Posted by Halee Weinstein on August 16, 2007:

My father was an extraordinary man. He was an outstanding soldier and an outstanding leader of soldiers. He was a man of integrity, principle, and humility. My father was unpretentious and direct. He could say in 10 words what it would take others 20. And if you took out the 4 letter words, he could say it in 5, give or take. And he was funny, very funny. He was throwing out one-liners until the end. He was a loving and devoted husband to my mother, Pauline, and he was the best father, father-in-law and grandfather anyone could wish for. He loved us and was proud of us, and he made sure we knew it. He told us all the time. And we loved him back. Together, my parents created a home overflowing with love and laughter. My father was happiest when we were all at home with him. If he had it his way, the whole family would have lived under one roof with my mother being charged with knowing where all of us were at all times. To many of you he was the general, but to his beloved grandchildren he was just Poppy. Victrola, Keke, Doodle Bug, Ocean, and his boychicks, your Poppy loved you with all his heart. You brought so much joy to his life. A couple years ago I asked Poppy to write a letter to each of you so he could pass on his wisdom about life to you as you grow up. He wasn’t able to write you a letter, but if he did it would have been short and simple. He would have told you to be nice to people, to do your best, to always do what is right, and to do what makes you happy. That is how he lived his life and that is how he wanted you to live yours. For those of you who knew my father well, I’m sure you could never imagine the name Tom Weinstein and patience uttered in the same sentence. This was, after all, the man who based his decision on which car to buy on one thing and one thing only – which line was shorter at the AAFES New Car Sales. When he was a LT stationed in Philadelphia and he needed clean shirts, he couldn’t be bothered with washing and ironing the dirty shirts, he would just buy new ones. My grandmother told us he would periodically come home with a trunk full of white shirts. But when it came to his grandchildren he had the patience of a saint. He’s the only one in the family who could sit with Danee, with a look of delight on his face, as she sat and ate her bagel, slowly and methodically licking all the cream cheese off first, talking between each lick and bite. And when Tori was a little girl, Poppy took her to the toy store and told her she could buy whatever she wanted. I’m sure he didn’t realize she would go up and down all the aisles carefully examining and considering each and every toy in the store before she made her decision. Many hours later they returned happily from their shopping excursion – Tori, with a $3.00, 2 inch high, Polly Pocket doll and my father, much to the surprise of everyone, with his head still attached to his body. When he was well, he took the grandkids to movies, to ball games, bowling, miniature golfing, and anywhere else they wanted to go, and he bought them as much ice cream and candy as they could eat. He helped the older ones learn to swim in the backyard pool. When he was no longer physically active, he and Joe would stay up late watching the Orioles and talking sports. The kids loved watching TV Land and game shows with him. Maddie was convinced that if we could get him on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, we would all be rich. And she was probably right. Even in the last months of his life when his mind wasn’t always clear, he could beat anyone at Jeopardy, Millionaire and Wheel of Fortune. My father gave much of himself to this world. In everything he did, he abided by the words he was taught at West Point – duty, honor, country. My father always told the truth, he always did what was right, and he never remained silent in the face of injustice. One of the lessons my father and mother taught us from an early age was to respect and embrace differences. My father understood very well that fairness doesn’t just happen. He instilled in his children and, I imagine, in many of you that we all have to do our part to make this a fair and just world. It was very important to him that all soldiers are given an equal opportunity to succeed and contribute to the army and to our country. He believed that all of us should have the right to serve our country proudly and that all soldiers should be treated equally and with dignity and respect. He was way ahead of his time in understanding the contributions people from different backgrounds could make to the mission. As one of the few Jewish boys growing up in Elmer, New Jersey, he understood what it meant to be an outsider. He was beaten up and called names for being different, and that made him acutely aware of all forms of prejudice. My father did not tolerate discrimination and bigotry PERIOD, and he made it his mission to help create an army and a world that were fair and just to all. In the last weeks of his life, my father and our family were given a remarkable gift, and that gift was hearing from and being visited by so many people whose lives he had touched. They told him and us that they loved him, and they told him how important he was to them. My father died knowing that his family and his friends loved him. He died knowing that his life mattered and that his example of duty, honor, country will live on through those of you whose lives he influenced. On behalf of my mother and our family, I would like to thank all of you for being here with us today - to remember, to honor and, most importantly, to celebrate the life of my father, LTG Sidney Thomas Weinstein, an extraordinary man.

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