GI JOE

I like General Joseph P Hoar, USMC (Ret.)


Gen. Hoar came from his home in CA to take part in the rally we built on Saturday. He did it because he really likes Gov. Dean and because he wants to see this sort of Commander-in-Chief.

Three things about the General

1) I met him the night before the event, in our hotel lobby. He was soft spoken, kind, and sort of grandfatherly. Then, once we handed him the mic for the Saturday 9AM rally, he was every bit the General you'd expect from the Marines. He commanded the troops, he commanded our respect, and spoke as a principled man who cares deeply for the country he served for 37 years.

2) As the rest of Tucson was trying to get a piece of Gov. Dean, The General was talking with a 13-year-old boy in a Marine Corps sweatshirt -- I have no idea what they were talking about, but it was important to the boy, and so it was clearly important to the General as well. I'll never know what was going on (I was on the other side of the stage), but for some reason, I keep flashing back to that moment.

3) I want to be able to say "General Hoar" without giggling. Of course he was a Marine: if I had a name like "Joe Hoar", I too would be as tough as any drill instructor by the time I got out of middle school...

It was a pleasure to meet him.