The Silver Life - Online community and resource for active Silver Surfers

Online Community & Resource for Active Silver Surfers

The Silver Life

Online Community & Resource for Active Silver Surfers

The toughest guy in the house

Civility
The Cuban conundrum

His baseball cap was tattered and worn, but I could clearly see that it said World War II veteran

I love old movies, especially old Westerns.  I love the tough guys – not the actor who plays the tough guy on screen, but the actual tough guys.  Lee Marvin, with the gravelly voice, sustained an injury during World War II, or Charles Bronson’s icy stare, also a veteran of World War II; now those were tough guys!

I’ve had a long running quest in my head to find the toughest guy in the house. I’ve seen tough guys in fights, and even had a few scrapes of my own, but I’ve never been able to find this tough guy I’ve created in my mind.  Was he just in my mind?

Why the quest, you ask?  Honestly, I don’t know.  I’ve simply always been fascinated by tough guys – whether men or women.  I was helping with a barbecue on the 4th of July, celebrating a beautiful day where the stars and stripes were boldly flying everywhere.  Then, I saw someone that made me think that this was going to be the day I found him.

He was smaller than I imagined, and his shoulders were slightly stooped as he sat in the corner with a walker in front of him.  His baseball cap was tattered and worn, but I could clearly see that it said World War II veteran, so I approached him.

He slowly, and even reluctantly told me about his experience as a medic during the invasion of Iwo Jima.  He had only been nineteen years old, but he took his job seriously.  When the bullets were flying overhead, he helped his fellow men.  He didn’t cry, although he was admittedly scared.  He didn’t pout, whine, or make excuses.  He simply did the job that he was there to do.

It was when he finished his story that I knew I’d found him; the toughest of the tough.  This man was a real-life superman before Hollywood produced a 200-million-dollar movie, yet there he was in an old worn out ball cap.

Tough guys like these veterans are scarce these days, they’re almost gone– so when you see one, shake his hand.  Thank them.  These guys, of the greatest generation, are the real heroes, and authentic tough guys. Meeting this man made me hope that our current generation, mine included, can meet the challenge.

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About the Author: Leonard F. Baer

Leonard Baer's practice focuses on Elder Law, and Estate Planning. His previous experience was in the area of complex criminal litigation, serving as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Division for The United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Baer was recognized by the Office of The Attorney General, as one of the top prosecutors in the country during his tenure. He has been included in North Carolina Top Rated Lawyers, a distinction awarded to those lawyers recognized by their colleagues as leaders in their field. He has also been recognized by the Florida Bar, for his efforts in representing seniors and their families, who are victims of scams and fraud. Mr. Baer is an AV rated lawyer listed in Martindale-Hubbell, and has been selected for inclusion in their Bar Registrar of Preeminent Lawyers, which for over 90 years, includes only those select law practices that have earned their highest rating. He has been designated by Martindale-Hubbell as preeminent in his field, and in the top 5% of all lawyers practicing in the United States. Mr. Baer has also been ranked by AVVO, an online Legal Directory of over 200,000 lawyers nationally, as Superb, their highest rating. He served as adjunct professor of Sports Law at The University of Miami, and is a frequent lecturer on the topics of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Asset Protection and Fraud Protection. He has been a columnist for several newspapers for over 13 years and currently has a nationally syndicated blog, “As I See It” with a readership of over 25,000. Leonard is a Guest Contributor of The Silver Life and has recently launched a new service called SuddenlySolo1 - https://www.legalbaer.com/services/suddenly-solo/

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