Who do I admire in my life? There are three different people. The first person

Hugh K. "Bud" Spencer  August 12, 1926 - August 4th, 2001 (74 years old). Click to read Obituary. Other thoughts on Bud Spencer.

He grew up in small town called West Union. He didn't have much, but he did have ambition. He went to school but never graduated because the war broke out, and he wanted to serve his country. Due to his age, he could not enlist into the military. Instead, he enlisted into the Merchant Marines. He was assigned to the USSS Harriet Monroe, escorting personal and cargo ships across the Pacific ocean. I enjoy talking to him about these days because to him, it is as if it all happened yesterday.  After the war was over, he came back to West Union, and bought a dairy called Superior Dairy , which was located in Smithburg, WV.  He had the Dairy for a few years, but it was not making the profit that he wanted.  So, he closed the doors and opened up a new business.  His brother, Harold Spencer, and him always talked about wells when they were young so he created his child hood dream company Spencer Enterprises Oil & Gas.  During its peak, his company employed 30 or so people.  I still meet people who in some way or another worked for him.  He is was the President of the First National Bank of West Union and the Spencer Enterprises still is in operation, to a limited capacity.  Another business he was associated with was the Mid-Atlantic Glass Factory in Ellenboro, WV.  This glass plant is currently idle due to high price of natural gas and the cheap imports from China.

Here are a few war stories that he told me when I was young:

During a cold night, him and another enlistment were assigned as lookouts.  This was a time of war and no lights were allowed on the exterior of the ship to give away its position to enemy ships. The only ships that did have lights on the exterior were hospital ships.  Sinking a hospital ship was against the laws-ff-war.  Their job was to report all ships, friend or foe, so evasive actions could be taken to prevent a collision or evasive action.  They were up in the crows nest peering out into the night sky . . . well that was what the were supposed to be doing.  Instead, they ducked below the railing and as he puts it, telling dirty jokes and making fun of the captain.  A medical ship all lit up, steamed up beside them and they didn't even see it. They got chewed out big time.  When I was you, I remember meeting this guy at my grandfather's house.

Another story was when he was stationed at New York City.  There was a fuel ship heading out and he was supposed to be on it.  Somehow or other he missed it.  As he watched it disappear over the horizon, he thought about the mess he was in.  All of the sudden, the night sky turned yellow.  A Germen U-Boat torpedoed the boat, killing everyone aboard.

Some how or other my grandfather had the key to the kitchen mess hall.  Late at night, him and his friend, will sneak into the kitchen and eat ice cream.

His ship, the USSS Harriet Monroe, spent many hours dropping depth charges, yet never hit or sank a thing.

CHARLES LINDBERGH

The other person is Charles Lindbergh.  Charles Lindbergh was the first person to cross the Atlantic, first to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was later awarded the Medal of Honor.  The reason I like him is because he did his flight solo, while other competitors for the trans-Atlantic prize were flying with two or three, copilot and/or navigator.  His reasoning for this was basically that the weight of an additional man and equipment would take up fuel.

Fuel = Fly = Time = Distance

Before his flight, reporters would bug him saying such things as, "Are you dating anyone?  Hug your mom for us so we could get a picture." It went on and on, and he ignored them.  He only answered questions that dealt with the flight. His personal life stayed out of public view.  For that I admire him because he was making the trip to prove that it could be done.  He was not trying to make himself famous.

After he made the trip, he didn't want to be thought of as a hero.  Many companies asked him to promote products by saying that he used them on his famous flight, but he turned them down.  The reason is simply he did not and he was not going to tell lies.  It didn't matter if they paid him a million dollars, he simply was NOT going to lie to the public.  After his famous flight, he went around the nation promoting General Aviation.  Did you also know that he help build the first mechanical heart.

VETERANS

Finally I admire the people who fought and died for this country. They sacrificed their lives for people to live in a free nation, yet many of us take this for granted.

SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE

November 12, 2006