Losses in the Furry Community
I didn't know 'Furp'-- I don't recall ever meeting him, but he was someone who was a good friend to friends of mine, and by all accounts I've seen, he was a very good man. He was killed a few days ago in a traffic accident near 29 Palms. The other driver, a Marine, was drunk. For all those of you who knew him-- you have my sympathies.
I'm deployed overseas right now, and while I'm not in the sandbox-- where I'm at is presumed to not be as safe as say, the good old USA-- there are plenty of reasons why I'm carrying a weapon and live ammo, pretty much 24/7. When I was in Iraq, about five years ago now, a good friend of mine back in the states was in a severe car accident, caused by the other driver speeding and running a red light, and t-boning my friend's minivan-- while that friend fortunately lived and is still with us, he's got pins holding several of his bones together and still walks with a limp. This is one more hit on the 'sheesh, I'm supposed to be the one at risk here...' I also knew a few people that I deployed with, who made it through the whole deployment, came home, and then got killed in some accident or another after they got home. I've read in several of the comments that people who knew him made-- that he too served in some of the war zones we're involved in around the world, made it through all that in one piece, and then something happened to him in the USA. All I can say to that is it really sucks, I don't know how to explain why the gods/goddesses hit us and take someone away before what we otherwise see as his proper time, and it does cut deep. Maybe later I'll find more coherent and eloquent words to say about it. Wish I'd known him.
I made a couple of comments on friends' pages-- after thinking about it a little more, I've decided to repost some portions of my comments here on my own live journal:
[This is] "one more notch on my personal list of reasons why I feel no tolerance whatsoever for drunk and/or otherwise intoxicated drivers. And one more reminder that home isn't all that safe, and that no matter how careful, skilled, lucky, etc, we may be-- death may still come calling when you least expect it. I'm still thinking the idea is to LIVE your life while you're alive, and to be the best person you can be-- not just exist, and not worry how much time you have left, and not leave regrets about the things you should have done but didn't because you thought you could do it tomorrow. From all the comments I've seen about him-- seems like Furp was someone who already knew that lesson and was putting it into practice."
(and in response to a post to someone who'd admitted driving drunk before and almost sounded like they were trying to defend the practice):
[here's] "the military answer (it's actually a good one)--
Doesn't matter how you feel, what you think of your ability to drive, whether you think you're sober or not--
When you go out (and all the way through the following morning/at least one good night's sleep/extended length of sobering up time):
IF YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL, DON'T DRIVE. PERIOD. EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE DRINK.
It ain't rocket science. And a F***ing Marine?! What pisses me off (a lot) while reading about this death in the community, is I know damn well that drunk driver got plenty of those briefings already, even if he was fresh out of basic, and CHOSE to ignore that simple rule-- because he KNOWINGLY did something criminally stupid, he deserves to be held fully accountable for his crime.
And, I have no doubt he chose to drive drunk, knowing that he had other options-- in this regard the Army and Marine Corps have some similar policies-- we encourage designated drivers. We tell young troops (and old) not to drive drunk. We tell them if they are somewhere and they've been drinking and don't have a designated driver, take a cab-- if you don't have the money, we'll find some way to cover it. Or call staff duty, call your squad leader, your platoon sergeant, your platoon leader, your first sergeant, even your CO-- we'll come and get you. We'd rather do that than have you drive drunk (this accident shows a key reason why).
I know Marine Corps leaders tell their Marines that, same as Army Leaders tell their soldiers that, and I tell my squad those same things.
There just isn't any fucking excuse for it. Of course, the poor bastard who did it is probably going to get a few years in prison to think about his crimes, along with a bad conduct discharge and the knowledge that by his conduct, he has dishonored himself, his unit, and the entire United States Marine Corps.
And still, my friends who knew Furp have to live with the loss. Whatever happens to the driver, it ain't enough."
I'm deployed overseas right now, and while I'm not in the sandbox-- where I'm at is presumed to not be as safe as say, the good old USA-- there are plenty of reasons why I'm carrying a weapon and live ammo, pretty much 24/7. When I was in Iraq, about five years ago now, a good friend of mine back in the states was in a severe car accident, caused by the other driver speeding and running a red light, and t-boning my friend's minivan-- while that friend fortunately lived and is still with us, he's got pins holding several of his bones together and still walks with a limp. This is one more hit on the 'sheesh, I'm supposed to be the one at risk here...' I also knew a few people that I deployed with, who made it through the whole deployment, came home, and then got killed in some accident or another after they got home. I've read in several of the comments that people who knew him made-- that he too served in some of the war zones we're involved in around the world, made it through all that in one piece, and then something happened to him in the USA. All I can say to that is it really sucks, I don't know how to explain why the gods/goddesses hit us and take someone away before what we otherwise see as his proper time, and it does cut deep. Maybe later I'll find more coherent and eloquent words to say about it. Wish I'd known him.
I made a couple of comments on friends' pages-- after thinking about it a little more, I've decided to repost some portions of my comments here on my own live journal:
[This is] "one more notch on my personal list of reasons why I feel no tolerance whatsoever for drunk and/or otherwise intoxicated drivers. And one more reminder that home isn't all that safe, and that no matter how careful, skilled, lucky, etc, we may be-- death may still come calling when you least expect it. I'm still thinking the idea is to LIVE your life while you're alive, and to be the best person you can be-- not just exist, and not worry how much time you have left, and not leave regrets about the things you should have done but didn't because you thought you could do it tomorrow. From all the comments I've seen about him-- seems like Furp was someone who already knew that lesson and was putting it into practice."
(and in response to a post to someone who'd admitted driving drunk before and almost sounded like they were trying to defend the practice):
[here's] "the military answer (it's actually a good one)--
Doesn't matter how you feel, what you think of your ability to drive, whether you think you're sober or not--
When you go out (and all the way through the following morning/at least one good night's sleep/extended length of sobering up time):
IF YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL, DON'T DRIVE. PERIOD. EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE DRINK.
It ain't rocket science. And a F***ing Marine?! What pisses me off (a lot) while reading about this death in the community, is I know damn well that drunk driver got plenty of those briefings already, even if he was fresh out of basic, and CHOSE to ignore that simple rule-- because he KNOWINGLY did something criminally stupid, he deserves to be held fully accountable for his crime.
And, I have no doubt he chose to drive drunk, knowing that he had other options-- in this regard the Army and Marine Corps have some similar policies-- we encourage designated drivers. We tell young troops (and old) not to drive drunk. We tell them if they are somewhere and they've been drinking and don't have a designated driver, take a cab-- if you don't have the money, we'll find some way to cover it. Or call staff duty, call your squad leader, your platoon sergeant, your platoon leader, your first sergeant, even your CO-- we'll come and get you. We'd rather do that than have you drive drunk (this accident shows a key reason why).
I know Marine Corps leaders tell their Marines that, same as Army Leaders tell their soldiers that, and I tell my squad those same things.
There just isn't any fucking excuse for it. Of course, the poor bastard who did it is probably going to get a few years in prison to think about his crimes, along with a bad conduct discharge and the knowledge that by his conduct, he has dishonored himself, his unit, and the entire United States Marine Corps.
And still, my friends who knew Furp have to live with the loss. Whatever happens to the driver, it ain't enough."