Posted: 12/31/2009 12:52:31 PM EDT
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I got a story ...
I just got done with a long handwritten letter. It all began when I was searching on the internet, looking for an expert in an unnamed .mil discipline ... I found a name, but it was a common name, and so I started searching the surrounding towns to see if I could locate this potential expert with this common name. Here's what happened ... I dialed two or three of the numbers and got a message machine or no answer. Then bingo, somebody answered - a nice lady. I explained who I was and what I was looking for and she said "Hold on, that's my grandad, he was in the war" "Okay" I says, "put him on the horn". Rustling in the background, loud talking, then he was on the phone. I say hello, he says "I'm damn near deaf ... would you speak the hell up" .. "Okay" I yell. Anyhow, though the same name, he was not the man I was looking for, but by coincidence, was of the same mil disclipline in W W II. Wierd, cool. We got to talking. Somewhere during the chat, deadpan, he told me that he had been a "Guest of the Emperor" for much of W W-II. I had to ask at a holler what that meant. Turns out he was captured after the surrender at Corregidor. 
I didn't have to be told the significance of Corregidor. 
Damn. Damn it to hell for all of our guys pushed against the wall there. Finally we were done and I thanked him for his service and all that it meant. I hung up. Then I airdropped him in some supplies ... a bottle of Jack Daniels, Salt Lick Barbeque, a LT goody bag, and some other stuff. He sent me the long letter ... said Jack Daniels was his favorite ... loved the barbeque ... said the grandson was headed out, then added that he was now in-country and when he told the grandson about our call, the grandson knew all about us, the new rifle, the whole shabang. Small world. Damn allergies ... I could barely see through much of his writing. Anyhow, thought y'all would like to hear about "The Letter" . 
M. LaRue |
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Awesome...Keep up the good work Mark. I appreciate all that you do for our soldiers...past and present. It feels good support a company when I know that the money I spend with them will help out a good cause. Well said. Great read Mark thanks for the post. We should all take, if we find ourselves with it, the opportunity to talk to the men that fought for our country during that war, they truly were the Greatest Generation and there is something for everybody to learn from them. |
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Good on you sir for thanking a man from THAT generation.
I had a customer of my camera store that we saw on a near weekly basis...always dressed in Khaki pants & shirt, white under shirt w/ white socks & black polished shoes. Being the ignorant idiot I can be  I asked about his clothes always being the same he told me its all I wore for close to 30 years, why fuck up a good look . After that he told me what he did in his younger years, he served on the Yorktown. I just wish I asked more about that time.
7mm |
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Quoted:
I got a story ... I just got done with a long handwritten letter. It all began when I was searching on the internet, looking for an expert in an unnamed .mil discipline ... I found a name, but it was a common name, and so I started searching the surrounding towns to see if I could locate this potential expert with this common name. Here's what happened ... I dialed two or three of the numbers and got a message machine or no answer. Then bingo, somebody answered - a nice lady. I explained who I was and what I was looking for and she said "Hold on, that's my grandad, he was in the war" "Okay" I says, "put him on the horn". Rustling in the background, loud talking, then he was on the phone. I say hello, he says "I'm damn near deaf ... would you speak the hell up" .. "Okay" I yell. Anyhow, though the same name, he was not the man I was looking for, but by coincidence, was of the same mil disclipline in W W II. Wierd, cool. We got to talking. Somewhere during the chat, deadpan, he told me that he had been a "Guest of the Emperor" for much of W W-II. I had to ask at a holler what that meant. Turns out he was captured after the surrender at Corregidor.
I didn't have to be told the significance of Corregidor.
Damn. Damn it to hell for all of our guys pushed against the wall there. Finally we were done and I thanked him for his service and all that it meant. I hung up. Then I airdropped him in some supplies ... a bottle of Jack Daniels, Salt Lick Barbeque, a LT goody bag, and some other stuff. He sent me the long letter ... said Jack Daniels was his favorite ... loved the barbeque ... said the grandson was headed out, then added that he was now in-country and when he told the grandson about our call, the grandson knew all about us, the new rifle, the whole shabang. Small world. Damn allergies ... I could barely see through much of his writing. Anyhow, thought y'all would like to hear about "The Letter" .
M. LaRue Thanks for relating the story. Fantastic coincidence. |
That's awesome. I had similar experience on Veteran's Day at one of the local Legion's ceremonies. It was couple of years ago, the gentleman appeared to be in his ninties, was a Sergeant of Marines and was still able to wear his Dress Green Alpha's. I assisted him because he had his EGA's with the anchors pointing outward. Spoke with him at length. Not about anything important. Subject came up where he served. Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Enough said. Semper Fi.
Thanks Mr. LaRue for what you do! 
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard. 
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark |
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Mark,
Thanks for sharing that story with us. With so many of those heroes dying every day, it is nice to read that another story got out before he passed. My father in law is 83 and a Navy vet from the Pacific. He is starting to relate more and more small stories. He only recently let out that he has an Arisaka carbine that he took off a dead soldier in Saipan. All of this time he has been hiding the rifle in a closet. Thanks again, Happy New Year. |
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark This is an awesome idea. ETA: Out of necessity I learned to drink coffee any way I could get it. Therefore I have stopped visiting starbucks, there was perfectly good coffee (OK it was hot...if it wasn't hot there was a microwave close by) all over the hospital. If they started a program like this I'd go the extra 1/2 mile down the road. |
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There was a SB's in Rockford Il. last year that did something similar. You could buy and donate a pound or 1/2 pound of coffee that the store would then send to the troops.
I believe it was a woman who worked in the store and her son was in Afghanistan, so it went to where he was. Great cause, I bought a pound every time I went thru there. Quoted:
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark |
I've known of several Starbucks that do a coffee for troops drive a couple times a year. Customers that enter the store are asked if they would like to buy a lb or 1/2 lb of coffee to send over to the troops. After is all said and done, the store will ship all the donated coffee over to our boys in country. Now whether or not that coffee makes it past the DIV or BDE HQ TOC is another question  .
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark This is an awesome idea. ETA: Out of necessity I learned to drink coffee any way I could get it. Therefore I have stopped visiting starbucks, there was perfectly good coffee (OK it was hot...if it wasn't hot there was a microwave close by) all over the hospital. If they started a program like this I'd go the extra 1/2 mile down the road. Maybe it could be a $5 gift certificate that they could use just like a $5 bill at any Starbucks ... ... with the idea that a soldier would be okay with accepting one of those from a stranger in an airport. ETA - Since I don't know how much coffees are at Starbucks, maybe make it like a $10 bill ? |
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yep, at MINEMUM, a soldier in uniform at a SB should not have to pull out his/her wallet.
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark This is an awesome idea. ETA: Out of necessity I learned to drink coffee any way I could get it. Therefore I have stopped visiting starbucks, there was perfectly good coffee (OK it was hot...if it wasn't hot there was a microwave close by) all over the hospital. If they started a program like this I'd go the extra 1/2 mile down the road. Maybe it could be a $5 gift certificate that they could use just like a $5 bill at any Starbucks ... ... with the idea that a soldier would be okay with accepting one of those from a stranger in an airport. ETA - Since I don't know how much coffees are at Starbucks, maybe make it like a $10 bill ? |
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Mark - SB has these little plastic cards, they're about 1/4 the size of a credit card. I buy several of those and put $5 on each. I keep a couple in my wallet and give them to the .mil guys I run across. Works great. Thanks for sharing the letter and have a happy new year! |
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark Indeed, but I like the look on their faces when told from the flight attendant to get their gear and take a seat in 1st class! 
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Quoted: Quoted: Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way. Thanks for setting the standard. Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark Wait, you mean you don't just fly your navion everywhere??? |
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Mark, you do in a large-scale way what most of us do in a small way.
Thanks for setting the standard.
Happy 2010 and Beyond Speaking of which, I wished Starbucks had and would sell a "Buy a Soldier a Coffee" certificate or something like it. I know from experience that it's tough to get a soldier in an airport to accept cash for a future coffee ... Maybe one of you guys got connections at Starbucks and can spearhead getting them to sell some nice printed-up gift-certificates ... good for any sort of coffee a soldier guy/gal may want. And Happy New Year to you all too. Mark Wait, you mean you don't just fly your navion everywhere??? Of course he does! He just frequents the airport to run into traveling soldiers/marines/airmen/sailors!
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Mr. Larue, you never cease to amaze me. Every time I see one of your posts, you top the last one.
I'm in law enforcement and I try to give an old soldier/sailor active or former, a break. Always. A lot of us in my area/agency are vets. I love the idea of the coffee thing. |
