Good Memorial Day Morning!!!
1. Question – Why did Eddie turn himself in and
squeal on Capone and what’s this got to do with
Memorial Day?
2. Thought – Artful Eddie lacked nothing.
He was the slickest of the slick lawyers. He was one of
the roars of the Roaring Twenties. A crony of Al Capone,
he ran the gangster’s dog tracks. He mastered the
simple technique of fixing the race by overfeeding seven
dogs and betting on the eighth.
Wealth. Status. Style. Artful Eddie lacked nothing.
Then why did he turn himself in? Why did he offer to
squeal on Capone? What was his motive? Didn’t Eddie
know the sure-fire consequences of ratting on the mob?
He knew, but he’d made up his mind.
What did he have to gain? What could society give him that
he didn’t have? He had money, power, prestige. What
was the hitch?
Eddie revealed his hitch. His son. Eddie had spent his
life with the despicable. He had smelled the stench of the
underground long enough. For his son, he wanted more. He
wanted to give his son a name. And to give his son a name,
he would have to clear his own. Eddie was willing to take
a risk so that his son could have a clean slate. Artful
Eddie never saw his dream come true. After Eddie squealed,
the mob remembered. Two shotgun blasts silenced him
forever.
Was it worth it?
For the son it was. Artful Eddie’s boy lived up to
the sacrifice. His is one of the best-known names in the
world.
Before we talk about the son, let’s talk about the
principle: risky love. Love that takes a chance. Love that
goes out on a limb. Love that makes a statement and leaves
a legacy. Sacrificial love……….
Which brings us back to Artful Eddie, the Chicago mobster
who squealed on Al Capone so his son could have a fair
chance. Had Eddie lived to see his son, Butch, grow up, he
would of been proud.
He would of been proud of Butch’s appointment to
Annapolis. He would of been proud of the commissioning as
a WWII Navy pilot. He would of been proud as he read of
his son downing five bombers in the Pacific night and
saving the lives of hundreds of crewmen on the carrier
Lexington. The name was cleared. The Congressional Medal
of Honor that Butch received was proof.
When people say the name O’Hare in Chicago, they
don’t think gangsters – they think aviation
heroism. And now when you say his name, you have something
else to think about. Think about the undying dividends of
risky love. Think about the next time you hear it. Think
about the next time you fly into the airport named after
the son of a gangster gone good.
The son of Eddie O’Hare. (And the Angels were Silent
by Max Lucado)
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