Cranky Bastard

Happy Veteran's Day. With 18 service people having been killed in just the Fallujah battles of the past couple of days and over a thousand total dead in Iraq, there is no more appropriate time to pay tribute. My great-uncle Tip was a Navy man, Lt. Commander, on the USS Mingo (sub) among others in the 40's. In his brief life story, he notes how time after time, he was spared his life by normal curious turns of events. You get a sense that he has pondered this frequently, that he has wondered why he was allowed to live. One answer may be that he became one of the most generous philanthropists in Lexington, Ky. His work for years and years at Shriners, Lion's Club, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and other charities give us some clue as to his drive to make his life worthwhile. For Uncle Tip and the millions of others that have served the country, thank you, thank you, thank you!