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| The Greatest Generation, - 1; "Gabe," 1912-2009 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 20 2009, 07:04 AM (272 Views) | |
| Dewey | Feb 20 2009, 07:04 AM Post #1 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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H_____ P_____ F___ – “Gabe” – was pretty much an institution here in town. Well-liked by pretty much everyone, Gabe enjoyed a long and productive life. He was an inspiration to so many people, in so many ways, large and small. To see him out in the yard that he was so proud of, mowing his own lawn until just a few years ago. Making sure that he always had the flag flying proudly. To see him tending to his garden, every year – even if it got smaller and smaller in recent years. To Gabe, that was just what we were all here to do – to plant something, and to tend to it, and care for it, and enjoy watching it grow into something larger and better. To Gabe, that’s what life was all about. That’s certainly something about Gabe that no one knew better than his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who he loved so very much. Most of you know that Gabe enjoyed a full career working for the VA Hospital. It was his job, but it was more than that – it was part of one of his guiding principles throughout his life – pride in country, and helping those who had fought to defend it. Another big part of that for Gabe was his own honorable service in the Army in World War II, serving in both Europe and the Pacific Theatre – and the fact that as soon as he came home from the war, he became active in the American Legion, serving as part of the Honor Guard continuously from the end of the war almost until the day he died. That was a perfect example of Gabe’s sense of duty to his fellow veterans, and to our nation. He was part of what we’ve come to call “The Greatest Generation,” and they were called that with good reason. Gabe F___ was one of those reasons. Long before the Honor Guard, though – long before his military service, long before he was a family man, Gabe was a lanky, champion high school basketball player. But he wasn’t just an athlete, he was a true scholar-athlete, being the valedictorian of his class. As I sat with Gabe’s family, discussing his life, looking at old photos, newspaper clippings, and military papers, there was something else. Along with those other things was the original copy of the valedictory speech that Gabe gave at his graduation. It’s truly a remarkable speech. In it, Gabe talked about this wonderful experiment we call the United States. He talked about the necessity of free-market capitalism for our advancement, but only a capitalism that was fair to both employer and employee alike. He went on to describe what he called the “three life-forces” that have to be cared for, and nurtured, just like his garden, in order to produce good citizens – good people. Those three life forces were education, morality, and patriotism. He talked about each of those things to the students and parents that day, In a comment that seems even more at home today than 1931, Gabe said that “the cardinal weakness in our educational system is that while attempting to instruct the mind and train the hand, it fails to reach the heart.” Gabe called for all of them – and all of us – to remember that we are servants of the almighty and eternal God, who calls us to worship him, and to serve him in gratitude by way of living an ethical life of service. As Gabe put it, “Our schools must produce not merely gymnasts and mechanical magicians, but moral giants.” Gabe went on in that speech to give honor to all of those who had taken up arms and answered their country’s call to military service, but he also said something else. World War I – the “War to End All Wars” – was still relatively fresh in people’s minds, and World War II wasn’t yet even a pipe-dream in a dictator’s twisted mind. In his optimism, Gabe thought that war was now becoming obsolete, and that his generation, and future generations, would show what he called “the highest form of patriotism” – working in professions and trades in a world at peace. We all know that history had something else in store for Gabe’s generation, and ours, but what a remarkable expression of optimism and hope that was. The truth is that if you read the entire speech written by this gangly 18-year old, you see the entire blueprint of the man’s life, set down on paper at the very beginning. The title that Gabe gave his speech? “The Ideal American.” Looking back on his long, full life, maybe H_____ P_____ F___ was exactly that. At the end of his speech, Gabe wished his fellow classmates well and he wrote this: “My classmates, we shall soon part, never again to meet as a class… From early childhood, many of us have been intimate associates. We have had the same hopes and aspirations… Now, we shall part and for the remainder of the course we must travel alone or find new companions. A feeling of sadness is mingled with the joys of this hour as we gaze backward on the scenes we are leaving forever. … As long as life lasts, they will never be forgotten. Now, on behalf of those who are going out to try the realities of the mysterious future, we bid you all, “Goodbye.” Not “goodbye,” Gabe, but rather, “until we meet again.” We know that even though Gabe wasn’t a regular churchgoer, all his life he was dedicated to serving God in the ways that he was particularly called to do. And in leaving this world, he has completed the journey that began long ago with his baptism. Now he has heard, and felt, our Lord’s blessing: “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter now into the joy of your Lord.” We can all be assured and comforted that in our Lord Jesus Christ, our physical death is not the end, but it is simply a new beginning – and the loss and separation that we feel now, while very real, is only temporary. In death, Gabe knows new life, and in separation from us, he is now in the presence of God, and is reunited with all of those loved ones who have gone on before him. We’ve all heard these words of Jesus many times before, but they are so very true, and they are so important to us, when he said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” In our Father’s house are many mansions. And today, we can be sure that behind one of them is a neatly trimmed lawn, and a freshly planted garden, and friends enjoying each other’s company, while a flag floats gently in the warm breeze. Thanks be to God. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Feb 20 2009, 07:11 AM Post #2 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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That was a really great dedication, Dewey. ![]() My neighbor back home sounds a lot like Gabe. (Of the same generation, too.) People like that are irreplaceable. EDIT From what small quotes you posted, that sounds like one heck of a valedictorian speech. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Dewey | Feb 20 2009, 07:16 AM Post #3 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I'm thinking that when I get a little time, I'll scan the speech and add it to this thread. He was really a remarkable man, far more than my 17 minutes will be able to describe. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Dewey | Feb 20 2009, 07:34 AM Post #4 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Oh, what the heck - here it is. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| big al | Feb 20 2009, 07:48 AM Post #5 |
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Bull-Carp
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I trust taps and a salute followed that eulogy. I've been attending a number of such funerals in recent years. Big Al |
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Location: Western PA "jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen." -bachophile | |
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| VPG | Feb 20 2009, 08:00 AM Post #6 |
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Pisa-Carp
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I will go to meet my maker thanking THAT generation for what they did. And the non-self serving way they did it. Thank you Gabe. |
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I'M NOT YELLING.........I'M ITALIAN...........THAT'S HOW WE TALK! "People say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look." Ronald Reagan, Inaugural, 1971 | |
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| Mikhailoh | Feb 20 2009, 08:01 AM Post #7 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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WOW. That was written by a high school student? What astute observations. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Feb 20 2009, 08:11 AM Post #8 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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I know right? I couldn't write anything like that in high school. I was a ****king idiot. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Dewey | Feb 20 2009, 08:13 AM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Graveside military honors tomorrow afternoon, provided by the very same Honor Guard that he himself commanded until just a couple years ago - the last time, from a chair. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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