Brother Full Of Good Basic Material
Dear Ann Landers: This letter is for “Mom in Arizona” and anyone else who believes that troubled teens do not belong in the military.
My brother was one of those teens, constantly in trouble at home and at school. He even had a few brushes with the law. A year ago, after receiving his high school diploma at summer school, he joined the Marines. The next time we saw him was at his boot camp graduation. Gone were the hunched shoulders and attitude problem. There before us stood a tall, proud Marine. He achieved more in one year than many people do in a lifetime. But most of all, he achieved self-esteem and self-respect. The Marine Corps turned his life around.
Last July, my brother and another Marine saved the life of a 2-year-old boy who was drowning. The two brought the boy to shore, called for help and applied CPR until the paramedics arrived. The child survived with no brain damage. My brother received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He was also meritoriously promoted to the rank of lance corporal.As another part of his reward, he was allowed to go home for 30 days. He never made it. On his way, he was killed in a car accident in Tennessee. He was only 19. - Grieving Sister in Beaufort, S.C.
Dear Sister: What a heart-breaker, but it was good of you to write and let us know what the Marines did for your brother. It was a splendid final tribute. Though it took the Marine Corps to bring it out, there must have been a lot of good basic material in that young man.
Dear Ann Landers: Why does “Keeping Up With the Joneses” think he is doing his neighbor a favor by mowing his lawn? And you called him generous? Decent? Try annoying.
We purchased a lakefront home in the woods, thinking we would get away from the overly zealous weekend Lawn Rangers, to no avail. Our two new neighbors have this golf course mentality, which is positively maddening. One in particular spends every minute using some kind of monstrous-sized motor-driven device to maintain his lawn. If it isn’t the lawn tractor, it’s the weed whacker, the leaf blower, the power mulcher, the lawn vac or a chain saw to get rid of the trees that block the sun and drop leaves or pine needles. And then, he runs his water pumps for the sprinklers. Enough already!
It would be really nice to be able to lie in the hammock and enjoy listening to the ball games on the radio or just have some peace and quiet. No such luck. On nice days in the summer, we are forced to sit inside with the windows shut and the air conditioner turned on just to hear each other talk.
We spend a minimal amount of time mowing down the weeds, and we encourage the moss to grow beneath the pine trees because there are better things to do in life than mow lawns and contribute to noise pollution. They probably refer to us as - The Shlocky Neighbors in Knowlton, Wis.
Dear Shlocky Neighbors: I don’t know how many hammocks there are among the pine trees in Knowlton, Wis., but you may have blown your cover. I am interested in knowing if your neighbors recognize you as the author of this letter.
I’m betting they will. If so, it could be a good thing. Sometimes, people don’t know they are annoying you unless you tell them.
Gem of the Day: If your brother hits you, don’t hit him back. Parents always catch the second person.