Military Veterans and Patriots

Tag: Obituary

  • Harry Beal, The First SeAL dead at 90

    Harry Beal, The First SeAL dead at 90

    Harry Beal, the first volunteer for the newly formed SeAL teams died on January 28th at age 90.

    Beal began his Navy career in 1948, first serving aboard the U.S.S. Shenandoah as a gunner’s mate. He joined the underwater demolition team, the precursor to the Navy SeALs, in 1955.

    When the first Navy SeAL teams were established in 1962, Beal was the first to volunteer for the elite special operations force.

    “President Kennedy wanted some idiots that see lightning, hear thunder, balance a ball on their nose, and had ‘stupid’ written right there,” Beal joked, gesturing to his forehead during an interview in November 2017, “and I had all of that so I put my hand up. I became the first SEAL on the East Coast in the United States Navy.”

    Harry Beal was the first Navy SEAL, thanks to the roster being ordered alphabetically. He also may have been the shortest, but he was capable of doing a one-armed pullup.

    Photo courtesy of the US Naval Institute.

    Later, Beal was credited with pulling John Glenn out of the water after his historic spaceflight. Beal became a SeAL instructor, serving until his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1968.

    Beal worked for the Pennsylvania DOT after retiring from the Navy. In 2020, a bridge was named after Beal in his hometown of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania.

    We have the Watch.

  • Captain Sir Tom Moore dead at 100

    Captain Sir Tom Moore dead at 100

    Some of you may know of the saga of the 99/100 year old British army veteran who decided he would do laps of his garden to raise funds for the National Health Service Charities in England. That veteran was named Tom Moore. He died today at age 100 from complications of pneumonia and covid-19.

    Moore served in the China- India-Burma theater during the war. He participated in the Burma campaign as an officer in the 146th Royal Armor Regiment. After surviving a bout of duengue fever, he returned to England and became an instructor on Churchill tanks.

    He earned the Burma medal, Defense medal, War Medal and 1939-1945 star while serving.

    Captain Tom, as he was known, raised more than £34m during his campaign. In the 24-day course of his fundraising he made many media appearances and became a popular household name in the United Kingdom, earning a number of accolades and attracting over 1.5 million individual donations.

    On the morning of his hundredth birthday the total raised by his walk passed £30 million, and by the time the campaign closed at the end of that day had increased to over £32.79 million.

    His fundraising caught the eye of Queen Elizabeth. And shortly after his 100th birthday, the Queen invested Tom with a Knighthood, as a Knight Bachelor. That particular honor is typically bestowed on those who do great public service, however it is not one of the Chivalric honors.

    Resquicat In Pace.

  • Talk Host Larry King Dead at 87

    Talk Host Larry King Dead at 87

    Radio and Television talk show host Larry King has died. He was 87.

    Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933, King began his career in Florida as a local host and journalist in the late 1950s. In 1978 he launched the Larry King show, an overnight talk program on the Mutual broadcast network. From 1985 to 2010 King hosted Larry King live on CNN.

    Inducted into the radio hall of fame in 1989, King was also a two time Peabody award winner, an emmy awardee, and a ten time Cable ACE award winner.

  • Tommy Lasorda Dead at 93

    Tommy Lasorda Dead at 93

    Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda has died.

    Born on September 22 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Tommy was second of five sons. He signed as an 7ndrafted player by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945. After a stint in the Phillies farm system, Lasorda was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He made his only start for the Dodgers in 1954 before being traded to the Kansas City Athletics in 1956.

    He continued playing in the minor leagues until 1960, bouncing around between teams and leagues. His tenure with the Montreal Royals of the International League, where he amassed a 107–57 record and four straight Governors cup championships, led to him being inducted into Canadian baseball hall of fame in 2006.

    Lasorda really came into his own as a coach and manager. Hired by the Dodgers to be a scout in 1961, he was named the manager of the Pocatello Chiefs, the Dodgers rookie ball team in 1965. From there he moved up the ranks in the dodgers minor league affiliates. For the 1973 season, Lasorda was named the third base coach of the Dodgers.

    Lasorda became the Los Angeles Dodgers manager September 29, 1976, upon Walter Alston’s retirement. He compiled a 1,599–1,439 record as Dodgers manager, won two World Series championships in (1981 and 1988), four National League pennants, and eight division titles in his 20-year career as the Dodgers manager. His 16 wins in 30 NL Championship games managed were the most of any manager at the time of his retirement. His 61 postseason games managed ranks fourth all-time behind Bobby Cox, Casey Stengel (all of whose games took place during the World Series in baseball’s pre-divisional play days), and Joe Torre. He also managed in four All-Star games.

    Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 as a manager in his first year of eligibility. The Dodgers retired his uniform number (2) on August 15, 1997 and renamed a street in Dodgertown as “Tommy Lasorda Lane”. In 2014, a new restaurant named “Lasorda’s Trattoria” opened at Dodger Stadium. He was named the

    Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year (1970) UPI and AP Manager of the Year (1977) AP Manager of the Year (1981) Baseball America Manager of the Year (1988) Sporting News Co-Manager of the Year (1988)

    Resquiscat In Pace.

  • HoF Pitcher Phil Niekro Dead at 81

    HoF Pitcher Phil Niekro Dead at 81

    Knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro has died. He was 81. Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and grew up in Lansing, Ohio, the son of Henrietta and Philip Niekro.

    “Knucksie” began his baseball career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964 and followed the team to Atlanta. He played with the Braves until 1984, when he began a two year stint with the New York Yankees. After the Yankees released him before the start of the 1986 season, Niekro signed with the Cleveland Indians. Phil was traded to the Toronto Blue Jay’s after the all star break of the 1987 season. His stint in Toronto was a short one, after going 0 and 2 in 3 starts, the Jay’s released him. In September of that year, Niekro signed with the Atlanta Braves where he made the last start of his career.

    Phil Niekro retired at the end of the 1987 season after amassing a 319-274 record, a 3.35 ERA and 3,342 strikeouts. His 319 wins are the most ever for a knuckleball pitcher. He holds the dubious record of being the last pitcher to have a 20-20 season, 20 wins and 20 losses.

    He was a 5 time All-Star, 5 time Gold Glove Awardee, won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1980, a two time NL wins leader, the 1967 MLB ERA leader, the 1977 NL strikeout leader, Pitched a no-hitter on August 5, 1973. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 1997.

    Resquiscat In Pace.

  • Conservative Voice Walter E Williams Dead at 83

    Conservative Voice Walter E Williams Dead at 83

    Well known black conservative/libertarian commentator and economist Walter E. Williams, Ph.D. passed away in the early hours of this morning. He was 83.

    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Walter E. Williams holds a B.A. in economics from California State University, Los Angeles, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from UCLA. He also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University and Grove City College, Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College and Doctor Honoris Causa en Ciencias Sociales from Universidad Francisco Marroquin, in Guatemala, where he is also Professor Honorario. Dr. Williams has served on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and remained there up until his death. He has also served as a John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics since 1980, from 1995 to 2001 as department chairman. He was part of the faculties of other distinguished colleges and universities such as: Los Angeles City College, California State University Los Angeles, Temple University, and Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

    As a fellow of several conservative think tanks like the Hoover Institution and the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), he published books and booklets on a wide variety of subjects covering economics, civil liberties, race, and federalism. His last three booklets: Up from the Projects: An Autobiography, (Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 2010),  Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination? (Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 2011), and American Contempt for Liberty (Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 2015) are still in wide press.

    Resquiscat In Pace.

  • Jeopardy Host Alex Trebek Dead at 80

    Jeopardy Host Alex Trebek Dead at 80

    Alex Trebek, long-time host of the game show Jeopardy has died after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

    While best known for his 36 year run hosting Jeopardy, Trebek hosted several other game shows including High Rollers, Battle Stars and To Tell the Truth. His final episode hosting Jeopardy will air on Christmas Day 2020.

    Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Trebek attended the University of Ottawa, where he earned a degree in philosophy. After university, Trebek worked for the CBC, covering national news and special events for radio and television. He made his American television debut in 1973 as the host of NBC’s game show “Wizard of Odds”.

    In 2017, Trebek was named an officer of the Order of Canada, his native country’s second-highest civilian honor. He is one of the few celebrities to have been honored with a coveted star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Canadian Walk of Fame.

    He is survived by his wife, Jean Currivan-Trebek and the couple’s two adult children Matthew and Emily.

  • Sean Connery Dead at 90

    Sean Connery Dead at 90

    Scottish actor Sean Connery has died. He was 90.

    Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland on Aug. 15, 1930, he was the son of a factory worker and a domestic cleaner. Connery leaves behind his wife, artist Micheline Roqubrune, and his son, Jason Connery, from his first marriage to Diane Cilento.

    Best known for portraying James Bond, he also had notable roles in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Wind and the Lion,” and “The Man Who Would Be King.”

    https://twitter.com/007/status/1322524364655501314?s=20
    https://twitter.com/007/status/1322524369172791296?s=20
  • Joe Morgan, Cincy 2nd Baseman, dead at 77

    Joe Morgan, Cincy 2nd Baseman, dead at 77

    Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame second baseman who was a big part of the Big Red Machine has died. He was 77. Morgan passed away at his home in Danville, California, Sunday. Morgan was suffering from a nerve condition, a form of polyneuropathy.

    Morgan’s death is the latest among a string of major league greats this year: Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tom Seaver and Al Kaline.

    Morgan was a two-time NL Most Valuable Player, a 10-time All-Star and won five Gold Gloves. In his 22-year career Morgan scored 1,650 runs, stole 689 bases, hit 268 homers and batted .271.

    He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Theresa; twin daughters Kelly and Ashley; and daughters Lisa and Angela from his first marriage to Gloria Morgan. 

  • Yankees Great Whitey Ford Dead at 91

    Yankees Great Whitey Ford Dead at 91

    Hall of Famer and Yankee great Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford has died. Born October 21, 1928 in Manhattan, Ford signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1947, and made his major league debut in 1950.

    Ford, a lefty, amassed a 236–106 record, 2.75 ERA and 1,956 strikeouts in his 16 years with the Yankees.

    https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1314594254807879681?s=20

    Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, Ford was a 10 time All-star, 6 time World Series champion, 3 time AL wins leader, 2 time ERA leader, and was named both the Cy Young and World Series MVP in 1961.