Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for May 29, 2023

Don’t let the politicians at the top of the pyramid hide behind the soldiers they’re putting in harm’s way!

I knew Gil served in the Army but was this before or after college? And doesn’t Gil look like an officer here? Finally, why have so few of his athletes joined the service? I can’t even think of one. Anybody?

All gave some, some gave all. Something to reflect on.

A belated Happy Victoria Day weekend as well to you.

“Find the price of freedom, it’s buried in the ground.” – CSNY

Finally a strip that makes sense. Nicely done, Henry and Rod.

Like most of Gil’s generation, we all served. It was mandatory for men to serve 6 years. We should bring back the draft. But how many of today’s youth could pass the physical and the drug test. Thank you for your service, Gil.

AHA — Pull up our strip from July 20-21, 2007. Gil is coaching his football player Bill Ritter in BOXING, after Bill loses part of his leg in a chainsaw accident. Gil refers to his losing a split decision for the ARMY base title.

Oh great, another abrupt change to a new plot that will never get completed. And speaking of completed, the latest issue of Mopped Up Thorp is completed.

https://moppedupthorp.wordpress.com/2023/05/29/didnt-exactly-serve/

For anyone interested, Jack Berrill served as an aerial photographer and gunner in the 8th Army Air Force 34th Bomber Squadron stationed in England during WWII.

In Flanders Fields

BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Gil was a Marine. Seems like he would have been Korean War era, though I don’t believe he ever spoke of seeing combat.

The football storyline in 2000 included an offensive lineman named Steve Boone who assumed he wasn’t capable of college until he was set straight by the two main, Yale-bound characters, Von Haney and Nick Zollar.

We learned in a later summer storyline that after college, Boone had joined the Army, and came home minus one arm — lost not in combat, but when his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver on a military base. Gil helped bring Boone out of a funk by introducing him to golf, and he later became Milford’s offensive line coach.

I think the Memorial Day tribute was a nice touch.However, since last July, we have seen full panel Yom Kippur, Charles Schulz’s 110th birthday (although that was participated by multiple cartoonists), Christmas, Jack Berrill passing anniversary (should have been his upcoming 100th birthday on 9/22), Chapter 3: The Prestige, and Memorial Day strips along with one panel Halloween, New Years, Valentines Day, Black History and Al Jaffe shout-outs with the 4th of July still to come. That’s almost 8 full days of strips that could (should) have been dedicated to advancing the story.When Jack Berrill began writing & illustrating GT in 1958, he had to fight with the syndicate to get permission for the one panel Christmas greeting as they didn’t want to give up even a single panel for anything other than the story. It was a different time for sure as the comic pages were a much bigger deal and anything other than moving the story along was seen as unproductive, but Jack prevailed.Since that time things have loosened up bit and for most of this century a full Christmas panel has become the standard in GT. Hopefully all of these various tributes and shout-outs are a first-year anomaly and will be curtailed in the future and limited to one. To avoid any potential religious conundrum maybe Memorial Day or the 4th of July becomes the go to holiday panel.