Thread by @RepWillBailey

Biden’s Watch Story Breaks My Heart. Here’s why:

My grandfather never had a lot of money. He was the son of an immigrant and owned a small dry cleaning plant and worked there doing people’s laundry until he had a heart attack and died at age 67.

He also never owned a watch.

1/

He was taught that watches were luxury items and he couldn’t afford to be luxurious. He was, after all, a dry cleaner.

He raised three children all of whom were amazing. All of them had health issued and died fairly young including my late mother.

2/

Although my mother, aunt & uncle died fairly young, my grandpa was able to put my uncle through law school. He went to GW & got a job right after graduation.

The first thing my uncle did to thank my grandfather for putting him through law school was buy my grandpa a watch.

3/

He bought my grandpa a 1969 Seiko. It wasn’t a flashy watch but it was classy & sturdy.

My grandpa wore it every day. When he started feeling chest pains the week he died he took the watch off, placed it in his bedside drawer & set it on a scrap of paper with my name on it.

4/

I wore that watch all through high school and college.

When I was older and having kids of my own I decided to research it so I knew it’s story, value, original cost.

What I learned was amazing...

5/

This was the same watch worn by NASA astronaut Colonel William Pogue. The story goes that it was his personal watch and he used it during training. Tho it was not NASA approved he wore it into space anyway!

The watch became famous and is referred to as the Pepsi Pogue.

6/

Colonel Pogue eventually put the famous watch up for auction with the proceeds benefiting an Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

The watch has also been featured in several tv shows and movies from the 70s including Columbo! It was a piece of evidence!

7/

I still wear this watch and think of my grandpa, my uncle, my aunt and my mother. (Me wearing my grandpa’s watch below).

This week when I saw that NYT article featuring Biden’s watch I cringed. Because I knew there was more to his story than met the eye.

8/

All of the politics aside what has come to light is that President Biden wears his son Beau’s watch.

The article didn’t share that info. The author didn’t care. They want clicks so they can tell their advertisers they have more visitors & page views so they make more money.

9/

Not everyone cares about watches, but they are a lovely thing to pass down. My father wears his fathers watch to this day - the one he wore during all of WWII.

Some day it too will be mine.

My daughters will inherit my mother’s watches.

10/

Some were upset by the Rolex story. Some engaged in whataboutism with Trump and how he flaunted his ... gold-plated everything.

But this isn’t a story about a Rolex. It’s about family. And private treasures. And what we do to keep loved ones close.

It is a story of love.

End