C’mon, CW. It’s a touching story of humanity. The poor guy had a rough life - abandoned by father, mother putting him in an orphanage with his siblings, mother remarried and the stepfather beat the kids, goes to war in Europe in WW II and gets injured, comes home a wreck, becomes a bum, and spends 60 or 70 years on the streets.
In the end, some caring people at the hospital befriend him, bring him out of a 70 year shell, and he brings some joy to people and kids around him.
How can you not read that and reflect on your own gifts in life and the more unfortunate around us?
Daily (dare I say hourly) there are thousands of stories of humanity but this one makes them feel good about themselves and what they think about the folly of serving your country.
Your take on this is mine as well. It kind of reminded me of the essays Joseph Mitchell wrote for the New Yorker for 30 years. He interviewed Bowery Bums and other marginal characters and presented them at face value. “Here’s a life unlike your own, but, I’m willing to bet, you will have occasional flashes of recognition.”
It is a great story... however the cynic in me wonders if they’re just warming up the inevitable “homeless stories” for the next administration. Publishing this lets them off the hook so to speak...” We sure did do homeless stories during the Obama admin.”