September 27, 2008
A must read story
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.
Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out of jail for a long time. To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example. One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.
He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great… So, he testified.
Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.
But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:
'The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power
to tell just when the hands will stop at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.'
Story #2
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent
Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located betweenTerminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.
(Pretty cool, huh?)
Filed under General
Comments on A must read story »
This is an excellent post! Loved it. Stumbled it.
Not completely true
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.asp
Easy Eddie was scum and so was his poem, he cared less for the lives he destroyed and his son a product of evil, Eddies evil
Therefore his son is also evil and therefore all of eddies grandchildren are evil or products of evil and they can not undo the wrong Eddie did.
This was indeed an incredible story. I got here through StumbleUpon and it definitely gets a big "thumbs up!"
Thanks for posting it.
Johnny you said:
"Easy Eddie was scum and so was his poem, he cared less for the lives he destroyed and his son a product of evil, Eddies evil
Therefore his son is also evil and therefore all of eddies grandchildren are evil or products of evil and they can not undo the wrong Eddie did."
I cannot dispute that Easy Eddie was scum, but prefer to observe the maxim that "the sins of the fathers should not be visited upon their children".
You are correct in that his ancestors cannot undo Eddie's evil, but they are not responsible and should carry no blame. (In my opinion - you are entitled to yours).
I've made mistakes (although minor ones) but if I ever have the good fortune to have children, they should not be held responsible for me.
Awesome story! Very touching and inspirational.
Stumbled here.
pretty inaccurate, but good story. Might want to check your research a bit more on that one hauss.
Johnny is an asshole… He believes that everybody who has an evil parent is inherently evil. That is some of the worst logic I have heard in a long time. People make their own decisions. Are you just like your parents or grandparents? Has nobody in your family ever done anything wrong?
That's a horrible attitude. Eddie was scum. His son was a hero. Why would you consider the son scum because of the father's actions when the son was a boy?
I too "StumbledUpon" this story and I'm happy to have done so.
A great and inspiring story.
@Johnny: Are your parents perfect? Have they done nothing to be ashamed of? It's asinine to blame a child for the sins of their parents; how can anyone be responsible for another's actions? Easy Eddie may well have been irredeemable, but who are you to judge? Have you done nothing in your life that you feel shame over? How do you learn any lesson worth learning? Be careful of judging others; you never know who will sit in judgment over you.
are you crazy?
sorry my comment above was directed at Johnny. I enjoyed the post.
good story. gotta love stmblpon.
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.asp
Yeah, I stumbled this page too, great article indeed, I learned alot.
great, amazing good life lesson
The story is all very good.
However.
"Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier."
Your telling me he ran out of ammunition and ran off multiple enemy planes by ramming them?
I'm calling bullshit on this one.