Necessary Roughness

Took the twins, the wife, and the babysitters to see Madagascar with the twins’ grandmother and cousins. We had secured about three-quarters of a row in the movie theater. The movie was cute. Ben Stiller’s character did not sound like Ben Stiller at all. The voices of Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith were immediately recognizable. It seems like the movie was written for Chris Rock’s zebra to be the star, but David Schwimmer’s giraffe steals some good scenes. It wasn’t as funny as Shrek or Shark Tale, but I enjoyed it more than Shrek 2. As in Shrek and Shrek 2, there are lots of borrowed songs for pun’s sake, including “Born Free” at the beginning with good effect.

Monday being Memorial Day, I did notice that of the people related to me by blood or marriage, the four that I know that have served in the military are still alive. I salute them and those I’ve missed. Back in the teenage years I got the chance to visit the fallen heroes at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There are marble crosses and a few Stars of David up and down the countryside, each with a name, rank, and branch along with the dates of birth and final sacrifice. The most moving military memorial that I’ve seen (though I wasn’t present) was that of Ronald Reagan’s speech at Pointe du Hoc (link dead) for the 40^th anniversary of D-Day. The video is on the Reagan Time-Life DVD, but the audio on this web site should suffice.

It has been a while since I’ve told this anecdote. I’ve written it down before, and I’m somewhat shocked I don’t have a copy of it somewhere. If one of my friends has a copy, let me have it back so I can compare notes!

Sometime in 2004, on a return flight from Lafayette, LA, through Memphis, I picked up a book, Hunting Down Saddam, by Robin Moore. A captivating book, I started reading it in the Memphis airport immediately. The Northwest Airlines gate attendant began the boarding process, and before I entered the gate, another traveler stopped me. He told me that he was a Specialist in the U.S. Army, and that he was in the book I had just purchased in the Memphis bookstore. Initially skeptical, I asked him to show me, and he opened the book to the second set of pictures, where a group picture of his unit was taken at Saddam’s spider hole. He was there, plain as day. I immediately gave him a pen and the book, so that he could autograph it. He signed near his picture and gave the book back to me on the plane.

I remember being in Row 4 on the right side of the plane, and he was one or two rows behind me on the left. After liftoff, the flight attendant came to take our beverage orders, and I saw an opportunity. I directed her to take the soldier’s drink order, and I would buy it. Later, the flight attendant asked me for $5, and I looked back to see him thank me for his beer. Later on in the flight, I had happened to look back again, and he was fishing for money! I asked what was going on, and the attendant said he wanted another beer. I told him to put his money away, and I would buy the second beer as well. The specialist could take that kind of order from a civilian. With the matter settled, I sat back in the seat until the plane landed.

In Columbus, a welcoming party of about 20-25 people waited outside security with signs and balloons. The specialist’s father asked me where I had come from to see if his son’s plane had landed. When I found out who they were, I showed them the book and the autograph, and I thanked them for his military service.

I still have the book today, and it will not show up at Half Price Books any time soon.

If my uncle, father, father-in-law, or the naval officer on my wife’s side find themselves on the same plane as I do, they are entitled to the same, as well as perhaps our favorite Gunnery Sergeant and others. Thank you for all you’ve done.