My son the Marine, the Sergeant, the Soldier...

My son has just completed his 9 year tour in the military. As a parent although I am very proud of him, I am also relieved that he will be here with us; safe and sound. He served his country very well. He displayed mixed emotions about leaving. I know it's hard to let go of something he has devoted such a large part of his life to. He served and did more than most when it comes to protection of our great county. He served with honor, pride and good moral character.

Thank you my son! You are my hero!!!

30th anniversary as a emergency responder...

October 15 marks my 30th anniversary working in some form of emergency services. I have worked as a firefighter, paramedic, EMT, Fire Station Officer, safety director, deputy sheriff, emergency management director and a homeland security director. It's been a long 30 years and I have seen much trauma, delivered babies, searched for lost people, rappelled out of high rise buildings, fought fires (several very large), dealt with major disasters, been spit on, fought with drunks, had saves, saw too much death, dealt with violent crime, involved with crisis debriefings, lost fellow brothers, attended line of duty deaths, seen joy and cried in desperation after the lost of a child...the list goes on! This is a common story that is so real to all those who also serve the public. We will never get rich; we just do what we do to help those who need it.