John Walton died yesterday when his homebuilt ultralight crashed.

I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart. Not even close. In fact I loathe the stores, but I find myself in one from time to time. I force myself in by remembering that John was Sam Walton's son.

I don't think that John had anything to do with running the chain. In fact, there may have been a falling out-I don't remember. But he was an heir nonetheless.

John's claim to fame, other than being a Walton, is that he served as a Special Forces medic in Vietnam. According to the guys who were there, John was one hell of a guy and quite the hero. I don't know the details, but he apparently saved several team mates while under fire. Word is that he was a pretty modest guy and never made very much of the whole thing, but there are some guys walking around today who wouldn't be here if not for his heroism.