There are few who will remember him. Some, wish they could forget him. Others wish he was still here, all be it, times have changed and he would be in a constant fit of rage. You know he would. There was a time at the old HCSO Academy there walked a small framed man who, to some, was hero and to others, well, he was a nightmare. You knew he as hard, but you equally knew he was so fair it hurt. His boot also hurt. Grinning here. Another cool habit this giant of a small man had was to review a Cadets notebook. And, woe unto them whos notebook was not up to standard. His standard. Many a Cadet was sent running down the concrete steps of the Old Rehab/Academy to retrieve the contents of their notebook after this man assisted it in becoming a missile, of sorts. The man I am speaking of could out run, out fight, out cuss and out conduct himself anywhere, anytime. All while smoking a cigarette. You knew, when the glasses came off....brother/sister, then next few minutes of your life were going to be, well shall we say, not very pleasant. And, when you walked outside on those same front steps and you took your Academy Photograph, you knew you had accomplished something special. You knew this man had taught you how to talk, walk, listen, work and fight like a Deputy Sheriff. You wore that badge and uniform with a special sense of pride in the knowledge you had been _____ized. It was a special title, with special meaning. Always hard earned, never given. Few knew this great man, teacher, friend was more than just an Academy Instructor. There was a time he was Old Corp. Thats right, this man was a United States Marine. He did his best in everything which came before him. He took the time to care, sincerely, about those he taught. Of course, his method of teaching is widely disputed, laughing here, but no one can take away its effectiveness. Some will tell you today, they learned from the man and he taught them things they have used, often more than once in their career. I can honestly and freely say he taught me how to stay alive. He relit a fire inside of me which, through him I learned, I had nearly extinguished. He reaffirmed I was in fact on the right path and he would not, under any circumstance feel sorry for me or let me feel sorry for myself. Thank God he didnt. Under fire, several times now, in my career, his teachings, in part, helped keep me alive. Even when shot, I continued to fight and fight hard. I never stopped. I sincerely hope and pray as the 239th Birthday of our Beloved Marine Corp has passed and Veterans Day has drawn to a close, he remembers me and somehow, in some small way he is proud of me. For he should know, after all we went through, after all I put him through, I learned. And, as time and events would show, I did what he told and taught me. So, in closing, here is my challenge to you. Who is this man? What is or was he to you? If you have a memory to share, feel free. If you have a photo to share of this warrior, this teacher, this friend...please share it. He may be gone from the bounds and ties of this old earth...however, I know he is not gone from many a heart and many a mind throughout the greater south east Texas Law Enforcement community.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 13:23:25 +0000
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