The Man Who Never Stopped Smiling

Bennie wouldn't allow a photo to be taken of him, but agreed to let me use his hat.

Imagine yourself just arriving at your vacation destination after a long day’s drive.  You stop at the front office and check in, get your paperwork and head down to your campsite for some much-needed rest and relaxation.  As you turn onto the road to get to the campground, your engine dies and will not start….it won’t even turn over.  You’re now stuck going up a hill and halfway into a long turn blocking all in going and outgoing traffic as well.  No other campers or RV’s can make it past you and it’s one of the hottest days of the summer…. 

That’s where I met Bennie, Betty and their grandson Mathew.  I knew we had to get them out of their position since I had campers arriving that would not be able to get past the big 34 foot roadblock of an RV they had.  The first things I noticed about Bennie was his big smile and the ball cap he had on (photo above).  Now I’ve dealt with lot’s of folks on vacation and mostly they are very happy-go-lucky.  But when you begin to have problems on your vacation, actually you hadn’t even started it, people start getting upset pretty quick.  Not Bennie though, not even after he couldn’t get a signal with his cell phone to call his brother-in-law for some help (I let them use mine).  In fact his wife Betty was all smiles too so that made my job a lot easier in trying to get them some help and a tow truck.  All told the ordeal lasted over 3 hours in 100+ degree heat and thankfully their RV had a generator so they had air conditioning inside.  

I noticed Bennie was sweating a lot and he clutched his chest a few times so I asked him if he was feeling ok.  He told me that he had some heart problems and that it was from some wounds he had received in Vietnam.  I asked him to go inside and asked his wife to get him some cold water to drink while I went up to go call them a tow truck.  The whole time he kept apologizing for bothering all the other folks in the park and for putting me through so much trouble.  Thankfully everyone understood and was patient with us until we got the RV pushed out of the way to open up traffic.   

The next day, he began to call around to local mechanics to see if someone could repair his engine.  I don’t know how much money this whole “vacation” cost him, but it had to be a lot especially since the tow truck and mechanic had to drive over an hour to reach the park, but Bennie never stopped smiling.  I have to say it impressed me very much how he and his family handled all the problems they had the night before.  Most people would have been very upset on a normal day, much less their vacation.  After the mechanic repaired his motor home, I decided to give them a visit to see how they were doing and make sure they didn’t need any more assistance. 

Now being a veteran myself, I first told Bennie thank you for his understanding and how amazed I was that he did not get upset even a little bit about what had happened.  I asked him if some things he lived through in the past had any effect on his outlook on life and he told me that it did.  We talked awhile about his family and his grandchildren, he showed me a few of the scars on his body and described to me the injuries that he sustained.  Reluctantly he also told me that he served 3 tours in Vietnam as a member of the Green Beret’s.  I asked him if he had been awarded a purple heart for his wounds, he said that he received 3 purple hearts.   

After we talked some more I asked him if he had received any other medals during the war.  He seemed to be thinking about whether or not to answer me, but after a long pause he said yes.  He said that during his service he had been awarded 3 bronze stars (2 for valor), 2 silver stars (for valor), and the Army Distinguished Service Cross (the only higher medal for individual valor in combat is the Congressional Medal of Honor).  This quiet, unassuming man is a real American hero and is one of the most modest and humble men I’ve ever met in my life.  We talked some more about the military in general after that, he told me about how they used to train Navy SEAL’s…..and it was always a competition.  He talked the most though about his wife of 34 years and especially those grandchildren. 

There was a couple of times during our conversation that he tried to talk me out of writing this about him.  He said he’s lived many years trying to put that all behind him and since he wouldn’t let me take a photograph of him…..I asked for his ball cap instead.  I shook his hand and told him thank you for his service to our country and I hoped he would come back and stay with us again sometime.  But since I’ve had time to think about everything he said, everything the man lived through…what happened the other day seems like nothing.  In fact, I’m embarrassed when I think of what I complain about because it pale’s in comparison.  

I know now why he seems so happy, I know why he smiles all the time…..it’s because today is the best day of his life.  God bless you and your family Bennie…..and keep smiling…..don’t ever stop smiling.

Russ Brantley, Park Ranger

61 years is a long time to do anything

Tommie and RL Edwards celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary at Lake Claiborne State Park.

After visiting with these two for over an hour, they told me many stories about their life together.  Mr. Edwards told me about how he and his older brother, Troy, used to trap down in Little D’arbonne bayou long before it became Lake Claiborne.  Back then, he said they didn’t do it for fun but to make a living.  Mrs. Edwards told me about how they met and how she would ride the 1948 Harley Davidson motorcycle he owned on every date they went on.  ” I really loved him, because we rode that motorcycle in the wintertime to go on our dates” she said. 

They were married on June 10th, 1949 and all Mr. Edwards owned was that motorcycle and a metal suitcase.  “I bought that Harley brand new for $350.00 dollars, and in that day and age that kind of money was like a million bucks” he told me with a grin.  They told me quite a few times that they had their fair share of problems, but Mrs. Edwards said that by keeping God first in their lives it helped them through the hard times.  Mr. Edwards added some advice as well, “never let the sun set on a disagreement between you, work it out before you go to sleep”.

During our conversation I asked them if they could give some advice to couples and they had a few things to say.  “It doesn’t take money to be thoughtful” Mrs. Edwards told me.  “I remember times when we didnt have fifty cents for a haircut, but you could buy a coke and go for a walk” she said.  She also said that keeping things simple and being careful with money was important as well. 

As for the one peice of advice for men and women on staying together, Mr. Edwards’ advice was short and to the point, “if mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”.  Mrs. Edwards said for men and women alike to “never lose your individuality” and that “you’re not just somebody’s husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter….you’re you”.  These two are the proud parents of 5 children, 9 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.  They also told me that the family is very close and the children call once a day to speak with their parents.

I had a great visit with these two veteran campers and hope to see them here next year for their 62nd anniversary!  This is a wonderful acheivement and on behalf of Lake Claiborne State Park staff, I would like to offer our congratulations to you!

Russ Brantley, Park Ranger