Exactly. He was a tail gunner. He came home a decorated war hero (and again, that doesn't excuse his becoming a gangster). Point is, he wasn't just respected in the street.
And being a tail gunner then was one of the most dangerous and deadly jobs a guy could have to do. Most never made it back.
But like you said that doesn't excuse what he chose to do after.
Of course not. I'm not a mob apologist. But there's more to some of these guys than meets the eye. There's a lot of gray area with most people. This guy did some good in his life. That's all I'm trying to say. Whether or not he did more good than bad is between him and God
.
And most tail gunners seem to have been little guys (just going by some of those old WW 2 pictures). Maybe the rear cock pits were small? But that's another reason I sarcastically said that he was a "giant" for a guy of his generation
.
