Our own Bad Eagle type of hreoes

As Memorial Day arrives the question arises as to who our personal heroes are. Each and every one of us has a relative or a person to whom they look at as heroic. They do not have to be military
people. It could be someone like the family of Junglemom who has dedicated herself to serving a community and spreading the word of Christ. It can be any Veteran including Warren, Justin, Elmer or Big Bubba. Or it can be a devoted wife like AOW who has faced adversity.

In my own family we have our own giants. None looms larger than my maternal grandmother who was the most brilliant person I have ever met. Life had not been kind to her, but she never complained about losing her family in the Holocaust, said a bad word about her first husband (my grandfather) who was a creep or losing a beloved son three decades before she passed away. She was a loving grandparent and a brilliant business woman.

My paternal grandfather was a gentle man who served in the Polish Cavalry. He was a simpler man whose dedication to his craftsmanship and his family were the center of his life. He was not
political but understood Communism was evil and fought with distinction for the Polish Army in the war against the Bolshevik savages. He had no love for Poland and left at the first opportunity
to emigrate to America. He loved this country and was very proud of his citizenship. He despised
war in general and was not very political. He did strongly support the State of Israel and visited
the Kotel shortly after it was liberated. A picture of his visit wearing tephilin and a talis hung on the wall next to his framed citizenship papers.

These are just two of my own relatives I could have chosen. My pen name is an actual tribute to
my younger brother the Beloved Rav Roov whose nick name is "the Beaker". The pen name is an actual inside joke as my brother complained about my shadow. Thus when I created a pen name I placed myself in his shadow. I am happy being known as the relative of "the Beaker".

Each of us likely has our own Bad Eagle type of heroic relative. As odd as it seems many of you will even become inspirational models for the future generations in someone's life.