A Final Song for Sarge Charlie

Yesterday in Lake Worth, Florida a good man was laid to his final rest with the military honors that he so richly deserved - a full Color Guard, a real bugler to play taps, and lots of friends and family there to pay their final respects and tribute to a man who called it like he saw it, didn't back down from his convictions and beliefs, and adored his wife of 44 years with a love for the ages.

Sarge Charlie had been a force in the Blogosphere for quite some time and he posted as he lived putting his patriotic beliefs and opinions out there for all the world to see. Not everyone agreed with his thoughts and opinions - which was to be expected - but even if you didn't, you had to respect him for standing his ground.  I know I sure did.

As a young man, Charlie enlisted in the United States Army and dedicated the next 26 years of his life to his country.  He served proudly and spoke often of his time in the military on his blog.  As it turns out, Sarge and my Dad both served in Vietnam at the same time and as such, they were both exposed to Agent Orange at the same time.  The insidious nature of the chemicals that they were both exposed to eventually took their toll on both men - taking my father way too young in February of 2003 after his own long and courageous battle against the cancer for which there is no cure - and claiming Sarge Charlie last Sunday, January 29th.

Both my Dad, the Air Force veteran, and Charlie, the Army veteran, fought hard to stay with the women that they loved unconditionally - neither one willing to give up a single minute of their time left on earth - but some battles just can't be won it seems and death eventually had its victory taking them away long before anyone was willing to let them go.  

We've had almost nine years to try to get used to my Dad being gone but I get the distinct feeling that not a day goes by that my Mom doesn't miss him just as much as she did that wretched February day in 2003.  Miss Bee hasn't even had nine days yet to get used to the fact that Sarge is no longer in the next room and my heart goes out to her knowing the rough road that lies ahead as she tries to adjust to being the remaining half of a whole.

That said, I don't for a minute believe that love dies or disappears with a final heartbeat or the closing of a casket. I believe that it lives on and always will as those who have loved us in life, continue to love us in death. As the song says,

"There are more than angels watching
Over me ... I believe ... ohh, I believe."

I'm sure that Miss Bee believes just like I'm sure that my Mom believes and maybe - just maybe - that helps them get through each day just a tiny bit easier.

Five on Friday - The "Inspired by Jamie's Blog" Version

I had originally gone in a different direction completely for this week's version of Travis' musical meme - Five on Friday - but after reading and listening to my blog buddy Jamie's Coming of Age Edition on her blog I decided to save the post I wrote previously for another week and follow her lead instead.

Jamie chose her own five songs this week based on the fact that she "... was listening on the radio the other day to one of those pop psychologists who put forth the idea that the music we all come back to, identify as our "favorite songs", and have the most memories connected to are whatever is popular when we are between 13 and 16. This is when we start buying most of our own music, differentiating our tastes from our parents and start associating at a high level with our peers."

That got me to wondering what was popular with me during those years and what music had a big impact on me so I looked back to the years 1971 to 1974 when I was age 13 to 16 and the songs that jumped out at me as being quite memorable during that time made me realize that I was really quite emo before emo was even invented! Either that or I was psychic and knew even way back then that love was going to be one of those thorn-in-the-side themes for me throughout my life!

So here ya go, four rather angsty songs from the years 1971 to 1974 and - because this is Five on Friday and not Four on Friday - a bonus tune from 1975 that might have just summed the whole thing up for me! So how about you? Anything from that age in your life that jumps out at you?


1971 - 


1972 - 


1973 - 


1974 - 


1975 - 

Death and The Horizon

"Life is eternal and love is immortal; And death is only a horizon, And a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - Rossiter W. Raymond