You're right ...

I did love that post ... as you proclaimed I would in a text message.

I'll dove tail with your assessment of his post Iran/Contra life and add that at that "Hannitty Freedom Concert", he spent about 20 minutes on stage between book signings. And in that time, with the 2000+ crowd gathered, it would have been very easy to simply bash Democrats with clever quips as Levine and Hannitty did. But he didn't. He spent the entire time talking about the troops. I think where they and our military policy is concerned he is the epitome of nonpartisan.

Two quick stories he told ... the back cover of that book you are soon to receive (and is sitting in my office right now) is that of a Marine carrying a body. At first glance one would assume that the soldier is carrying a wounded comrade ... he is not. North was standing on the ramp of a medi-vac not far from a live fire fight, snapping pictures himself, with the button down capturing each moment frame by frame at break neck speed. Now, he mentioned that he was asked why he put this particular Marine and that particular shot in such a prominent place in his book. He said that the person the Marine was carrying was a wounded Iraqi that was caught in the crossfire. As the soldier set him down on the medi-vac ramp the "docs" patted him down for weapons very quickly, then started an IV, and began to dress his wounds with these amazing inflatable bandages that stabilize broken bones and put pressure on wounds while absorbing blood. As the Marine ran back into the fray to further assist his unit a Reuters reporter was just off the side with his own camera crew and screamed "Mate, what'd you do that for? Didn't you notice he was an Iraqi?" North said the young Marine turned to the reporter, and offered what can only be described as a "single digit gesture", and shouted out, "that's what WE do."

The other story he told ...

He was doing a live feed for Hannitty and Colmes. It was at night in Iraq and that grainy green night vision screen is what everyone was looking at as they went live with Ollie and a soldier right off the front in Fallujah. He noted to Sean that mortar shelling followed by close quarter combat of the type this Marine had just experienced was probably the worst thing a human being can go through. "It's 90% adrenaline and 10% stark terror", he noted a soldier once said years ago. Now, during any broadcast FOX News has an "instant feedback" loop running to the right of the screen that no one but the pundit or field correspondent can see - its viewer emails. And one caught his eye just before they went "dark" concluding the Hannity and Colmes segment. He printed it and carries it with him at every troop rally (and given that the Hannitty concert is in fact a charity event for the children of fallen soldiers, "The Fallen Hero Foundation", that is exactly what this was). He read that email:

"Dear Colonel North. I just heard you you say that there is no worse thing that a human being can experience then close quarter combat. I disagree. I am a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom,and the truth is that the worst thing a human can experience is living with my mother-in-law. I called several buddies from my unit and asked if they agree, one of which lost a hand in combat, and he says it isn't even a close contest."

Yours Truly, Lieutenant ...

The crowd erupted in laughter and applause.

Not one time did he mention Hillary or Obama or the Democrat Party.

He simply wanted to tell the troop's story, and suggested before he left that the next time you are on a commercial flight with a Sailor, Airmen, Marine or Army soldier, that you ask the stewardist to announce over loud speaker that there is a US soldier on board ... and then watch as your fellow Americans give him or her a standing applause ... he's seen it happen.

And perhaps that too is why "we" (conservatives and anyone with an appreciation of the US Military, like you Titus) like him despite his faults in the 80's. The story he is going around the country telling reminds us that there are bigger things happening then politics, and it refocuses us on what real sacrifice is .... and "class"as you put it, sums that effort up quite nicely.

Bet in 1989 you never thought you'd be buying Ollie's book, and saying nice things about him .... well done Titus, good form.