Happy 83rd birthday to my Granddaddy! One of my most favorite people in the whole world! He still golfs, meets his buddies at McDonald's every morning he's able, and swims 35+ laps at the local pool. He's incredible and I love him to pieces! We had quite a scare a few years ago, but turns out he's tougher than most 80-somethings. Read the story here...

80-year-old vet fights mugger in hospital

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jul 8, 2007 9:52:14 EDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An 80-year-old veteran and former amateur boxer got 13 stitches after fighting with a mugger inside a bathroom at a veterans hospital.

George Younger showed he wasn’t an easy target when he was robbed Tuesday inside the Memphis Veterans Medical Center.

As he was washing his hands, the robber hit and punched him from behind and tried to drag him into one of the stalls.

“He kept telling me if I go to the stall, he wouldn’t hurt me,” he said. “No way I was going into that stall.”

An Army infantryman stationed in the South Pacific in World War II and a welterweight amateur boxer from Memphis, he fought back and landed a few shots.

“I think I got him good — I don’t like being called a victim,” he told The Commercial Appeal on Thursday.

But Younger was overpowered by the mugger and he started calling for help when the mugger began to choke him.

“He hit me twice; he was a pretty big guy,” Younger said. “He pulled me to the ground and hit me again and staggered me. I guess I wasn’t in as good a shape as I thought I was.”

Younger said he didn’t know how the mugger got into the hospital because identification is needed to get into the building. Memphis police are investigating.

“I don’t understand — in a hospital, where you’re supposed to be safe,” Younger said at his Dyersburg home.

A message left for the hospital’s spokeswoman wasn’t immediately returned Saturday.


I got to talk to Granddaddy on the phone for a while today. It made his day. And mine. It's hard to be away from those you love, especially during the holidays. Having them "in my heart" is great, but I'd rather have them in my arms. As we got off the phone Granddaddy said, "Thanks a million for calling. You don't know how much it means to me." Tears formed in my eyes as we said goodbye, and I knew I had a pretty good idea.