Column: Thanks for Listening, by Scott Schmeltzer

I wrote the following words over 5 years ago and they are still so important this weekend as we honor Corey Goodnature at his golf tournament:

“My father used to say, You can tell a man’s character by what he turns up when offered a job: his nose or his sleeves.

Corey Goodnature rolled up his sleeves. His job was a little more difficult than most; you see Corey’s job was to protect our country and provide us freedom. Corey is what character is all about. Corey lived his job.

I never knew Corey Goodnature, but I sure wish I had. I wish that I was half the man that Donald and Deb Goodnature’s son had become. Corey was what you want to be when you grow up. He was a son, a father, a soldier, a husband and a brother. He was a hero, plain and simple.

Heroes do not come easy to me. You see, to many people a hero is an athlete, an actor or a singer. To me, a hero is not something you are born to be, but rather something you learn through life. A hero is the person who puts himself last and all others first. A hero is someone who would never call himself or herself a hero, but in that same gesture, shine the light of heroism on someone or something else. Corey Goodnature was a true hero.

With so much going on in the Albert Lea area this weekend, please do not let a true hero slip from your mind. Please say a prayer, give Don or Deb a hug, or stop by the Golf tournament.

If you knew Corey, you know the reason that everyone attending his golf tournament are winners. First, losing was not in his vocabulary, and second a person like Corey is never truly lost, he survives in the love of his family and lives in all the places that hope and freedom will be talked about. Freedom is what Corey gave us all; it is what he spent his life protecting. It is the reason that he deserves our thanks.

If you are wondering what kind of prayer to say, here you go: Pray that more people like Corey exist in our world.

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears each Thursday.