OtherGround Forums Who a true tough guy is to me...

My grandfather flew 35 bombing missions as the pilot of a B-17. Went on to be a Harlem fireman. Busted his ass til his death at 92. 
He loved his wife more than any man I have seen love a woman. 
She died about 10 years before he did. 
He was broken. 
My family still needed him. His children did. 
He kept fighting despite being broken 

 

He never drank. My mother would ply him with alcohol to “relax” and have a drink. He never would save a couple times he had a glass of red. 
He could have drank his pain away. He didnt. He continued to set an example for the scores of younger men under his patriarchy. 
 

A true tough guy is not an angry agressive ass kicker. He is humble, has a big heart, can control his emotions, leads with love by example, is open with his fears, is tough mentally and physically without showing it to the world, and doesnt succumb to chemicals to bury his pain and emotions. 
 

I wanted to share and see the OG’s opinions. 
 

 

 

They were a great generation in many ways, you nailed several behaviors that made them so. 

You were lucky to have had a male like that in your life. Rip to him 

Ttt

Sounds like a hell of a man. RIP to your grandad. Totally agree with your concept of a tough guy. 

Anyone who has at least 500 street fights.

That is what I could consider real man. I look up to people like that.

Thank you guys. Very much.  Hes gone a bit now. I am 42. I was still early 30s when he passed and I still didnt fully grasp what he was doing and knowing to lead by example. 
Quiet concise decision making. No fanfare. Just doing it right. 
 

 

That my defination of a hero. Great man.

Hit the nail on the head on what a tough guy is, op. I’ll be having a glass of red as a cheers. 

jpm995 -

That my defination of a hero. Great man.

Blessings

Sounds like he was a great man, and the impression he left on people probably led to many more great men..... I often think about how my children will look back and view me, and try to live with that thought in my mind..... your lucky you had him to learn from 

Joking aside, OP, your grandfather sounds like a great man who left a great legacy. If we could only lead lives half as good as his--the world would be a much better place.

Soul Gravy - Joking aside, OP, your grandfather sounds like a great man who left a great legacy. If we could only lead lives half as good as his--the world would be a much better place.

Agree brother. Thank you. I was gonna say “cage fighter” in 90s. Lol. 
 

 

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/54361

I never knew anyone like that. 

He was part of the Second Schweinfurt raid. 
 

I am sure most OG’ers know this but the term “catch 22” came from these guys.  
 

I believe originally if you flew 15/16 missions that was supposed to be the end of your service. However with the high casualty numbers, they would up it with promises of promotions etc 

So catch 22 would be at 22 missions if you agreed to do more it came with a higher rank and potentially other promises ( I dont know enough about that to comment) 

But its; do you take more missions, become a hero to your country and move up in rank with the ever present reality that this mission could be your last? 
 

Imagine making these life decisions at 20,21 or 22 years old. Quite amazing to me. 
 

Thank you for listening all. 

Good thread and OP

Your Grandfather sounds like a fucking boss.

It would have been an honor to have met a man like him.

Your grandfather was a OG...RIP

As you age, your conception of just how great some people are changes. It becomes more evident. At the end of the day, there are good people and bad people. You gotta strive to be in that small grouping of very good people to be happy in life. Sounds like he was easily one of those.  Hope he influenced a a lot of great people.

43percentburnt -

Sounds like a hell of a man. RIP to your grandad. Totally agree with your concept of a tough guy. 

 

Great thread, America is a bunch of pussies now.

Liberty is fought for, not guaranteed.

God Bless your Grandpa, we could use a few more million of him these days.

Thank you for saying all this. Humbled. Doin my best to stay in the light and be a decent man. Best OG thread in a long time. All love 

My Pops died a month short of his 96th birthday in January of 2020. He was 5 years old when the Great Depression hit. Always talked about how it just made the family that much closer and that he didn’t know any different so it wasn’t that bad. Always owned his own businesses. Put me and my sister through college. Got a divorce from his sweetheart after 25 years but they were best friends until the day he passed. My absolute hero and best friend. I was blessed to be able to move him into my home at 92 and got to to know him all over again in a way I wouldn’t have if he didn’t spend the last three years of his life here. 

When I hear people say “The greatest generation” I simply bow my head to acknowledge the truth. 

I will be with ya on a bit Pops; I still got work to do down here.