My viet nam vet friend sold his house to send his sons to college

[SoCalDem]

he and his wife now live in a two bedroom apartment, but he was afraid that his sons would try to follow him into the military.

he was shot FIVE times in viet nam. his left shoulder, his back, his left foot, his right hand and the one he's proudest of..(his butt).:rofl: He always offers to show us that one.. we always decline :)

He and his 5 cousins were drafted in '66 and he was the only one to come back alive.

He was born in Mexico and arrived here at 8 or 9 . he felt privileged to fight for "his country" even though he was drafted...until he arrived back without the cousins he grew up with..

He has two sons...one will graduate from college this June and the other will graduate in '09.

He had wanted to go to college, himself, but by the time he got back and made it through all the rehab, he was too depressed to even try. He was determined that HIS sons would not HAVE to join the military...draft or no draft.. He worked for the city for 30-odd years, paid off his house early and sold it for a tidy profit.

He's actually happy to be done with lawn care and maintenance, and he and his wife may buy a smaller house once the kids are both through college, if there's any left :)

So his sons will graduate college, debt-free and be able to hit the ground, running..

and he LOATHES George Bush..

[Mojambo]

1. What a good man.

Thanks for sharing.

[blonndee]

2. Sounds like a great guy.

Good for him and his family. :)

[boobooday]

3. Great story

What an amazing sacrifice.

[PLF]

4. I hope his sons repay him someday.

I also hope they understand the sacrifice he and his wife are making.

They have good parents.

[MadMaddie]

5. An amazing man and a caring man..

what does that say about our country though. College is so expensive that parents have to sacrifice like this. This has to change.

[Booster]

6. Damn, if George had just gone to Viet Nam like he was supposed

to, he might have grown up to be a wonderful, caring, compassionate man like this guy. Tell your friend how proud we all are of him - now there's a REAL man.

[caligirl]

7. If you only knew how many wealthy parents hog tie their kids by refusing

to pay their college tuition because' they had to'. College is way more costly than it used to be and financial aid is tough. We sold our house for several reasons and paying college tuition was one of them. bought a smaller two bedroom, reduced our debt load, and put some away for tuition. two kids in college now. The financial need is gapped at many school's and filled in with parent plus loans and work study. Colleges with huge endowments are often putting that money into new buildings and beautiful catalogs. On their quest to be a top school they forgot their real mission.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Feel good story.

C'mon, take a shot of his wounded butt and blackberry the photo to us.

[Cerridwen]

9. Great story! But, I'm tellin' ya, ya gotta call his bluff.

Next time he offers to show his butt wound, tell him to 'drop 'em, turn around and bend over'. And as another poster said, click it for posterity.

:evilgrin: