Anybody that is from Jenny Lind   Arkansas will know who Booger Red is or if they don’t - they should. 
  Booger Red, AKA, Willard Neal  was known as the junk man who lived over on racetrack road, but he hung out up on top of Howard Hill .
  Booger Red and my great grandmother, Addie McCray  was friends.  They had known each other for decades.  
  Booger Red was a short man whom usually had a stubby old stale cigarette in his mouth and generally reeked of alcohol- Wine.
  My grandmother said Booger  was an alcoholic- a Wine-0 she used to say.  Booger drove an old beat up green pick up truck and had a little black dog named Jose’.  When you saw Booger Red you’d see Jose’- if Jose’ was in the truck,  he always had his head sticking out the drivers side window.  
  Jose’ liked to run off and you could hear Booger screaming “ Jose you SOB” loud enough for all of Jenny Lind and part of Greenwood, the neighboring town, to hear him.
  My grandmother always liked to say “ Lord Lord Jose’ is Spanish for Jesus”.
  I’m not sure how Booger Red got his nickname.  I do know the red part of the nickname came from his red hair he had at one time. 
  When I was a kid, Booger liked  to show up at my grandparents home every few days right at supper time. 
  I usually ate in my room because Booger smelled so bad he nauseated me.  I’m not being mean just telling the truth.
  In the time we lived on Howard hill road from, 1974 thru 1981 Booger had junked up all of the top of the hill- where my great great great grandparents home sat that had been built in 1870.  
  We called it the big house.  My great grandmother lived in it until the early 80’s, until  her son, Uncle Gene, AKA Dutch, whom had a trailer on top of the hill decided to move,  leaving her to live in the trailer.
  The big house had no insulation, it also did not have central air or heat and did not have an inside bathroom.  I stop to think about that occasionally when I think of my great grandmother- sometimes it’s hard to imagine my great grandmother lived like that for as long as she did- but she sure did. She was as tough as nails. 
   I didn’t realize just how long our family knew Booger  Red until I was going thru some old family pictures when I found a picture of my great grandfather Cliff  McCray, with himself his brother and a younger man. 
 On the back of the picture it was written  Cliff  with Mr Neal.  That’s when it dawned on Mr Neal was/is Booger Red- he’s been around forever.  
  Upon looking further at the picture  it looked just like him only young, clean and sober ( as far as I could tell) 
  I like to tell my Booger Red  stories because it was or is part of my childhood.  
  There is one thing that I did not know and I imagine most people don’t know either about Booger Red. 
  Booger had a large family he had as many as 10 siblings.  
  He had 5 brothers.  Of those five Leonard, Riley and Claude all were drafted during world war 2 serving in the European theater.
  Although Riley and Claude made it back home, sadly Leonard was killed on 16 December 1944 in Belgium.  16 December 1944 was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge/ Germany-  it was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the US in World War 2. 
  The Battle of the  Bulge was launched thru the densely forrestered   Ardennes region in Belgium, France and Luxomberg.  Stephen Spielberg’s Band of Brothers storyline reflects the Battle of the Bulge combat timeline. 
  Leonard was 24 years old when he was Killed in Action.  He entered the service from Arkansas and was attached with the 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division.
   Leonard was the recipient of a Purple Heart  as well as other Theater campaign medals/awards.
  He left behind a widow and three children.  Leonard is buried at the Henri- Chappell  American Cemetery located in Belgium.
  All this time I never knew this.  My grandmother never said a word and  she was big into world war 2 as my own grandfather served for four years in the Pacific.
  I would have  liked to have talked with ole Booger about his brother but I  never knew.
  This goes to show you that you just never know about people and whom they have had in their life and what experiences they have had and the loved ones they have lost. 
  Much  RESPECT to PFC Leonard Neal whom, Sacrificed his life in order that the path we walk is forever free.