SYLG Mourns Richard Lendley (DustyVet)
By Wyatt Earp | October 9, 2011
Today is a very sad day.
Frequent SYLG commenter, Vietnam veteran, and truly good guy Richard Lendley has passed away. Regular readers will know him by his screen name. DustyVet.
Richard lost his battle with cancer on Friday night at the Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois.
I received the news from Realwest, who sent me this e-mail today:
Just wanted you to know that I received an e-mail this morning from either a friend or cousin or his, that DustyVet passed away this morning from a heart attack due to his being diagnosed with Esophageal cancer this past spring. His heart wasn’t strong enough to endure the Chemotherapy treatments.
I knew Dusty for a number of years and he had had a very tough life, but he was a brother Vietnam Veteran and if you wanted to make some kind mention of his passing on your blog, I’d appreciate it very much.
The best thing about this blog has always been you, the readers and commenters. I think the thing that makes this place special is the dialogue, the back-and-forth between you and I. That doesn’t happen on every site. In my opinion, some of the big-time bloggers take their commenters for granted. I’m sure I’m guilty of that at times, too, but it was never my intention. I have made a lot of friends through this blog, and when one of them passes away, it affects me in a way I never thought it would. We’ve lost Right Wing Prof, and now we’ve lost DustyVet.
I only knew Richard online, but in the internet age, sometimes online friends can be as special as “real life” ones. DustyVet was always clutch when it came to great story tips, and he always had a joke handy – either for publication here of for my own personal benefit. He was a terrific, down-to-earth person who loved his country very much, and the world is a little worse off without him. Godspeed, DustyVet.
In remembrance of Richard, there will be no more posts today.
Topics: Cancer | 33 Comments »
October 9th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Thank you for this Wyatt. It is very much appreciated.
RIP Dusty and sincere sympathies and condolences to your family and friends.
As my brother TaxFreeKiller said about this news: “Life well done is all we got. Dusty did his.”
Amen.
October 9th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Real – Agreed. And cancer-related. That disease keeps taking away a lot of good people.
October 9th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Thanks for treating this right, Wyatt!
Godspeed my brother Veteran! God has a place for those who have sacrificed places in our minds what with all we have seen.
October 9th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
St. Michael, escort our brother to the Arms of Our Lord….
God Speed Richard…………….
October 9th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Thoughts and prayers for his friends and family.
October 9th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Godspeed fellow Viet Nam Vet buddy. I have enjoyed your posts on this blog and I wish you R.I.P.
October 9th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
A hearty salute to DustyVet for his service. His day is done.
October 9th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I don’t remember seeing any of his comments, but I haven’t been here long myself. Being as he was less than 50 miles from me, I feel a strange emptiness now. Too many good vets passing away from us.
October 9th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Godspeed, Brother. You are missed already.
October 9th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Wyatt, when I was a 9 or 10 year old my grandfather told me “Grandson, this is the first war we ever lost”. It was the Korean war. The second was the Vietnam war. Neither was due to the brave and courageous soldiers who fought it. Both were due to politicians.
RIP Soldier.
October 9th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
How very sad. My prayers are with his family and friends.
October 9th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Chiefjaybob – He put up a little over 200 comments here. His last one was in July, just before he got sick. I knew him originally from LGF – before it went moonbat – and he e-mailed me from time to time with links and such.
October 9th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Godspeed, Dusty.
October 9th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
God rest his soul and comfort his family and friends.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Godspeed, Dusty Vet. My hearfelt sympathy to your friends and loved ones.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
RIP, sir. God will take care of you now.
October 9th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
RIP Dusty may God hold you gently in the palm of His hand. My condolences to your family both at home and online.
October 9th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
*salutes*
and
Godspeed, Richard.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:34 am
Dusty, you always fought, but this was your final battle.
October 10th, 2011 at 5:42 am
Damn- I remember Dustyvet from LGF before it went full blown shrieking moonbat….
Sad sad day
October 10th, 2011 at 7:37 am
Rest in peace sir.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Very sorry to hear such sad news. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:12 am
RIP DustyVet. One of the beauties of the internet is the ability to connect people that would’ve never met in the “real world”. He will be missed.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:13 am
Wyatt:
Very sad to hear about Richard.
I know the “online” gig about friendships, new and old.
Guess we (all) share that belief that people HAVE VALUE.
May his family and friends find peace and solace in this time of grief.
Rest easy, soldier.
Your tour in complete.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Terrible, awful news . . . for us. For him, he is safe in the arms of God, and cancer can’t get him there.
October 10th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
God speed Dusty, may God comfort your family.
Thank you for your service to this nation.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Sound Taps.
God Speed DustVet.
He shall be missed.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
I knew Richard for 12 years via the internet and telephone. I miss being able to call him in the evening and watch TV with him.
He died w/o family. The members of this website, and a very few ppl he knew in person, were “family.”
He lived a hard life. Taken from his mother at age 9 and made a ward of the state. He volunteered for the Army & went to Vietnam. He married 3 times, each ending in divorce w/no children. Richard had a foot fungus from Vietnam; cardiac and arthritic problems; was diagnosed w/diabetes type 2 myelitis in 01/2010/; was diagnosed w/esophageal cancer in 05/2011. He died a poor man as far as money goes; a wealthy man b/c of all the online friends like you from SYLG. Thank your for being part of his life.
Tonight as I drove west coming home, I noticed a front coming in — a dark line of clouds. The sun had set behind the clouds. It brought to mind something my mum used to say, “Behind every dark cloud is a silver lining.” I saw that lining, and the rays of the sun above the clouds although the sun could no longer be seen. At that point I realized Richard (Dusty Vet) will always be with us.
He is now in a better place, playing with his three cats that predeceased him, Mom Cat, Pepper the Grouch, and Samantha.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Colette – Thank you for this. And I am very sorry for your loss.
October 10th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Thank you, Wyatt.
I think Dusty Vet would want us to know:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousands winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on the snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle Autumn rain
When you awaken in the mornings hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft star that shines at night;
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
(author unknown)
October 12th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Just wanted to say thank you for the above posts and all of your prayers. Richard was a very dear friend and will be greatly missed by all of us. He would be very proud to know of the posts above and the nice things that were said. Richard was a VERY STRONG MINDED PATRIOT and was proud of his service to his country and proud of his fellow “brothers”. He always wanted to go home to his beloved Minnesota, so as his final wish, I have made arrangements for Richard to be cremated and laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Mn on his birthday, next Wednesday, October 19th. Time is unknown yet but will post that info later. Again, thank you for all your kind comments.
October 12th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Rebecca – Thank you for the information, and I am very sorry for your loss.
October 16th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Wyatt,
Thanks very much for posting this.