Two of the greatest men who have ever lived were my grandfather Mike Tortorich and his brother Frank. To say I loved these two men would be an understatement. I spent my life trying mimic both of them. They both had qualities I admired when they were alive. I remember these things still today as I write this. First I’ll tell you a little about my grandfather. He never went to school…not one day in his life. Yet he was one of the smartest men I had ever known. Beside that, he had a work ethic that’s not only unbelievable in today’s age when people are trying to figure out how not to work. It was even unbelievable back in the day. Let me explain. He got paid to be at work at 8 a.m. He was supposed to finish his job at 4 p.m. This was five days a week. Instead, he would show up (by the way this is not a typo) at 3 a.m. At 8 a.m. he would leave work, go home, eat breakfast, then go back to work. He didn’t leave at 4 p.m. He stayed until 5 p.m. In all his years as a janitor, I never knew of him to take a sick day or a vacation. During holidays when the state building he worked in closed, he went in anyway, stripped the floors and polished them. You would think a man like that would deserve weekends off. But instead, he drove an 18-wheeler for an oil supply company. He would drive from Friday night until Sunday around noon. He would go back to his regular job on Mondays. According to the state government, three men were supposed to be on his crew. He managed it by himself for 40 years. By the way, he was the most educated illiterate on the planet. He knew what was going on around the world at all times. His brother Frank had the same work ethic. But he was educated. He also spend time in, as he called, “The Big One,” also known as World War II. Every time his tour of duty was over, he would re-enlist. He was also awarded the Purple Heart. He turned it down. He would often say, “I wasn’t there to collect awards. I was there fighting for my country.” Frank was a thin, frail man, but he was a Golden Gloves champion. He also taught me about hard work. He had a dirty hauling business and landscaping. He taught me how to drive big trucks and operate heavy machinery when I was a kid. He also taught me gardening. Not the kind around the house. I’m talking five acres of vegetables, which he grew every year. This wasn’t to sell to stores, but to give to everyone in the family. Trust me, Italian families can be pretty big. Both of these men taught me a lot. They taught me about honesty, integrity, but more than anything, that hard work never hurt anyone. I told you that to tell you this. It’s recently come to my attention that I’m an angry man. Yeah, I may have a tinge of anger. But you know who else was angry? The very people who founded this country. Quite frankly, I believe that there is no reason to get out of bed in the morning unless you have something to get you going. A lot of people read this blog. I track the numbers. More and more people read it every day. They ain’t coming for a kumbaya attitude, I can tell you that. They come because I have a point of view, and I’m not afraid to state the truth. In short, I’m saying exactly what everyone is thinking, but are afraid to say.
