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I shamelessly swiped these from an old e-mail I received, but if it came from the Internet, it MUST be true, right?
There are two stories here, with their connection at the end.........
STORY NUMBER ONE
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 his lawyer for a good
reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering
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 s on 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 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 were speeding their 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 t he 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 be awarded 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.
What do these two stories have to do with each other?
Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.
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