'I'm just a crazy, old hardhead,' says survivor

was wondering if he made it .. TG !!!

NEXT STORM FIRST PLACE TO GO HIS HOUSE OR PICK HIM UP BEFORE THE STORM ,WE DON'T NEED PEOPLE LIKE HIM A SICK PUPPY..WE DON'T NEED OUR TROOPS LOOKING FOR FOOLS.

NEXT TIME ARREST THE PEOPLE THAT THINK THERE BE OK ....IF WE SAY ITS BAD ITS BAD DUH........

As above - Doc of Va you can munch on my lunchables. That old Marine would teach you a lesson for your caps lock disrespect - if he cared about the internet and the millions of mouths without a clue that it breeds.

You would be the first into FEMA concentration camps when asked, wouldn't ya?

He's a ballsy man with grit and determination and four years from now will be the same age as McCain so I was wondering if...nah I was having a delusional thought...never mind...

with all respect sir........way to go Lieutenant Dan!!!

Why oh why does the media give people like this the attention they crave? This is not news and it just reinforces other idiots to do likewise next time. The attention should be directed at the people who ignored warnings and are now dead.

OOOOOORAAAAAA!

"I'm just a crazy old, hardhead...drinking beer on the porch"? Well, Mr. Crazy, maybe you and other fools who decided not to heed the evacuation warnings should be charged for your rescues. With the threat of being charged for a rooftop helicopter rescue, maybe more people would evacuate instead of putting themselves and others, namely brave first responders, at risk. Keep in mind these firefighters, paramedics and police officers, not to mention Coast Guard and other military personnel, have families, and your stupid decision to wait out the storm and be "entertained" has the potential to impact lives in ways that your selfish and egotistical little brain could have never imagined. Hope you had fun!!!

Great idea Tricia!!! The people who choose to stay behind after they are told there is a mandatory evacuation should be paying for their own rescues, not our government. As we know when it it the government paying these costs, it is actually the tax payers who's pockets the money comes out of. Even more important are the great people who put their lives in danger to rescue these idiots.

Indeed it is dangerous to ignore warnings when you are very near water and in the direct path. That said, when these conditions do not apply so directly, people with experience with hurricanes consider the warnings with a grain of salt... First, the media puts on the hand wringing warnings but then stand in the midst of the storm unscathed "reporting how bad it is".

Second, if you do evacuate, pray tell when you will be let back in. Just read the above article- it is the "officials" who decide when you can come back. Since we insist on a nanny state and we (generally speaking) sue anybody possible "because you didn't warn me or stop me" we have let officials have too much power in these matters. Trust me, the looters know this and it's open season. I saw a situation in 2004 where officials would not let homeowners across the only land bridge over to Sanibel Island "because it wasn't safe" but one could stand there and watch the looters leaving the island in boats without challenge. All the cops were there to keep the honest people at bay!

Third, it is an expensive proposition to evacuate to another state. Hotels aren't free, food and gas isn't free or even cheap. Those with lesser means simply have no ability to pull this off. It's easy to look down your nose at these folks because you think it's their fault they live in a hurricane prone area. Well you have your natural problems too, be it tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires and the like and when it is your turn for disaster you want mercy or would appreciate a helping hand too.

Consider too that most people only need assistance after a major event for a short while. They get back on their feet and rebuild, the recent and only exception is N.O where it is more expedient to blame than to get to work. Folks, the government (representing the goodwill of all Americans) is not there to fix everything the way it was. They are a short term help until basic services return and then it is back on the individual from there. Expecting anything more is plain wrong and goes against the spirit of being a true American- i.e. responsible for self at all times!

So how about it America, pray for your afflicted brother that God will bless and keep them from adversity instead of ridiculing from the comfort of your armchair. Lest it be your turn next!

Will people stop criticising this guy. He was willing to man it out and I didn't see anywhere he called 911 and whined for help. If he died he died and I doubt if he would lose much sleep over it. One thing that many people failed to notice is that he is a senior citizen and it is not easy for an older person just to pack up and flee due to mobility issues. Sometimes it is best to just make your last stand which is exactly what he did and I admire him for it.

I think that each should have the choice of whether to remain; I do not believe he asked to be rescued nor for anyone's help............ perhaps each person writing should state their location, not be so quick to judge. There are many reasons to choose to remain and ride out the hurricane; at least in the Gulf Coast Region one is given a choice. People of many other disasters are not so fortunate.

Please, do not judge unless you are walking in the shoes of the person who makes that choice.

At least the man pointed out he was crazy. He didn't ask for help, neither human intervention nor divine, and chose to ride out and drink a beer, at elast he was aware he may not get through it. It takes a strong personality to make that choice, and for those of you saying they should be charged for their rescues...well the man didn't say he wanted to be rescued and he wanted to stay put. If that's their choice like this man so plainly made clear, they should not be bashed or punished. This wasn't a story about evacuating, to me this was a person's story and the reason for their decisions. I think it's great he made it, and I think it's great he had a sense of humor about the situation and a non-chalant attitude about something that people view as inevitably negative. There is no room in this man's story to put him down.

I think his story is great despite what the do gooding save the taxpayers money conservatives have to say. It is nice to know that we still have a Constitution that gives us rights no matter how much the conservatives would like to take away our rights and make us all into sheep.

i would just like to say this we have had alot of trouble this year in the gulf of mexico, some choose to leave and some choose to stay that is thier deciscion, but what really waxes my butt is those in Louisiana who evacuated Gustav only to be pissed off thier tax payer way out was free, thier meals were free and I'm so sorry they did not have enough hot water or some other government agency kissing thier ass, then we look back oh haiti, these people haven't eaten for thwo or three days and they are ading thru waist high water looking for a dry place to be, it just makes me sick of how every american thinks the government needs to look out for them

Fine, he didn't "ask" to be rescued. Then they should have left him... and moved on to someone that DID want to be rescued. They should set rescues at a few hundred bucks per person, when warnings have been ignored. That way, all you people with your nose held high would have your "rights" protected, and it would be your CHOICE to pay for help. And FEMA shouldn't be housing people, either. Again, it's your CHOICE, so it should be your choice to pay for it, as well. Who do you think foots the bill for you idiots to continually put yourself in harms way, and then "expect" to be rescued, and sue if you're not? This guy didn't "choose" to be rescued, but you same fools would be crying foul if he WASN'T rescued. If you are so smart, and don't need to put in "FEMA camps" because you don't want the government to control you, then at least PREPARE YOURSELFS. SO many idiots with NO life jackets, saying they "can't swim." Look at all the rescuees whining about "how long it took" to get rescued. If aid goes to ANYBODY, it should to those who are CLEANING and rebuilding infrastructures. Feed THEM. All these know-it-all people can take care of themselves while they are still so smart. If you want to "ride it out," then you should be smart enough to know what you need... but so far, I see unprepared DOLTS being rescued, and I see that as no different than stepping in to save a weak herd member from a lion attack. For living in this place for so many decades, you would think these fools would know they should be their OWN line of defense if they decide to ride it out. I say, LEAVE THEM BE.... They wanted to stay, so LET THEM. Go help a worthy cause, not the dim lightbulbs. It's a CHOICE to live down there. I LOVE living in 'Bama, but I'm not stupid. There is no storm that I can't adequately prepare for here, and you EXPECT THE WORST. Even when I lived in CA, you "expected" an earthquake. Still there was no WARNING for those.... These fools had HOW LONG to get outta Dodge? But as you watch the videos, and you hear them blather - you are only reminded that there IS CERTAINLY substance to identifying "demographic" areas.

well said!

To all you whiney babies dumpin' on the old jarhead, NOWHERE in the article does it say he was rescued or even asked for it. Based on the comments I've heard, a good many of you haven't spent much time in hurricane prone areas during (season). First off, generally a cat I or II hurricane won't even get the saturday barbecues cancelled. A cat III or IV you'd better run. A cat V, you better run really fast. After 4 years in Galveston, 11 years in Key West (another damn island) and 4 years now in Venice, FL., I've learned a little something about hurricanes. No.1, if you have minor children, it stops being an individual choice. Below a certain age, they can't tough it out and they can't survive on your stockpile of beer. No.2, if you live on an island, leave. Key west's highest land is 8'. If you have to stay, go to the Holiday Inn La Concha. It's where the cops used to go before they got their cat V jailhouse. Galveston Island is even lower on the west end, which wasn't built up 15' like the downtown area was. No.3, there is more to the run/don't run decision than what's on the weather channel. There's the boss that won't release people from work, or if you do evacuate and the storm vears off and your home/work gets a 20kt. breeze, will you have a job when you get back. If you are on the strong (west) side of the storm, it's bad, but if you are on the weak side (east), someone might have to tell you the hurricane has already past, as the conditions were so mild. So when do you make the decision to evacuate, and hope you aren't stuck in a 110 mile traffic jam trying to get out of the keys. Your car won't float and the locals are too busy to deal with you. At the end of the day it's an individual decision on a storm by storm basis..............................Semper Fi, Ray