Old Heros Too Soon Forgotten

I received this from a good friend and thought it worth sharing. If you have a connection with or have ever served in the United States military, you will most likely know how this feels. For me, it doesn’t even matter if this story is exactly accurate or not…I’m sure those of us who have lived through Viet Nam and following military campaigns know the truth in a general sense how our society too often devalues the cost paid by others for our freedoms.

“THE OLD MAN”
Author Unknown

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.

The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.

I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something.

The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turning back to the old man I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, ‘You shouldn’t even be allowed to drive a car at your age.’ And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, ‘Looks like you’re having a problem.’

He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us, he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman.

When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, ‘What outfit did you serve with?’

He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal. He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.

He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket… We all shook hands all around again and I said my goodbye’s to his wife. I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.

One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.

For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name……..

Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes him- or herself “conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his [or her] life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.” Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously.

I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence. Remember, OLD men like him gave you FREEDOM for America . Thanks to those who served…& those who supported them.

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall.. If you don’t stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!

Remember , Freedom isn’t “Free” — thousands have paid the price so you can enjoy what you have today.

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How Do You Connect To Your Family With The Internet?

Do you have family scattered around the U.S. and maybe the world? I do…well at least they are scattered around Texas, mostly the Houston area. And then there’s the son who didn’t think Texas was hot enough so he went to live in Phoenix, Arizona. Got married there and has a good wife and three beautiful (and smart) kids. I was in Phoenix a few times and it was really hot. People there would say “it’s hot alright, but the humidity is so low that when you sweat it just boils off and helps keep you cool”. What a crock. Did you ever notice how people look away from you when their lying?  When you can fry an egg on the pavement in two minutes that’s too hot for my tastes.

As for my son taking off to Phoenix, I can’t say too much though because when I retired and saw all my kids busy with their lives and doing OK without Dad, I scattered myself too.  Houston was just too hot in the summer and the mosquitos.  Oh those Gulf coast mosquitos! I heard stories that they were so thick around Freeport, TX and so big that the locals there call them “Freeport Gallon Nippers”.  Then there’s the movie director making a film in the area who said there were two types of mosquitos there.  There was the one so small they could fly right through a screen door and the other type was so big they could open it.

Well, back to my connection story.  The challenge is keeping in touch with kids and my extended family from the North East to the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Of course, like most, my main form of connection is email. It’s fast, easy to use and when it’s time to get a coffee or take care of some other business, I don’t have to put anyone on hold. Besides, I can always change something I wrote before I hit the send button. It’s hard to unsay something when you’ve put your foot in your mouth in a phone conversation.

Even so, there’s nothing like hearing the voice of your loved one, so my other main form of communication with friends and family is Skype. You know about Skype don’t you? I use it fairly often and even though I’m on a DSL connection (that’s a considerable step down from broadband in the speed department) I can usually get a crystal clear connection. Remember the old telephone commercial on TV that showed a pin bouncing on the floor and them pretending that your phone line was so good that you could hear that pin hit the floor? Well I’ve got really bad hearing now thanks to working in very high noise areas many years ago. OSHA wasn’t around then. Anyhow, with Skype, I can call anywhere to the U.S., usually getting a great connection and talk to my kids, siblings or friends for an hour and pay a lot less than for a Starbucks latte. Go figure. I’m a big fan of Skype. Now Skype has video too.  I’ll talk about that some day. If you’ve got family, like most of us do, all over the country and maybe the world, I’d highly recommend you get Skype. The software is free and it works. Until next time. Be safe and God Bless.

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Digital Photography Has never Been Easier!

They made those little screens bigger finally!  These days digital cameras are easier to use, cheaper, and darn near the funnest little toy I’ve played with in the last decade.  Find out what the latest bargains and senior friendly models are…

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Silver Surfers Center - Dedicated To The 60s+ Best And Brightest!

About Senior Surfers Center.  Except for AARP, there really aren’t any web sites (that I’ve found), offering a wide variety of helpful information about what it’s like to be over 60 and how to manage a life in retirement and often on a low fixed income.  We’ve just opened our doors so this site is definitely a work in progress.  But, like all worthwhile ventures, we will take one step at a time without thought to quitting.  This site is worth the effort and I hope you will soon join our family for the adventure.

While other sites do offer a lot of information, two of the differences I want to help you make are:
1. learning how people in our age group can use the Internet to connect with others of similar interests.
2. learning how you can use the Internet to supplement your retirement income if you wish.

The Silver Surfers Center community of users is established to make true connections and friends. Silver Surfers Center will also become an economy of like minded people.  After all, on the Internet, almost everyone with enough interest and  ambition  can find something they are good at and transform that knowledge into a source of income.

In this age of government control of the “real world” economy, the seniors are going to find themselves in more and more financial trouble.  Senior Surfers Center will become a part of something that helps people escape the situation where their future health and prosperity are tied solely to their dependence on a check from the government.

The America of opportunity has become the prison of poverty and despair as age and a changing world has
sapped our energy and just getting by has become a major hurdle for many.  Silver Surfers Center will work diligently to open avenues of friendship, community and opportunity unlike any seen before on the Internet for the 60+group.

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