STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man wasLieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighterpilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington inthe South Pacific.One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission.After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge andrealized that someone had forgotten to top off hisfuel tank. He would not have enough fuelto complete his mission and get back to his ship. Hisflight leader told him to return to the carrier.Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation andheaded back to the fleet. As he was returning to themother ship he saw something that turned his bloodcold, a squadron of Japanese aircraft were speedingtheir way toward the American fleet.The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and thefleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach hissquadron and bring them back in timeto save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of theapproaching danger. There was only one thing to do. Hemust somehow divert them from the fleet.Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he doveinto the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50caliber's blazed as he charged in,attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another.Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation andfired at as many planes as possible until all hisammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continuedthe assault.He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tailin hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possibleand rendering them unfit to fly.Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off inanother direction.Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighterlimped back to the carrier. Upon arrival he reportedin and related the event surroundinghis return. The film from the gun-camera mounted onhis plane told the tale. It showed the extent ofButch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.He had in fact destroyed five enemy aircraft.This took place on February 20, 1942, and for thataction Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II,and the first Naval Aviator to win theCongressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch waskilled in aerial combat at the age of 29. His hometown would not allow the memory of this WW II hero tofade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named intribute to the courage of this great man.So the next time you find yourself at O'HareInternational, give some thought to visiting Butch'smemorial displaying his statue and his Medal ofHonor.It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACHOTHER?Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

Amazing Stories...

An Amazing Story - Al Capone, His Lawyer & HistoryMany years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He wasnotorious for enmeshing the windy city in everythingfrom bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was hislawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! Infact, Eddie's skill at legalmaneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very wellNot only was the money big, but also Eddie got specialdividends. For instance, he and his family occupied afenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of theconveniences of the day.The estate was so large that it filled an entireChicago City block. Eddie lived the high life of theChicago mob and gave little consideration tothe atrocity that went on around him.Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a sonthat he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his youngson had the best of everything: clothes, cars and agood education. Nothing was withheld. Price was noobject. And, despite his involvement with organizedcrime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were twothings he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on agood name and a good example.One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. EasyEddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decidedhe would go to the authorities and tell the truthabout Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnishedname and offer his son some semblance of integrity. Todo this, he would have to testify against The Mob, andhe knew that the cost would be great. So, hetestified.Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze ofgunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes,he had given his son the greatest gifthe had to offer, at the greatest price he would everpay.Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix,a religious medallion and a poem clipped from amagazine.The poem read:The clock of life is wound but once And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop At late or early hour.Now is the only time you own.Live, love, toil with a will.Place no faith in time.For the clock may soon be still. Story courtesy of my good friend corazon

Life may be a coin...

A very good friend shared this, hope you'll find this interesting...

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered whatthis statement meant about the character and nature of God.One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silverand get back to the group at their next Bible Study.That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment towatch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason forher interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refiningSilver.As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over thefire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, oneneeded to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flameswere hottest as to burn away all the impurities.The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then shethought again about the verse that says: purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that hehad to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver wasbeing refined.The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding thesilver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time itwas in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in theflames, it would be destroyed.The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God hashis eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image inyou. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know thatGod is watching over them.And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end. "Life is a coin You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can onlyspend it once."

Muslim Homeland in the Philippines

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