Integrity then and now

I don't have much time to write, but this is on my mind:

This morning when I logged on to my computer, I saw two things that called to mind the topic of integrity. There was an article about a major US corporation that is apparently moving its operations overseas to avoid being taxed, even though it receives most of its revenue from tax dollars. I also got an email from my father about his recently deceased Uncle Felix. The fact that I saw these two bits of information at the same time was ironic because they represented such different ends of the spectrum when it comes to integrity.

Recently, my father told me that his Uncle Felix had passed away. I never knew Uncle Felix personally. But it has always been evident from the way my father spoke about him, that he was a good man from a very good family. My Dad's email had a picture he took at the funeral of Uncle Felix's Silver Star award letter. Apparently, Uncle Felix was a war hero in the Second World War. My father did not know this until the funeral. Like many in his generation, Uncle Felix was a good and humble man. This is the text of the letter:

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR MEDAL to

First Lieutenant Felix A. Endico, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader of Company F, Second Battalion, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese Forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, from 24 February to 11 March 1945. During a night attack on 7 March, First Lieutenant Endico singlehandedly put a hostile tank out of action with hand grenades and, when his ammunition supply was expended, courageously engaged an enemy soldier in furious hand-to-hand combat before killing him with a blow from his carbine. Assuming command of a rifle company on 11 March, he gallantly lef his company in two assaults which resulted in the destruction of two hundred enemy troops and the reduction of thirty-five caves and pillboxes. By his aggressive leadership, fortitude and determination, First Lieutenant Endico upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

In diametric opposition to this, there was an article on the front page of a major website about how large corporation X had decided to skip town in order to avoid taxes.

Uncle Felix took his life in his hands 62 years ago this week to fight for this country. Read what he did - unbelieveable. And now we have a situation in which it has become tacitly acceptable to dodge taxation while at the same time reaping the benefits of tax dollars. I'm no communist, but it seems to me that there's something wrong with this picture. The lack of integrity of such a move is especially evident when you compare the individual bravey displayed by a man like Uncle Felix to the actions of this organization. It's even harder to believe that this organization represents itself as being on the same side as men like Uncle Felix.

Unfortunately, there appear to be less and less people like him around. Not the best way to wrap up, but I'm in a rush.