2 Stories
Hi,
Yesterday on the show I read an email called “2 Stories”. It had a pretty emotional impact on a lot of you and I got a lot of calls and emails asking me to post it here.
In the meantime I got an email citing a Snopes column on this that claims Easy Eddie’s story was not exactly as portrayed in the original email, that he was more of a crook than the “2 Stories” version made him out to be.
Frankly I think Snopes is splitting hairs on this one. The original “2 Stories”version plainly says he was a crook. However, in the interest of fairness I’m posting the original email, then the Snopes reply to it.
In any event, whatever Easy Eddie’s degree of criminality, it certainly does nothing to detract from the heroism of the story.
Here they both are;
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 NUMBER TWO
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 gage 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 calibers 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.
&n bsp; 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 between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.
You can see what Snopes has to say about this at;
www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare