"> If you ask Bill, he will say he is no hero. He will say all he did was serve his time and did his job to the best of his ability.  He says the real heroes are those who die in combat or taken prisoner never to be heard from again.  But I think he is a hero for several reasons.  He did not just serve his time and then get out as fast as he could.  Some times it is what you do after combat, and after you return that counts too.  He is a role model for us all. Bill Hoover followed the family tradition and joined the Coast Guard right out of highschool. In '66 he was stationed out of Boston Mass on ocean patrol, available for search and rescue, watching, charting and advising ships about ice bergs.  He says it was a cold and boring time at sea.  Then he transferred to US Coast Guard Squadron One based out of  Da Nag, Republic of Vietnam.  A fact that I never knew about was that from 1961 to 1975, 1100 Coast Guard people served in Vietnam. Bill was over there fighting on the coastal/river ways agenst the Viet Cong and North Vietnam troops from '67 to '69.  After being injured and spending time in US Navel Hospital at Yokoska, Japan he returned home and was honorably discharged with the rank of Gunners Mate First Class '72.  O.K. so like that wasn't amazing and honorable?? I think it was, since the stories I have heard from my family is for my dad it was Vietnam or Canada or join the Coast Guard assigned to some lighthouse.  Bill served when others chickened out and ran from duty!  For that I am proud of him.  But that is not the end of his story.  What he did after makes him just as much a hero in my book.

 He still served his country for 26 years as a Police Officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Port Authority Precincts covering most of the Transportation facilities in the NY/NJ area. He patrol such areas as Kennedy, La Guard, and Newark Airports, The Holland and Lincoln tunnels. the George Washington bridge, mid town Bus Terminal, Path commuter railroad, and the World Trade Center.  I have never been to NewYork, but we all of heard the stories of the crime and have seen ThirdWatch.  Not an easy beat to be on I bet.  Yet he served his community, reaching the level of Lieutenant.  He did many things in his career as a public servant.  He was a death investigator and also taught it at the Police Academy. He was qualified as Emergency Services Officer.  But he says his most favorite job was with the K-9 Unit.  To this day he still does charity work for the German Shepherds who fill this job. By the end of his career he had racked up 19 different commendations!!  He doesn't say but I am sure he got a few of them for being one of the first to respond to the '93 bombing of the WTC and helping in the rescue.  As full of a career he had, you know he just couldn't rest.  He went to live with his wife and K-9 partner, Bear in Las Vegas after his retirement in '96.  He started his own Personal Security Company but due to health he had to put it aside and fully retire. 

When 9-11 happen he was deeply effected. He worked that beat, he knew all those men who came to the rescue on that day. He lost 37 friends and coworkers among them a K-9. He could not just sit home and weep.  He got up and did something to help.  He drove across country to NY and worked at Ground Zero for 5 weeks! He saw first hand the devastation to our country, and he felt it deep down to his core.  He is quoted as saying "Before he was a 'Christmas and Easter Christian, and I think that's changed a little."  Bill did not just put his time in and then get out.  Even after his military career he served us, protected us, and then wept with us.  He may look tough on the out side but underneath it he is as sensitive as you would want a man to be. He will never know what a blessing, what an example, what a Hero, he is to us and to our children. Read more about Bill Hoover in this 2001 article about him working Ground Zero.

Don't Forget to Honor a Vet

I have been thinking and praying about who to honor in my journal this Vetern's Day.  Thre are so many who deserve to be honored.  I have some in my family who I could of done it on and even my own father who was in the Coast Gaurd.  But there was one person who I knew deserved it, and I wanted to get to know him better.  So I asked him to share with me some of his record and asked if I could feature him in my journal.  I don't know why vets dont see them selves as heros and are embrassed to get attention, but after from what I hear some coxing from his wife he sent me the info. 

I met Bill threw aol journals.  He was the number 1 pick for his journal "Comments on the events of my Life" when I was only number 4 on the list.  And reading his journal I could see why he got the much deserved #1 spot.  I have been following his journal ever since.  Tomorrow I will try and do him justice and honor him in my journal.  He is a great writer, and a wonderful man from all I have read on him.  I must confess he has reminded me of my own father and they do share some simlarites. Both share the name Bill and both have been in the Coast Guard.  Also both have been in security in Las Vegas.  More on him tomorrow!!!

">   Wow I have been away from the computer all weekend long and feel like I am behind on all the journals lol.  Congrates to all those who won the Member choosen Awards!  Pleased to see my favs was choosen.   I had a nice weekend.  Friday night a friend from church came over for dinner and then her and I went to see a Run Away Jury. It was o.k. kinda political and that anoiyed me some.  But I was glad to get away from the house and have some girl time with my friend.  She is so sweet and I love her so much.  Recently at church she gave her testimony, about her getting out of the gay lifestlye and totaly turning her life over to Jesus.  She confessed to me friday that she was nervous that it may change how ppl saw her, or that I may treat her differntly, but she now sees that she had nothing to fear because everyone loves her, and it didn't make one differnce her sharing her testimony.  She was my room mate on the Ladies retreat, and I kinda knew that prior she had been in that lifestlye.  I did not care one bit.  One of these days I am going to get her to let me paint her toe nails LOL.  Sat. I had a G.S. class to go to.  All part of being a leader and earning my certificate. I perty much knew the basics and the class felt like a waste of time, but again it was nice to be kidless for a few hours.  Then Sat. evening spent with the family watching movies.  Sunday was a great service, I took notes and will probly share later.  Some things at church going on that I need to get out of me, but I am sure I should talk to my pastor before I start to form an ought agenst anyone lol.  Defently plan on going to the next buisness meeting.  That is what I love so much about my little church, if you have a concern or anything, you will be heard and taken serously.  Leadership is not beyonde correction. They know they are there to serve not to be served.   Also going on with me is my online prayergroup is growing and getting more active.  I am so blesed.

Got Daddy wraped around her little finger!

That is LillyBea my 3yrd up there and the last one is of all three of my girls.She is sooo cute and a ball of energy and she some how has won Daddy's good favor.Oh he should have never shared with me that she is his fav. Right now, he said he didn’t know why, that he loves each of them so much, but she is at a very cute age and his heart melts.Duh, she is a big manipulator already at 3!What's that Shakespeare Play with the King and the three daughters? King Lear? Well Lilly would of defiantly of been the one who won the largest part of the Kingdome.It all started with talks about snow. We told the girls that it may snow in the next month or so.  Well this got Lilly so excited, she exclaimed, when it snows SANTA WILL COME! I asked her why she says that, has she been a good girl? "Yes I have! I take my naps and even sleep when I am supposed to and I picked up my toys and I eat most of my dinner"Ofcourse this leads into what she wants for Christmas. Today she shared with me that she wants Santa to bring her earrings like Mommy's. I told her that getting your ears pierced hurts and we have to take care of them. Annie had gotten hers done at three and it was a disaster, I didn't want a repeat of history.So tonight Lilly told daddy what her and I had talked about, batting her big brown-sometimes-green eyes at him.Daddy smiled and gave me that OH HOW CAN WE SAY NO look.And now he is trying to talk me into letting him get her diamonds!NO WAY!! I didn't get my first pair of diamond earrings until last year lol,she should at least have to wait till she is 16! He said really he could get her a nice pair for $30.SO WHAT! It's the principle of the thing ya know.But you know Daddy thinks she deserves the BEST

"> I don't think I have made it a secret that I had an abortion and that I regret it.  Or that I have strong feelings about the subject.  But has a great website states on the matter this should be a factually issue not an emotional one. And if you visit that site you will see facts and figures and graphs, very informative.

I think abortion on demand is wrong.That these abortion clinics are not so much concerned about women’s health as much as they are about the money their service generates .Ask past employees, there is a high turn over rate in those places, why you think that is if they think they are helping women and not hurting them? More often its used as birth control then for medical issues to save her life or to stop a pregnancy caused by a rape or incest. (Look at the statistics)  Women who have this done believe the Lie that they will have a better life if they do this. But what happens is they face deep depression, higher rate abusing drugs and alcohol, suicide, more risk for breast cancer, and trouble carrying children to term due to scarring or botched abortions or the children they do have face higher risk of child abuse.

This news article prompted this post, and I haven’t even gotten into my thoughts about it and I am running out of room here. Guess that will have to be a post for another day.