This video is nearly half an hour long. Don’t blow it off. Invest the time and listen to Frank Moore. Mad Duo

Life, Love and Flyfishing: WWII Veteran Frank Moore

David “Mad Duo David” Reeder

Mr. Moore isn’t just a man who “stalks the wily trout,” nor is he just a WWII combat veteran who survived Omaha Beach (though that’s something that automatically demands my respect). He’s a man who seems to have achieved something very few of us ever do — happiness and satisfaction with life. He says this despite some great tragedies, like the death of his daughter in an MVA with drunk driver and recurring guilt over fighting 11- and 12-year old boys so thoroughly indoctrinated by Nazis they would not surrender.

“I realize now the closer I get to the end of my life, that I have had a darn near perfect life and..I’ve realized too, no matter how old you get you never want to stop dreaming. Dreaming that you can be and can do.”

According to one TEDx organizer, he nearly backed out of his appearance twice. I’m grateful he reconsidered. This is more than a love story and far more poignant than some “motivational speech.”

Mr. Moore was 91 when he made his appearance at the Keller Auditorium. He’s a veteran of the 83rd Infantry Division and 3rd Army who took part in the D-Day landings at Normandy and fought his way across Europe to the Hurtgen Forest in a line company. He was present for the liberation of Dachau, and spent time in 3rd Army HQ (Forward) with Gen. Patton.

He returned home in the summer of ’45 via Camp Myles Standish in Boston and eventually became proprietor of the Steamboat Inn. He remains to this day an “ambassador of the North Umpqua.” Moore has been married to his pre-War sweetheart Jeanne for over 70 years. That is the central theme of his discourse: the greatest gift he ever received, says Mr. Moore, came January 1st, 1943, when Jeanne said I do and became Mrs. Frank Moore.

 “There is no impossible dream if you work hard at it. And another thing you must work hard at is the art of living. Living is an art, and it’s not easy sometimes. No matter how tired you get…I’m not gonna quit as long as I can stand…Don’t be afraid of receiving love.”

There’s nothing I could add to the simple, heartfelt elegance of this man’s words, so I won’t try. I hope you watch the video.

Frank is still making himself heard. As recently as two weeks ago he spoke on behalf of the Wild Steelhead Foundation. I reckon we can all learn something from a man like this.

You can read about Frank’s flyfishing here.

That’s it for now. Go forth and conquer.

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Mad Duo David

About the Author: Someone has to corral the writing team, handle business expenses and bail the Mad Duo (and their minions) out of jail. For years the Pentagon, JSOC and the International Association of Chiefs of Police sought an impeccable man to lead the pedagogic and frequently obstreperous team of Breach Bang Clear writers. They needed someone charismatic, a warrior, able to maintain mental acuity under the worst stressors. Unfortunately the program suffered severe budget cuts so they ended up with David Reeder. Reeder founded Breach-Bang-Clear quite accidentally at his young son’s behest several years ago. He is the Mad Duo’s Chief Wretched Flunky and Breach-Bang-Clear’s HMFIC. A LEO for many years and former AF Security Forces SNCO, he was an O/C at the National Homeland Security Training Center for many years a MOUT instructor at the Bold Lighting UWS. Reeder has appeared on Fox News Business and written for a number of publications, from US News & World Report and Military.com to OFFGRID Magazine. You can read more about him here. Follow him on Instagram, @davidreederwrites.