gjpratt
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2019
- Location
- Central Florida and WNC
I was fortunate enough to spend a week touring battlefields with Ed in a small group some 20 years ago. I had been on a couple of weekend tours with larger groups prior to that one. The setting was so intimate and the opportunities to interact so abundant that I still have very vivid and detailed memories. Here are a few tidbits that have stuck with me.
Ed did not watch television or read nonfiction. He explained that he did not want to clutter his mind with nonessential facts.
He confirmed that he did go on the $64000 Question show to raise the balance of funds necessary to finish the raising and restoration of the Cairo.
Because he was a news hermit, he knew nothing of 9/11. As he was walking to the subway from his apartment to the Pentagon City Metro stop that morning, he was perplexed by the hordes of people rushing away. As he was puzzling the cause he saw American 77 as it flew into the Pentagon. The only time he was ever an eyewitness to history as opposed to a reporter of history.
One of the tour stops was on private property. Ed knew the owner -- or thought he did. When he went to the door for permission to take us to the site of a significant skirmish, he was met by a stranger. Seems the house had changed hands since his last tour. The new owner was a CW buff and recognized Ed as someone he sees on TV. Gushed over him like a rock star, to Ed's embarrassment.
He was very fond of Forrest and Lincoln's military attributes.
He gave one of the most eloquent and passionate extemporaneous orations I have ever heard about the effort in a small town to cover up regrettable actions that occurred there. It was to the effect that history is not pristine and both the good and the bad parts are an inextricable part of our culture and who we are as Americans. Plus the failure to acknowledge, much less understand, the seamy sides of history just makes a recurrence that much more likely.
And his encyclopedic memory of individual units and maneuvers down to the company level was staggering.
I hope this gives another glimpse into Ed's personality. This trip with Ed was very impactful to me. And I did leave with an inscription on my copy of Brice's Crossroads.
Later I signed up for one of his 2 week bus tours of the WW2 European battlefields but had to cancel because of work commitments. I will always regret that.
Godspeed, Mr. Bearss.
Ed did not watch television or read nonfiction. He explained that he did not want to clutter his mind with nonessential facts.
He confirmed that he did go on the $64000 Question show to raise the balance of funds necessary to finish the raising and restoration of the Cairo.
Because he was a news hermit, he knew nothing of 9/11. As he was walking to the subway from his apartment to the Pentagon City Metro stop that morning, he was perplexed by the hordes of people rushing away. As he was puzzling the cause he saw American 77 as it flew into the Pentagon. The only time he was ever an eyewitness to history as opposed to a reporter of history.
One of the tour stops was on private property. Ed knew the owner -- or thought he did. When he went to the door for permission to take us to the site of a significant skirmish, he was met by a stranger. Seems the house had changed hands since his last tour. The new owner was a CW buff and recognized Ed as someone he sees on TV. Gushed over him like a rock star, to Ed's embarrassment.
He was very fond of Forrest and Lincoln's military attributes.
He gave one of the most eloquent and passionate extemporaneous orations I have ever heard about the effort in a small town to cover up regrettable actions that occurred there. It was to the effect that history is not pristine and both the good and the bad parts are an inextricable part of our culture and who we are as Americans. Plus the failure to acknowledge, much less understand, the seamy sides of history just makes a recurrence that much more likely.
And his encyclopedic memory of individual units and maneuvers down to the company level was staggering.
I hope this gives another glimpse into Ed's personality. This trip with Ed was very impactful to me. And I did leave with an inscription on my copy of Brice's Crossroads.
Later I signed up for one of his 2 week bus tours of the WW2 European battlefields but had to cancel because of work commitments. I will always regret that.
Godspeed, Mr. Bearss.