Remarkably well done Ed, thank you for the insights. Learned a thing or three from that. Did not know he was a jarhead in times last. Don't recall ever meeting one I didn't get along with.
Greg seldom spoke of his past in detail with me. Brief reference from time to time then moved on.
Dan
Two major wars he had going on here on the 'Fire, one was because someone accused him of being a draft-dodger, the other one accused him of being a racist xenophobe who just wanted to kill Mexicans.
Two things he most certainly was not.
As I posted above, Greg was no angel. He was a real, live human being with all of our faults, foibles, and mistakes. His positives so far outweighed his negatives that it is hard for me to understand how anyone could hate him, I guess that's because he never tooted his own horn, but he certainly had enough material to employ a full orchestra.
Ed
i knew a lot about him that you wrote about, and you did a fine job.
draft dodger is stupid, anything but.
as to mexicans, hispanics, etc. Greg did not like the word illegal. Neither did I. And i have various times more than once commented on the illegal part. We talked about this from time to time. He did have there a picture album of his time down south which i have seen, and the people he was friends with. There was no racism envolved there. It's the illegal part, the drug running, the narco;s.
i have been accused of similar things which i find funny as he did. Given my half sister that looks like a pima indian for a reason, and the number of crossbred people in my family with spanish/hispanic/indian roots.
He was not a native of this state but he was native to this state if that makes any sense. After knowing him as many years as i did, he reminded me in so many ways of an old arizona cowboy, the type that i grew up, that were reflective on an earlier age. That was Greg.
We didn't always get along and a time or two he really pizzed me off, i don't remember why now, but he was my friend. I have a lot of people i know, but few i would label that way. And it's gonna be a bitch running that country down there, knowing he is not there now.
on second thought i should add one thing i have expressed at other times. The first time my wife was with me at his place. We had a fine visit with him and his mother. He was pretty proud of his trees and went and picked a bunch of peaches for my wife, cause he knew she baked. Upon leaving, he approached her, snagged her hand, bent over, and kissed her hand. Very old country. He could be ornery as all get out, but he was also a gentleman.
