When a guy knocked on Dan and Barbara Donovan’s door, he said he was from the electric company and required entry to the inside of their suburban Chicago house. The man was dressed in a red vest and carrying tools, so it seemed to be an official visit. However, they would soon discover that wasn’t the case – but only after allowing him into their house.
The couple had just finished their supper when a guy dressed as a utility technician arrived at their door, wanting to inspect their fuse box owing to a recent fire in the neighborhood. The day before, they got a letter from the electric company, Barbara stated. So, when he indicated he worked for the power company, they let him in.
All appeared regular at first as the couple escorted the man to their basement electric circuit panel. When the man continued begging them to come closer so he could display them the panel, their doubts started to increase. Then Barbara sensed footsteps above them. Danny, Barbara shouted. Somebody’s in their bedroom, she recalled.
The utility man turned out to be a house intruder who was there to divert the Donovans’ attention away from their belongings. The pair dashed up the stairs, pursued by the thief disguised as an energy company worker. Dan and Barbara noticed two more men searching around their home. The robbers got in when the couple was busy in the basement and left the door open. Dan was well aware that he needed to safeguard his house and his wife.
Dan learnt to be inventive as a result of his military training. The old Marine reached for a family treasure, his grandfather’s Irish shillelagh – a walking stick – and started swinging. The courageous veteran claimed the Marines instructed him to utilize whatever tool was available to protect his position. Dan said he was looking for a compelling weapon. So, he grabbed up the Irish shillelagh, and it turned out to be the equalizer as he managed to chase them out of the home.
One of the men was carrying something that Dan identified as a pillowcase from the bedroom, which contained various belongings. He instructed them to leave his residence immediately. He became enraged, Dan explained. He began swinging the stick, and they had his flannel pillowcase. That’s his he declared. He punched him in the head, and then they all went outside, and he was swinging at them barefoot, the old Marine explained.
Dan Donovan smashed his shillelagh on the automobile hood and windshield moments later.
The shillelagh belonged to Dan’s grandpa and dates back to the 1800s. Dan stated that there was no set spot in his home for the relic, but it was just what he required to drive off the robbers.
After Dan Donovan chased the criminals away, even rockstar Gene Simmons took note of the heroic Marine’s deeds. “JUSTICE! Semper Fi, Sir… Former Marine, 81, beats thieves with an Irish walking stick near Chicago,” Simmons tweeted to his one million followers.
JUSTICE! Semper Fi, Sir…Former Marine, 81, beats thieves with Irish walking stick near Chicago https://t.co/AY2CL8FDdx
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) November 20, 2020
Ideally, they received nothing more than a headache, and perhaps, they seek another vocation, Dan told the journalists. Barbara regards her husband as a hero, while Dan attributes all credit to Barbara. The term “electronic commerce” refers to the sale of goods and services through the internet. Dan exemplifies why the Marine Corps’ motto is “Semper Fidelis,” which translates to “Always Faithful.”
