On Nov. 11 we will be celebrating Veterans Day, a day we honored our men and women who served both in the past and the present. I'm grateful as a combat soldier that people recognize the effort we all did and continue doing today. Thanks for your prayers. But I would also like to take a moment to thank our men and women in uniform serving in Highlands County: police, sheriff, firefighters, national guard, EMT, state troopers and many others. I read about one of our county's finest police officers, Adam Willis, who confronted a defiant drunk, who had intentions of hurting this officer in order to get away, but had little success (great response by both police and sheriff officers who arrived at the scene immediately for back-up.) ...more

November 1, 2008

At small-town firehouses, in a field in Pennsylvania, at the Pentagon, at ground zero in Manhattan, in Kabul and in Baghdad, people paused to remember a day they will never forget. ...more

September 12, 2008

"U.S.A." was emblazoned on the front and the back of the red baseball hat worn by Stanford Wright as he clutched an American flag in his right hand and held his left hand over his heart. ...more

September 8, 2008

Ban Flag Burning I find it shameful that while we observe the solemnity of Memorial Day, Congress refuses to pass the flag-burning amendment. ...more

May 26, 2008

In response to Frances Earl's column in Thursday's edition, I would like to take the opportunity to set her facts straight. ...more

May 13, 2008

The first day of May is Loyalty Day and is such a day filled with activities designed to involve everyone in a great display of loyalty to our flag and or country. The VFW has fought a long and hard battle to have this day approved by Congress and it not only belongs to the VFW but to each and every American citizen. All staunch Americans must awake and live up to their obligation as responsible citizens if we are to remain free, for only the loyal and responsible fully deserve to be free. ...more

April 25, 2008

It has been a strange, sort of melancholy year, marked by eulogies for people I knew and farewells to people I know. ...more

December 18, 2007