He is wearing a toupee to cover the severe burn scars all over his head.
He was shot down while piloting his helicopter in Vietnam in 1968. It caught on fire, burning off his nose, ears, hair, and his forearm that he was holding over his eyes (saving his eyesight).
He spent two years recovering through many surgeries at the Brook Army Hospital burn unit in San Antonio, with many months lying face down.
Then many months more with his good arm strapped up by his head while a strip of flesh was attached to grow him a new nose.
In spite of the severity of his wounds, he recovered well enough to remain in the Army, becoming a helicopter battalion commander and eventually retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Along the way he married a beautiful Army nurse, adopted a child who grew up & graduated A&M, becoming a nurse herself.
Unfortunately his wife passed away a decade ago from an aneurysm.
Their daughter got married and recently made him a proud grandfather who enjoys making the infant smile by singing military cadence songs (clean ones) to him.
He is a true BAMF
He and Mrs. Brat were a steady couple from their high school senior year until they broke up their last year in college.
We are all good friends to this day.