He was a big man when he was younger.Stout as an ox and friendly as a pup. He was a vetern of WWII and carried those emotional and mental scars to his grave. He had been homless most of his adult life but did have a little trailer that he stayed in just before he died. He had seen much action in the war and just couldn't get it out of his mind. Just a simple country boy that had tasted the "outside" world and couldn't handle it. He would work for farmers for a few bucks --to buy more booze. Of course, most employers took advantage of'm -work'm like a dog and pay him just enough to buy a 6 pak. He was so big and stout he'd pick up fairly large sized calves and load'm right in the back of stock trucks. As he got older and his health failed more and more the employers became less and less. He turned even more to the bottle then. As a younger man he'd go to the local grocery store and walk on in toward the meat counter where the owner stayed. "Gord, [short for Gordon] pounda bolony, chaw bak, ma tik"! He'd take his bolony, "chaw bak" and head for a place where he could eat. His old mother always run a little ticket and paid up every month when the "G'vmt" check came. He went to bed in the little trailer, in the dead of winter, no heat, drunk, passed out--with a "hand rolled cigarette". Third degree burns over about 80% of his old worn out body. He live about a week and then died. Just a few went to his funeral--! What could've been done differently that might have helped him? I don't know! Some of us did try to help'm but apparently he was too far gone by then. A wasted life-lost to the ravages of booze. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@pcinetwork.com), November 09, 2000

Answers

How cruel and sad was this poor man's existance. How much he gave and sacrificed for you and me. We are free because of him and he was imprisoned within himself - for us. I think it's criminal that folks could even think of taking advantage of a gentleman and a hero such as this man was. God bless all the veterans and shame on those of us who take them for granted!

Greenthumbelina (S.FL)

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), November 10, 2000.