I have followed Joe on the various Civil War Message Board for years. I have never met Joe in person but have exchanged long Emails with him. He has impressed me greatly with his posts which are always thoughtful but he does not hesitate to let you know that he is from Texas,and proud of the fact.

I wish him the very best and hope that he soon recovers. We older folk have found that as we age we tend to get to really know friends that we have followed for years whom we have never met but find that we really have many common interests.

For example, in one of our personal emails that we discovered that each of us had lived in the vicinity of Clarksville, Ga. This common experience came about when I posted that my great grandfather, George Cornelus Vandiver served in the 13/16th Battalion Georgia Calvary and that he had enlisted at Clarkesville, Habersham County, Ga even though he resided in Jackson County, Ga.,

Joe;'s post always reflected that he was a Texan and proud of the fact. He also has no qualms about expressing his opinion to individuals who tried to ignore Civil War facts and be political correct when they ignored known historical facts such as that there were black troops who served in the Confederate Military and even were granted pensions for their service.

Get well quickly Joe..We miss you.