Wednesday, December 19, 2018
I MET MARK AT WALTER REED IN MID 1969. I OFTEN PUSHED HIM IN HIS WHEELCHAIR AS MUCH HE COULD DO ABOUT EVERYTHING WE GOT TO CHAT A ND BE FRIENDS. MARK WAS HIS OWN PERSON AND WOULD OFTEN SAY OR DO WHAT HE WANTED, PRETTY MUCH A REBEL. I HAVE SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES OF HIM, EVEN IN THE HOSPITAL. HE HAD A GREAT LAUGH, AND COULD DRAW SOME OF US SO WELL THAT WHEN GENERAL WESTMORELAND CAME THROUGH THE WARD HE MADE COMMENTS ABOUT MARKS DRAWINGS THAT WERE ABOVE HIS BED ON THE WALL. WESTMORELAND ASKED MARK TO DRAW HIM, AND MARK REPLIED "SURE FOR 25 BUCKS. THIS NEVER HAPPENED, HE NEVER DREW WESTMORELAND BECAUSE IN MY GUESS MARK WAS SO OPPOSED TO THE WAR. DEFINITELY MARK WAS A MAN OF PRINCIPLE. WE SAW MARK AND SUE TWICE AFTER THE HOSPITAL. ONCE WHEN MY WIFE AND I GOT HOME FROM OUR HONEYMOON. THERE WAS MARK AND SUE IN MY PARENTS BACK YAR POOL SWIMMING. THEY WERE WITH 3 OTHER FRIENDS AND TRAVELING IN A RV. MARK WAS SWIMMING AND DIVING OFF THE DIVING BOARD, HE DIDNT WANT HIS INJUREIS TO DEFINE HIM OR LIMIT HIM.THE OTHER TIME THE WHOLE FAMILY CAME TO MAINE TO VISIT. IT WAS GREAT SEEING HIM. I WISH I HAD VISITED THEM, BUT NOT A TRAVELER THEN. HAVE OFTEN MENTIONED MARK TO OTHER SAYING HOW STRONG AND PERSERVERENT HE WAS. I CAN SAY I HAVE KNOWN A TRULYGREAT MAN. SUE, I KNOW YOU AND YOU CHILDREN LOVE HIM VERY MUCH. TAKE CARE, JIM AND HELEN BOOTH.
