no strings on me @papa-voodoo - Tumblr Blog

This is pretty bad ass, wish I had one back when I smoked

82 years ago, my grandfather was battling his way across and up the beachhead at Omaha, watching friends and enemies die. Only story he ever told me about that day, was watching his 2nd lieutenant get cut in half by incoming mortar rounds.

5th Engineer Special Brigade, that's who that monument is for, they lost so many men in the first few hours after the initial assault.

My grandfather survived it, not without some damage, but all things considered, he was alive.

His unit was then assigned to Paris to help with liberation and rebuilding. That's where he met my grandmother. And then promptly married her 6 months later. 😁

I was lucky enough to be raised up by them, and given a much better life than I probably deserved.

He's been gone for almost 36 years, died from complications of emphysema. Miss his words and his wisdom and find myself wondering what his advice would be on a multitude of things I've dealt with.

Not many things I have left from him, but this is my most cherished.

Never forget what those young men did, sacrificed so much, and never really expected anything in return.

I just need to know 😁🤔

papa-voodoo

Just ya know, in case

nogodsnokingsnomasters

Today is a special day. June 4th 2019 marks the 15th anniversary of the Killdozer’s rampage through Granby Colorado.

Sit down kids and let me tell you a tale, about a reasonable man driven to do unreasonable things.

Marvin Heemeyer was a man who owned a muffler shop in Granby Colorado. The city council ordained to approve the construction of a concrete factory in the lot across from Marvin’s shop. In the process this blocked the only access road to the muffler shop. Marvin petitioned to stop the construction to no avail. Petitioned to construct a new access road, and even bought the heavy machinery to do so himself. Denied.

The concrete factory went up in disregard to the ramifications on Marvin’s business. To add insult to injury, the factory construction disconnected the muffler shop from the city sewage lines. An indifferent city government then chose to fine Marvin for this.

His business and livelihood were in ruin. Rather than lie down and die, Marvin chose to fight back. Over the course of a year and a half Marvin secretly outfitted the bulldozer he bought to save his business with three foot thick steel and concrete armor, camera systems guarded with bulletproof glass.

On June 4th 2004 Marvin Heemeyer lowered the armored shell over top of himself, entombing himself inside the Killdozer to make his last stand.

He burst fourth from the walls of his muffler shop and straight into the concrete factory that ruined his business. Over the course of the next several hours Marvin drove his Killdozer through 13 buildings owned by those officials that had wronged him, including the city council building itself.

Swat teams swarmed the dozer, but it proved immune to small arms fire and even explosives. Another piece of heavy machinery was even brought out to fight the Killdozer, but it too fell to the dozers righteous fury.

In the end, Marvin’s Killdozer became trapped in one of the buildings it was built to destroy. Marvin chose to take his life, the only life he took that day.

Today we celebrate Killdozer day and Marvin Heemeyer, the last great American folk hero. A man driven to the brink who chose to fight back against an indifferent system.

From notes left behind after his passing:

“I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable. Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things.”

HAPPY KILLDOZER DAY EVERYONE.