds, by the skin of its teeth. We all have our obligations, and so it goes.
A terrific message, poignant. As a Vietnam veteran and US Army Captain, I feel your words about our people/country today. OG’s like me served in a war we didn’t understand because our country needed our service. I get frustrated/angry today at the attitudes of my generation which may conflict with peace/compromise with other age groups. Well written Doc and thank you Dick Kerin!
A good friend of mine and former marine study quite a bit of history. We are 3 generations and 75+ years removed from the Great War which is historically when civilizations collectively forget and often, repeat history. This is not that unusual when viewed against the long arc of history.
I agree today’s issues are our own doing and mostly about fighting over the spoils of prosperity and how to best look out for one another.
Our institution’s have been challenged in the recent decade and are withstanding that test from my vantage point.
I have not firgotten. My grandfather served in the European theater, my wife’s grandfather in the Pacific. My Dad served 36 years in the Air National Guard as a fighter pilot. My two brothers and I racked up 40 yrs part-time air guard service in exchange for GI bill benefits that allowed us to become engineers in IT, Power & Water supply industries.
My deepest sympathy and gratitude to anyone on this thread who lost a loved one fighting for our freedom’s.
So beautifully done...and tearful as these brave few remaining Vets are passing. I was one who bought drinks for a Korean Vet who used to come to the Pub up the street proudly wearing his Vet cap. Each time I came in and he was there I bought him a glass of wine. I would stop and talk to him a few minutes and thank him with tears in my eyes. It was a small jester, but not meant to make me feel better, as it saddened me. I shared that my father was in WWII in the Philippians. No one could feel the pain of this man, of the loss of his brothers who so valiantly fought for each other, and died in pits in each other's blood. It saddens me more that he lived to see now how may have forgotten, or don't even care to remember those horrific battles. And now history is being removed from the schools. We all have to learn thru trial and error...and now we have to start all over again. One week he didn't return for his escape from nightmares at the pub, and I knew I would never see him again. He is the second one we have lost there in the last few months. Few remain.
Perhaps those angry people who don't seem to care didn't have families who fought in WWI or WWII. They can't seem to get past our Civil War...and they can't seem to care about saving this beautiful Country by coming together for the benefit of all for our Freedoms and Democracy, to save our planet and nature in the name of Love...in the name of America the Beautiful.
Very good. Very moving.
Oh, I could go on and on. First, let's not forget that we still have brave patriotic men and women who volunteer to serve. After 9/11, volunteerism surged. We have become jaded after nearly 20 years of wars that didn't produce much in the way of a tangible outcome. There were no unconditional surrender. We just packed up and left. Today, very few Americans serve their country, be it in the military or any other capacity. Our military is like a mercenary force. Americans are critical of it without even understanding it. It's dangerous that so few serve, because then it easily can become just another part of the Government to fear and loathe. We see this from claims of a "woke" and soft military from people who've never picked up a rifle. Every year my wife and I watch the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. Last night they featured a female Marine who was a helicopter gunner. Her chopper went down and she was severely injured, including losing a leg. She has since climbed peaks on 6 of 7 continents. Hey Ted Cruz, this woman would lay you out in 3 seconds. I've known gay men and women who are far more fit than the average heterosexual male and definitely not pansies. You would not want to take them on.
I'm probably off topic but I believe that we need mandatory service of some sort for 2 years for all able-bodied men and women. Not only will this Instill a sense of pride and accomplishment, it will get us out of our bubbles and expose people to others who are different than them. It won't cure all our ills but it would be a good start.
Now the problem with the military is that DT asked his MAGA people to join up and learn how to fight...he also asked that of the police force. The military is now divided and I'm sure there is a lot of discrimination and bullying going on, trying to get the 'weak' to quit. He is preparing His MAGA Military.
Although I didn’t serve in the military I’m very proud of my dad who did in WWll, my brother in Vietnam and nephew in Desert Storm. Thank God they all returned safely to also enjoy the liberty they help bring to all Americans. The USA is far from perfect but the country I love despite our internal differences and global foes!
So glad you don't stick to sports. You engage with those you disagree with respect and intellect. Why do I feel like most of them are not capable of reciprocating?? Am I part of the problem?? Thanks Doc.
Absolutely loved your article today Doc. At 80 I cannot remember a day in my life that I took being an American for granted. My father fought and loved this country. He instilled this in me. I lean more conservative in my politics but that does not mean that I agree with the policies of either party now. I fear for my grandchildren and pray they realize they need to be responsible for upholding the values we espouse.
As the treasurer of the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association I got to work closely with Dick Kerin who was Chairmen of our Annual Football Clinic . We celebrate the SWOFCA / Dick Kerin Clinic each year in his honor. Dick and his buddies from the Greenhills American Legion Hall would provide the Color Guard for our yearly All Star game. Amongst the many great accomplishments that Dick achieved in his life, his love for his country but more importantly his love for his wife Ginny and family inspired me to be a better husband and father. Dick was a founding member of SWOFCA in 1954 and we are so grateful for his efforts . Thanks Doc for your best column yet!!
https://youtu.be/ydWhRObVxrM?si=OR0_mStqF5CMXIcs
All gave some. Some gave all.
My dad coached baseball at Glenbard West HS outside Chicago, from 1957 to 1987. As you can imagine, more than a few of his ballplayers had a tour in VietNam. One of those exceptional young men was Bruce Capel. 6’3”, smart, athletic, movie star looks. Right out of central casting, and a great young man. He starred in both football and baseball at Glenbard. Graduated in 1961 and went to the University of Illinois to play football. He ended up as the backup center behind his road roomie Dick Butkus. UofI won the Big Ten title and Rose bowl his last year. Bruce was named to the Big Ten All-Academic team.
Bruce graduated in June 1965 and joined the US Marine Corps in Quantico, VA for platoon leader training. He also played on the base Marine football team. He had an option to extend his base stay and keep playing football, but he opted to go to VietNam, arriving in mid March 1966. 1Lt Bruce Capel died in a fire fight in mid May 1966, less than two months after arriving in Nam. Only 2 men in his platoon survived that day.
When Bruce arrived at Illinois, he had always worn #50, but that was also Dick Butkus’ long time number, so Bruce took #51. Dick was the #3 pick (Chicago Bears) in the NFL draft in late November 1965. By the time Dick arrived at Bears training camp in the early summer of 1966, Bruce had already been killed in action. Dick switched to Bruce’s #51 in his honor, wearing it to a Hall of Fame career.
We lost so many great young men & women. How does a country, state or city fill that hole? How does a country think of electing a man to be president who calls these heroes “suckers”? We owe it to Bruce Capel and Dick Kerin and thousands upon thousands of others to do better. To be a little less selfish.
We cannot waste their sacrifice. They deserve better from us.
Emotionally stirring. Appreciate you always being willing to tell it like it is.
This might be your GOAT, Doc.
We all deserve better than what we’ve got right now. We owe that to Dick. We owe that to ourselves. We owe that to the world. We should make sure our kids learn history, civics, discourse. Less standardized tests, more subtle reasoning.
We are who we were when, but we learn, grow and get better. We learn what we didn’t previously know. We shed the small jacket and grow into the knowledge of the larger one (from the Thomas Jefferson quote).
We haven’t gone backwards as much as we’ve lost our light, our purpose, our reason and responsibility for being.
So, yes, on Memorial Day especially we’d be very well served remembering who we are, as a collective unit “All that was once good and can be again”
…can it? I pray…
“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as a civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1816
Purposeful thinking on a Sunday night?
After the Reds sweep the Dodgers, the Indy 500 or any number of other sporting topics?
Thank you.