Gone But Not Forgotten

It's only fitting this Memorial Day that I honor the memory of a man who I have come to know as a true American Patriot─not so much by the valor he so courageously personfied in Southeast Asia and the annals of Viet Nam or the twenty-nine years he unselfishly served our country as an Airman in the United States Air Force─but for hero he was to his family, and for the influence he had on me.

Lawrence "Larry" Waddy, Jr. had an attractive spirit from the very moment I met him. His smile was contagious and his wisdom engaging. I learned of Larry's love for reading and easily related to him on an intellectual level from the start. A quiet-spoken man by nature, we would sometimes chat about writing, the structure of dialogue, and how the written word can literally change lives. He also had a love for photography which was evidenced by some of the most memorable shots in some of the world's most unique places.

Larry's warm smile and gentle ways provided an allure about him that was tough to resist. He was a true gentleman whose ways served as an example for others to emulate and to aspire. I see his spirit in his sons today as they too imbue the morals and values he must surely had instilled in them throughout their lives. I rest knowing his spirit lives on in them as they too will pass along the virtues he personfied in them.

Because he was introduced to me as "Dad' it was the name I had courageously decided to use; After all, his son Lance is as close as any brother I've ever had. It's been said that family can be defined in many ways and is oftentimes made up of people who aren't always connected by true blood lines. Such is my case with the Waddy family.

Larry died one week before the Memorial Day weekend, but not before having fought his last good fight against the infirmities that would take him from this earth to a place of eternal rest and solace where he joins his band of brothers and sisters that have gone before him. He leaves behind a legacy fitting of a true hero, having earned a Bronze Star and the highest enlisted rank in the US Air Force─Chief Master Sergeant.

A brilliant man with a brilliant mind and a joyful soul, I'm grateful to have known him, this father figure, hero, and friend. He will be missed but never forgotten.

In Memory of Chief Lawrence Waddy, Jr....Dad