Marines and strangers rush to aid of victimized veteranHOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a good news update on a home ransacked and spray painted by a pair of teen burglars in northwest Houston. While the burglars are now in custody, community members and Marines stepped in to help the homeowner -- a 93-year-old World War II veteran. The Marines quickly marched into the defaced home of WWII veteran Elbert Wood, eager to help."It's important that he knows we're here for him and that we're always his brothers," Major Roberto Rodriguez said.The presence of these local Marines is just one example of the outpouring of support for Wood since we first reported the burglary and vandalism of his home on Monday. Two teens, ages 13 and 16, were arrested for allegedly committing the crime."My feelings about them are not anger so much as just wondering why they would do something like that," Wood said.Since then, calls came in from around the country, as former Marines and strangers offered to paint the graffiti-laden walls or replace the damaged household items. Gallery Furniture dropped off a living room set.Wood's daughter Mary Ellen Hopperdietzel said, "I feel that a fuss is made because he is a World War II veteran. But the fact of it is, this is devastating no matter who it happens to."The Wood family says it's still trying to comprehend all the support shown their father, who also just lost his wife last month. For today, it's obvious the presence of fellow Marines brought a smile to his face, as he coaxed the younger Marines into an impromptu singing of the Marine Corps hymn.Some contractors and builders also stopped by to assess the situation. They will return to complete the cleanup and repairs.
Marine Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, is a tough guy. In fact, if you parachuted him unarmed onto an island inhabited by psychotic ninja robots, he would get more kills than famed Scottish warrior William Wallace.But one reader asked The Rumor Doctor about a story that shows Mattis has a compassionate side to him. The story goes that Mattis stood duty on Christmas back when he was a brigadier general so that a younger Marine could spend the holiday with his family.Since the privilege of rank makes it extremely rare for general officers to pull duty for their subordinates, The Doctor was intrigued.Unfortunately, Mattis was unavailable to talk. That’s not surprising considering revolution is sweeping through the CENTCOM theater, putting several vital U.S. allies at risk.However, The Doctor was able to find out what happened from retired Marine Gen. Charles Krulak, who was commandant when the story took place. Every Christmas during his tenure, Krulak delivered cookies to every Marine duty post around Washington and Quantico, Va.Back in 1998, he was making his final delivery to Marine Corps Combat Development Command headquarters at Quantico when he asked the Marine on duty who the officer of the day was.“The young Marine said, ‘Sir, it’s Brigadier General Mattis.’â€Krulak thought the Marine had misunderstood him, so he asked again, but he got the same answer.“I looked around the duty hut and in the back, there were two cots: One for the officer of the day and one for young Marine. I said, ‘OK, let me cut through all of this: Who was the officer who slept in that bed last night?’“And the Marine said, ‘Sir, Brigadier General Mattis.’â€At that moment, Mattis walked around the corner.“So I said to him, ‘Jim, what are you standing the duty for?’ “And he said, ‘Sir, I looked at the duty roster for today and there was a young major who had it who is married and had a family; and so I’m a bachelor, I thought why should the major miss out on the fun of having Christmas with his family, and so I took the duty for him.’ â€Never before or since has Krulak run into a general officer standing duty on Christmas Day. “I think it says volumes about Jim Mattis and his leadership style,†Krulak said. “He did it very unobtrusively. He just took the duty.â€
THE RUMOR DOCTOR’S DIAGNOSIS: Gen. Mattis once famously said he likes to shoot Taliban, so no one is going to call him a softie. But by standing duty so that a young Marine could spend Christmas with his family, he showed you don’t have to be heartless to be a leader. But don’t expect him to pull that stuff on Presidents Day.
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