With OBL Dead, Man Shaves for First Time Since 9/11/01
- Posted on May 2, 2011 at 10:50pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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EPHRATA, Wash. (AP) — A middle school teacher vowed after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, that he would not shave his beard until Osama bin Laden was caught.
Gary Weddle kept his word Sunday evening.
“I spent my first five minutes crying and then I couldn’t get it off fast enough,” Weddle, 50, told The Wenatchee World.
Weddle, who lives in East Wenatchee and teaches in Ephrata, had wanted to cut his beard for years. The gray stringy growth actually made him look a bit like bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks who was killed by U.S. forces.
Weddle was a substitute teacher in Wenatchee when the terrorist attacks occurred on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing some 3,000 people.
Weddle said he was so absorbed in the news that he neglected to shave. A week or so later, he decided not to shave until bin Laden was captured or proven dead. He figured it would just be a month or two.
At the start of each school year, Weddle told students the beard was a reminder of the attacks.
After all these years, Weddle figured he’d still be wearing the beard next Sept. 11, the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
He was working in his garden Sunday evening when news came that bin Laden was dead.
Weddle wasted no time finding scissors and razors. He had cut the beard and was shaving the stubble before President Obama addressed the nation.
Friends and neighbors watched him cut the beard. He cut himself while shaving for the first time in 3,454 days.
Weddle was 41 when he made his vow.
“I wanted him to get rid of it, but it was his vow,” his wife Donita said. “I respected his passion and keeping a vow. I was willing to look past the beard because I love him.”
Now she said her husband looks 10 years younger.
“It’s a very happy moment for us,” she said. “It’s a very happy moment for the whole nation.”
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Comments (62)
Konacow
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:17amWhat a cruel hoax to pull on this man, Osama wasn’t killed, it was a case of mistaken identiy, so sad.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:10amZZ Top will need a new guitar player now.
Report Post »mcFirst
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 8:43amwell its been 10 years. good to see your smile.
Report Post »jason1985
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 8:03amI have the exact same shower doors…lol
Report Post »Vietvet1
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 7:31amA friend of mine who lived and worked in NY at the time of BOTH hits on the WTC let his hair grow as of Sept 11, 2001. He vowed to let it grow until Bin Laden was captured or killed. I have to attend a meeting in Washington DC with him in July and I am sure he will be well coiffed when the meeting starts.
Sometimes our hair.. or lack of…either on our head or face… becomes a statement. My one friend’s wife found that she had breast cancer. Well I got him to agree… if she loses her hair in the treatment, WE shave our heads. For me, not a big thing …not self conscious about my hair, but…. HE is an ANAL FREAK about his hair… no “haircuts” for him… STYLING ONLY and only by certain people.. He was sweating SO bad…. but.. his wife didn’t lose very much hair…so he was safe and now she is cancer free and I make fun of him and his hair every chance I get.. His wife just laughs. He bears some resemblence to a well cared for “Wooly Willy” magnetic hair toy of decades ago. especially with his beard LOL.
Report Post »arswarm
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 5:18amThe big lesson is that those street bums acn be gnedsew viurt nda ,dwos keoura/
Report Post »trooper
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 5:15amEven without the beard you’ll never get a date.
Report Post »SilentReader
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:47amWow! I admire his perseverence. That’s for sure.
Congratulations. Osama bin Laden is indeed dead.
Report Post »bigfootthechipmunk
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:16amWeird with a beard!
Report Post »ocean1994
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:32amI live in Weantchee!!! East Wenatchee and Wenatchee are basically one big town so i was shocked to see my little cities name on the blaze
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 1:13amImagine how elated I am… I finally get to take a bath!
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:15amAnd what? SO big deal!
Report Post »eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:05amOkay – gross. This guy was allowed to teach children with a nasty osama-like beard? Dress code police – where were you?
Report Post »kterris
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:44pmThat’s cool and I respect him, sort of, but how is this newsworthy?
Report Post »SacredHonor1776
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:14pmZZ Top was about to sue.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:14pmoh boy that awful itch for almost ten years.
Report Post »Ronmu
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:09pmThis is a fine story fitting of the blaze! Keep ‘em coming!
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:14pmOoh, that comment’s been Sarcasmshopped, hasn’t it? I can tell by the inflection, and from having seen quite a few Sarcasmsshoppes in my time.
Yeah, God forbid anything of a light and amusing nature appear on here.
Report Post »conservativeme
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:06pmThat was a epic beard . . . couldn’t find another reason to keep it?
Report Post »chickenfried
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:00pmWeddle, who lives in East Wenatchee and teaches in Ephrata, had wanted to cut his beard for years.
I bet that’s the first time since man learned to speak that a sentence such as this was uttered.
Report Post »outpost13
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:00pmWho gives a crap.
Report Post »TheGoverness
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:00pmAwesome story! I like how he told the students about the purpose/meaning behind the beard.
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:48amHe’s a genocidal anti-Muslim bigot indoctrinating his students to hate Arabs.But a billion of them arn’t going anywhere.Osama died at the right time,[the time of the Arab spring] and he died heroicallyThat his body was disposed of in accordance with Sharia law is a victory for Muslims.He fought for his people who the americans believed they could exploit for their interests.he gave them blowback unlike anything the murderous americans ever dreaamed could happen.Until he came along america acted with impunity in the world running amok committing mass murder directly or by propping up brutal regimes for american interests.He stood up to that and singlehandedly shook the americans to their core.
Report Post »Ssenkrad
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:20pmEither Rose is a troll or is so good at sarcasm that I can’t detect it… please tell me it’s the latter.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:49pmrose-ellen
Report Post »Take your meds, remember what the doctor told you?
gmamesw
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 4:20pmRose Ellen—He died HIDING BEHIND A WOMAN! Of course he thought women are dispensable. He was a freak and a saddistic piece of trash–and by the sounds of your letter, so are you! Go live in Pakistan.
Report Post »They should have covered him in pork!!
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 10:56pmThankfully he didn’t vow to not bath until OBL was killed or captured. Whew, how ripe would be be.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:08pm@Darmok:
Give you a clue, you can smell a javalina down wind for a few hundred yards; now imagine that many times worse (say for a pack of 20 or more).
Report Post »Who Watches the Watchers
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:10pmAmen to that.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:43pmYou guys are some’m else!
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 10:55pmHe’s lucky blackhawks loaded with SEALs didnt land in his garden in a case of mistaken identity! Now THAT would be irony.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:15pmOZ: Luckily for Mr. Weddle, SEALs do not depress their trigger if there is ANY doubt about the target’s identity. Nor do Delta Operators. (wink wink.)
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:47pmHey, Model -
Have a question:
Is there some REASON that the SEALs retrieved OBL’s body and left the others, flew him to the ship, WASHED him, and slid him into the drink, but didn’t do the same with the others? Why should they drop him overboard?
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:10am@Showtime: They needed to run DNA testing on Bin Laden. Who cares about the others. The washing and burial ritual was political correctness run amok from the WH in my opinion. My little brother is on the Carl Vincent, and my family and I are interested in hearing from him to get any possible details on what happened there.
Report Post »JohnnyJT South Philly
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 10:55pmI know his wife is very happy
Report Post »spirited
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:07pmIt MUST be love.
Report Post »chickenfried
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 10:55pmDang…that’s ironic. His beard grew for the exact number of days that it took for a Democrat to do something intelligent…follow the Bush playbook.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:00pmThat is dedication to a cause; and now may he find some peace, not to mention a decent suntan guard for the skin exposed by shaving; otherwise he may get a severe burn on his non-hairy chinny chin chin. (pardon the pun this was one I could not resist)
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:11pmYeah Revere, it says that in the story. How bout some meaningful content with your adverts, pls? Spammers get reported.
Report Post »Anarcho Capitalist
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:17pmThe guy is cool but the news is fake. Im starting to think Osama never existed.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:19pmThat hairball aught to hung over the fireplace mantel as a reminder to NEVER FORGET 9-11.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:23pmHe cleans up right nice, doesn’t he?!
Report Post »Kurty C Wipe
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:45pmBarry throws out the worse fake live birth doc in history……..now he is an American?? Go back to sleep.
Report Post »theonefromabove
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:53pmWhat an American Hero. Nice guy.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »Quack Addict
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:05amHe’s a goof.
Report Post »GBMBulletsSKNRD
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:31amHe was not caught he was killed but l like this outcome better.
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:18amI’d rather see a man with convictions than none at all.
Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.
Report Post »Greg Sadler
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:54amLove it
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 7:02amLove that story. His students would have been so young when 9/11 happened and it has been his opportunity to tell them about that horrific day, and his monument (so to speak), to those who perished. I bet that shave felt great!
Report Post »79USMC83
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 8:57amWhat has high walls and barbed wire on top???? A freaking PRISON !!!! Did the Paki’s have him under arrest?
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