Lindsay Graham’s family memory color stage exists
It certainly felt that way-but Graham only wished he had a childhood like Opie.
The new presidential candidate spent most of his life with his family of four in a room behind the pool hall and bar owned by his parents. It was there that he launched his presidential campaign on Monday.
“It was a room where we all slept, ate, and watched TV. The sofa-everything-was in the same room.” When we stood in that room, his sister Darlene Graham Norden told me about the interview.
As Graham grew up, they moved into a trailer in the backyard and finally moved into the house next door. The senator spent most of his childhood helping his parents-his father was in the bar and his mother was on the grill.
This small hotel is the center of life in this mill town-locals come here for a drink and play billiards in their free time.
Darling said: “This is where they come here for a few beers during their breaks.”
“For us, customers are basically a big family. They are like our aunts and uncles. Sometimes, as young children, mischievous and the like, we are almost like entertainment,” she said.
As we all know, young Graham was very good at playing billiards when he was very young. He often plays with someone who plays with one arm. The other was lost in a factory accident. In fact, many people in this town have lost their limbs in the same way.
The background of Graham’s announcement of becoming president may be just another story of a humble politician who achieved success through courage and determination.
But for Graham, this is also a scene and story full of painful memories.
When he was a 21-year-old college student, his father was called “brother” locally. He died of a heart attack in their home only 15 months after his mother died of cancer.
Graham was not only an orphan, but so was his sister Darlene, who was only 13 years old at the time.
Related: Lindsey Graham retires from the Air Force
“He never said,’Why did this happen to me,’ he just kept thinking in his mind how he would do what he wanted to do, because he understood that first he must protect his family,” recalls Say. His childhood friend Thomas Von Kaenel (Thomas Von Kaenel). “The only thing left in his family is his 13-year-old sister.”
For a while, Darlene lived with his aunt and uncle, and Graham returned home from school every weekend to keep the bar and restaurant running, but progress was not smooth.
“You can see that the business is declining because he hasn’t been there all the time, making it more and more concerned,” Von Kenel said.
Eventually he was forced to sell it because he was going to go abroad with the air force.
Graham also did something very unusual: he adopted his sister to make sure that he could take care of her and that she could get his military benefits.
“The idea was a bit strange at first, but I thought, you know, it makes perfect sense, I just trust his judgment, I know he is doing the best thing for us,” Darling said.
Graham and his sister live nearby, but they still don’t often go back to this building together. The trauma of losing their parents at such a young age still haunts them.
However, they did come, just the night before his president announced the shooting of billiards. Darline was quick to point out that the bars are much better now than they were when they grew up.
In fact, the house next door—where his father died—is now a restaurant.
The new owner Greg Dimitri took over six months ago and invited Graham to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
He asked Graham to name his favorite dish—the senator, known for his simple tastes, quickly replied “Chicken Parmesan”.
On the menu, it is now called “Linsey Graham Parmesan Chicken”.
“That thing sells like hot cakes,” Dimitri said.
Dimitri said that he had not known Graham for a long time, but was shocked by his approachability.
“He has no entourage by his side, but he is just an ordinary person,” he said.
Randal Wallace is from Myrtle Beach, where he served on the City Council, and since he first ran for the House of Representatives in 1994, he and Graham have been friends for more than 20 years.
He said Graham has never changed.
Wallace said: “He is an ordinary ordinary person, this is because he came from a humble background.”
As for Graham, he didn’t talk too much about the beginnings or the challenges after he lost his parents.
But when he announced his candidacy for commander-in-chief, he readily accepted.
“There are many so-called self-made people in this world. I am not one of them,” Graham told the assembled crowd. “My family, friends, neighbors, and my faith support me when I am frustrated, and believe me when I doubt it. You made me who I am today.”
“I am someone who owes my family, you, South Carolina and this country. I ran for president to pay off these debts and fight for you, just like you fight for me,” he said.
Adam Levy of CNN contributed to this report.
>For more updates and exclusive updates, discover LookArt .
