Who do you admire the most and why?

That’s a tough one, when there are so many. I’m going to have a few honorable mentions.

I will pick my Dad. Born June 24th 1931 and passed away February 7th 2021, Super Bowl Sunday which was very fitting.

He was the youngest of Four. Two Sisters and another brother. He grew up during the depression. He and his brother had to help support the family

My father had a scholarship to Ohio State to play football but he couldn’t go because of what I just mentioned.

He also served in the Army for 3 years. So he’s a veteran.

He loved American Football. We were all born in Cleveland ,Ohio moved to Pennsylvania in 1961 when I was in infant. He loved the Eagles and I’m so glad he got to see them win the 2018 Super Bowl and hopefully another one in nine days! From a different viewpoint upstairs.

He opened up a telecommunications company in 1965 and sold it in 1982. He retired at 50 years old. He almost lived to be 90. That’s close to 40 Years of retirement and being able to enjoy life because of the hard work, dedication and BRAINS.

More importantly than his financial success was his love and compassion for his family. He did anything and everything for me. I got in so much trouble in my twenties and early 30s. And then I finally got my Act together. He bailed me out of many situations until he learned tough love and not to enable.

Honorable mention,his brother my Uncle Ed. He had an Eighth grade education and became an Aerospace engineer for Martin Marietta in Florida. He and his colleagues helped test and design the Pershing missile system during the Korean war. He was a genius he could build and make anything.

My Uncle Ed also served in the Navy. UDT and fought on Normandy Beach where a large percentage of them perished.

Last but not least my grandmother. She Came From Italy when she was 18 years old, 3 weeks after she got married. Simple woman and a GREAT cook who lived a long, long life. She lived to be 98. She had Seven siblings, Five of which lived between 97 and 103 years old. Three of them over 100. Simple down to Earth, caring and loving people.

How many people could say they had a grandparent when they were 48 years old? My oldest brother was 55 when my grandmother passed away. A lot of great years and great memories.

For the younger ones, cherish your parents and grandparents while they’re still here.

Time flies and eventually all we will have are the memories.

P.S. the late great Jeff Beck was also born on June 24th. 13 years Junior to my father. I saw that fine gentleman in 1980 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and in 1989 at the Spectrum with Stevie Ray Vaughan.

RIP all of the above

I admire my son. He’s intelligent, sensible, loyal, caring, dependable, and successful. A great dad to his two kids. He has exceeded me, and my hopes for him, in every way.

That’s nice.

I lived an irresponsible lifestyle in my 20s and early 30s like I mentioned.

So By choice, I never had any kids just dogs!

I admire my mom, who is 80 years old.

She helps me out in life on a regular basis, and the two of us get along just fine almost all of the time.

I hope she can somehow live to 125 years old, though that's probably a pipe dream.

For celebrities...

I admire Jackie Chan because of the crazy stunts he does in his action films.

He also has a great sense of humor, and has broken more bones in his body than just about any stunt man.

I admire LeBron James because I love the NBA and LBJ is my favorite player to watch.

But if he's not on a championship team, I don't watch him play much because I only watch the playoffs.

The Lakers are terrible right now, so I hope he has more success elsewhere.

I admire Tom Brady because he's the G.O.A.T. of the NFL.

For football, I only watch the Superbowl, but I do follow sports news.

Because he signed a contract with Fox Sports to be a broadcaster, I think this retirement from playing football will stick.

I admire Harrison Ford because I think he's such a great actor.

There are a lot of great actors out there, but there's a special place in my heart for Ford.

I don’t admire any specific person. Everyone has unique, special qualities and you can’t value one more than the other.

If not who, then what do I admire? The universe! Because it works. All the tiny bits that work together in some way to form more complex things that form even more complex things. We aren’t able to understand even our own reality and our own little world! Just imagine what’s still hidden from our limited understanding – no, that won’t work, we can’t imagine. But we can believe that there is more and sometime we might discover some secrets, just to believe in more secrets that are waiting to be discovered.

1. Famous and alive: Warren Buffett.
i think he got his the right way.

2. Famous and dead: Helen Keller…one quote:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children
of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger
is no safer in the long run than exposure.”

3. not famous: my high school choir teacher.
i was not that good. i was one of very few boys who sang in choir.
he taught me how to sing bass, and i still do when no one can hear.
however, what put him on my list are the times he broke up fights.
you know, high school. girl fights, too. he had a “way” to render
the participants submissive. impossible in the USA today.

Grizzly Adams, because of that glorious beard.

Oh man there is no way I can top that

My Dad of coarse. Took me getting older to realize how good/smart of a man he was. We worked together a lot of years, I miss him tremendously.

I was lucky, I always gravitated to older people.

One good friend owned a towing company. This man could stand his ground in any fight and was a real Mechanic. Even though he was 22 yrs older, one of my best friends.

Another old friend was a welder —- This man could make stuff out of anything ( weld an ice cube to a brass doorknob ) He made me an adapter to mount a jeep 3 speed to a 350 Chevy with a torch. Our afternoon conversations were great.

2 Thanks

Also involved with the Choppers on Easy Rider movie.
More info about that complicated deal found here;

Cool dude regardless

“Billy Jack”

Just cause I do.

I enjoyed watching his movies.

You know how it is with people and their opinions on here and everywhere else! I’m certainly one of them. I’m very honest and direct.

He pales in comparison to Bruce Lee. He was a martial artist, invention of his own martial arts…Jeet Kune do , actor, director, poet, philosopher, writer etc etc

Tom Laughlin - Wikipedia
Tom Laughlin Thomas Robert Laughlin Jr. (August 10, 1931 - December 12, 2013) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist. Laughlin was best known for his series of Billy Jack films. He was married to actress Delores Taylor from 1954 until his death. Taylor co-produced and acted in all four Billy Jack films.

Yes…I knew that. Wikipedia comes in handy.

Nothing wrong with admiring different people.

I still hold to my belief that Tom Laughlin pales in comparison to Bruce Lee.

If you went on the streets today and asked do you know who Bruce Lee is? Do you know who Tom Laughlin is? The numbers will be overwhelmingly on Bruce Lee’s side I’d say at least 50% wouldn’t even know who Tom Laughlin was.
100 years from now no one will even remember Tom Laughlin. Guarantee they’ll hear of remember Bruce Lee.

In conclusion, Tom Laughlin was still accomplished just not as famous as Bruce Lee and as accomplished of a martial artist as Bruce Lee was.

Have a good evening.

Kiss vs Aerosmith.

My Dad, my Uncle and my Father in law … three great fighting Marines. Semper Fi.

My Uncle Ken.

Kenneth Ford, Marine Corps Ace, VMF-121 – The Jive Bomber

1 Thank

:+1:

How could I forget? My dad served in the Army 2 years.

My Uncle was a Navy SEAL who fought on Normandy Beach, Underwater Demolition Team (UDT).

He was fortunate to survive. The casualty rate was very high.

Very cool —— The article was a good read —- Just watched the movie Devotion —- kind of puts Uncle Kens times into perspective

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I was wondering how this thread could survive, pointing out who in our families we admired from which wars and against who will be interesting.

Not that complicated. It’s simple. Just people posting family, friends who they admire and for various reasons.

It survives the same way as soldier, a cancer survivor or a person with an addiction problem survives.

You take action.