The General and I: Remembering Stormin' Norman ...

I have one fond memory to share about Gen. Norman Scharzkopf and my many years in Telluride, Colorado. After I got hired for about the first time up there after working at the Robb Report in about 1997, I was working as an editor for one of the now-dead newspapers in Telluride, and I was asked to do a story on Christmas, which I was already sick of.
This irked me some, but I did it, but also felt the need to do something equally appropriate for the Jewish holidays and Ramadan, too, since this was also taking place at the same time that year.
As a kind of accident (no such thing), I had bought a 50-cent copy somewhere of Gen. Schwarzkopf's autobiography, which mentioned having to delay the command to attack the Iraqis out of respect to Ramadan.
As luck (also no such thing) would have it, I went to an X-mas event at a church, and there the General was, large as life, singing hymns right beside me, shuddering when on such tune hit the word, "Destruction."
After the service, I asked him if he would tell me about this Ramadan question for a story I was thinking about doing. He looked at me, almost fell back, like this was it, the hit-man cometh. Then, he relaxed, said he would think about it ... Never did get him to say anything ... the moment had passed, as we entered the next New Year ...
One other Schwarzkopf meme: During, (what is it?), Old West Daze or something ... the General deliberately losing at poker when he was the dealer ... and everybody thinking it was hilarious at the table ... since he never lost a battle ... I still have a playing card with his autograph somewhere ... He was a great one. Considering his charity work with such things as the Greenbucks program ... his influence on my life, come to think of it, is simply amazing.