Ted Copeland:  

I no longer subscribe to Classmates, so I cannot see who has visited or emailed, even when you sign my guestbook or post it on my page. You can find me on Facebook. Thanks! Never underestimate the power of human stupidity... Shot twice, stabbed once, 4 heart attacks, 5 way bypass, left hand severed/reattached, came within 24 hours of having my left leg amputated during Desert Storm. 2 helicopter crashes, 1 plane crash. Took a leak in the fountain at Franco's summer estate; beat his secret police running back to the ship. Ingested a truckload of asbestos. Jumped out of a 2nd floor window, naked with my shoes in one hand and my pants in the other. Came face to face with a shark, and out of air. Was a driver for then candidate Bill and Hillary Clinton. I'm the only guy I know who walks into a war zone just to get out of the house! Does this mean I'm not going to be a Nobel Laureate? While the above is all for real (If said in jest), let me be serious for a moment. On my day job, I see patients from WW2/Korea/Vietnam to the present. They may be missing a limb or two, or blind, or with MS, MD, cancer, diabetes, alzhiemers, ACLS, parkinson's, or a myriad of other diseases; sometimes a combination of the above. Many are in detox, fighting substance abuse. Some have been there 60 years. I can deal with that, as the same could be true of others in their 50's-90's. However, what I cannot stand is seeing some once bright, beautiful kid, say 18-20, male or female that has had their mind,body or spirit destroyed by being turned into cannon fodder and looking at spending the rest of their natural lives there. Then it hit me: The ones there 60 years HAD been 18-20 year old kids when admitted. Plus we've had a female family member hit an IED last year. While I was super motivated after 9/11, the kids were my primary motivation to go back. While I could not get directly back on active duty after bypass surgery, I found a loophole which let me back in the Guard. I'd rather get the call, far better that I go than some kid. Also, while I suck at stand-up (And have the dents in my head from thrown beer bottles to prove it!) I can at least make the patients laugh or smile a little... Anyway, if you know a vet, or see one, thank them for their service. This costs you nothing, and could mean the world to them knowing someone cares. If you don't see one, thank GOD for their keeping you safe! Secondly, by the grace of GOD I married the former LuAnne Miller (YHS '73) in 1977. Thanks Lu, for putting up with all my sh*t all these years. The toughest job in the Army/Navy is being a Army/Navy wife. Luckily I can still drive her nuts, and still make her laugh! We put both kids through the University of Tennessee cash and carry (whew!) and they only knocked a couple of decades off our lives in the process. Our eldest son, Jason, l...Expand for more