TEEN CARES ABOUT ELDERS' SACRIFICES.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
GRANADA HILLS - It takes a lot to make a tough old fighter pilot like Duncan Wilmore tear up, but the kid did it. Suzie McCarthy, 14, walked up to the commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2323 in Granada Hills after his moving speech at a ceremony recognizing U.S. military veterans who have been prisoners of war prisoners of war, in international law, persons captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection only to combatants. or missing in action. She said a few words that left the decorated pilot taking a few deep breaths before turning abruptly to walk away. He didn't want her to see him crying, said Wilmore, who was awarded two Silver Stars, six Distinguished Flying Medals and two Purple Hearts Purple Hearts can refer to the following:
He had just finished talking about a World War II prisoner of war PRISONER OF WAR. One who has been captured while fighting under the banner of some state. He is a prisoner, although never confined in a prison. 2. In modern times, prisoners are treated with more humanity than formerly; the individual captor has now no , nicknamed ``Lucky,'' who had spent almost five years in a Japanese labor camp Noun 1. labor camp - a penal institution for political prisoners who are used as forced labor labour camp camp - a penal institution (often for forced labor); "China has many camps for political prisoners" as a human forklift on the docks on Yokohama. Every year on National POW-MIA Day, Wilmore tries to get Lucky, who lives nearby in Granada Hills, to come by and say a few words at the ceremony, but Lucky never has. ``He threw away all his military stuff after the war and put that part of his life behind him forever,'' Wilmore said Monday. ``He says the old don't remember, and the young don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. .'' As Wilmore stood later that night talking with some of the people who had come to the ceremony, Suzie stepped away from her parents, Janis and Tim McCarthy Timothy J. McCarthy (born c. 1949) is the police chief of Orland Park, Illinois but is most famous for leaping in front of US President Ronald Reagan to stop one of John Hinckley, Jr.'s .22 caliber bullets on March 30, 1981 (see Reagan assassination attempt for details). - no relation to me - and walked up to him. ``Would you do me a favor?'' she worked up the courage to ask. ``If I can,'' Wilmore said. ``Would you tell Mr. Lucky that I care?'' Wilmore hugged the girl and turned abruptly to walk away before she could see the tears in his eyes. THE MCCARTHYS WERE QUIET on the drive home that night. It had been a wonderful, moving ceremony, especially the story about Lucky. But they couldn't help noticing that they seemed to be the only nonmilitary family there. What a shame, Janis thought. Suzie finally broke the ice. ``You know, Mom,'' she said. ``It's not that we kids don't care; it's that we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. .'' She was right, her parents told her. School administrators and teachers should be clamoring for veterans to come to classrooms and give the kids a real, live history lesson - but the educators don't. Another shame on us. Veterans wouldn't proselytize pros·e·ly·tize v. pros·e·ly·tized, pros·e·ly·tiz·ing, pros·e·ly·tiz·es v.intr. 1. To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith. 2. or chum for recruits, Wilmore says. That's not what they want to talk about. ``It's about patriotism, not about becoming a serviceman or servicewoman ser·vice·wom·an n. 1. A woman who is a member of the armed forces. 2. also service woman A woman whose work is the maintenance and repair of equipment. ,'' he said. ``We're just saying, hey, care about your country. That's all.'' It's much the same thing he told Suzie a week later when he called the McCarthys to make her an offer she couldn't refuse. To show everyone that she really did care about guys like Lucky. The deadline for the VFW See Video for Windows. essay-speech contest was only four days off, Wilmore told Suzie. Could she pull it all together and write on the topic ``America's Role for the Next Century'' for the VFW statewide competition on patriotism? Of course, the kid said. And she did. She won the local competition, then the district competition. She made it all the way to the state finals in which a young man from Fontana won the chance to represent California VFW posts in the national competition. But to all the VFW district members who gathered in Big Jim's Restaurant in Sun Valley last Saturday night - to say thanks to Suzie McCarthy for what she has done to restore their faith in kids who aren't supposed to care - she was the big winner. HIS NAME IS THOMAS, and he lives in a little apartment in Granada Hills. He says there's nothing fancy about how he got the nickname Lucky. ``There were so many Toms in the VFW post years ago that someone suggested I change my name,'' he said. ``Everyone thought I was pretty lucky to have come home alive from that labor camp, so the name kind of stuck.'' Wilmore and I tried to persuade him to come meet Suzie and talk about his experiences, but Lucky wouldn't budge. ``It's just a part of my life I really want left behind me,'' he said. ``I can't go back there.'' He knows all about Suzie, though - knows that his words had an impact on her. ``I think it's amazing that someone who didn't know much about what we did back then took the time and effort to care enough to look into it,'' Lucky said. ``I thank her and think she is brilliant.'' Not brilliant, Suzie said. Just a kid who cared. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. pilot Duncan Wilmore, left, and other veterans have honored Suzie McCarthy, 14, for patriotic writing. Terri Thuente/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion