Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Athal was a good man. The kind of man who would give you the shoes off his feet if he thought you needed them. The kind who valued family above all else, to the point some might even say too much. He was the sort of man who would defend not only his country and his home, and people abroad all the world over; so broad was his heart he'd willingly fight for those who bore no shared roots, resemblance, creed or country, all just to give them hope for a brighter tomorrow,
Into his eighties, his was still the firmest handshake I've ever felt.
I regret not knowing him better, or having more to say, but he took care of his family, and I was honored, if only briefly, to be considered in some way a part of it.
To those of you who knew him far better, my condolences for his loss. May we all look to his example in trying to be something more for each other in these trying times.