Rest In peace, Colonel Potter

Author's Note: I do not own MASH, just the leading to write this little tribute to Harry Morgan who brought Colonel Sherman T. Potter to life for eight out of eleven years on MASH. Please read and be blessed.

December 7, 1971

Dear Mildred,

My heart is heavy as I pen this letter to you tonight. As if it wasn't' sad enough for those of us who are old enough to recall the thirtieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a day that changed all of our lives forever, I find I have been dealt a double whammy upon the news of Sherman's death. I thought my heart would plummet into my sneakers when Ben, with glistening tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat, laid the telegram on the coffee table and broke the news this morning as if in a state of shock. From his letters he sent over the years, Sherman was his second father while he was stuck in Korea, and I couldn't think of a finer man to stand in while I was too far away to be there for him myself.

I know that you must feel as if your whole world is caving in right now, and that you will be keeping busy over the next week or two with relatives, the funeral, and all the hustle and bustle that goes with laying a loved one to rest. This I know because I too have born the cold sting of having lost the love of my life. It doesn't' matter if it's the sudden death of a young wife to cancer or if it's the anticipated passing of an elderly man in his early eighties; it hurts just the same when you have to lie down in that big bed by yourself for the first several nights. It doesn't help that this happened right as the holiday season is underway.

I know I am very far away from you and could only give you words of comfort on the phone or in a letter such as this, but please know that if you ever need a true blue friend to give you a listening ear or a big shoulder to cry on, I am here for you no matter what, as I am sure Ben is too. I am enclosing one of Ben's business cards with the address and phone numbers of both our home and the clinic so you could reach either of us any time you want.

My eyes are sliding shut now, and this old man can't stay up nights as he used to; so I had better turn out the light and get into bed. Again, I am truly sorry for your loss and hope I can be a source of comfort for you in the days and weeks to come.

Very truly yours,

Daniel pierce