September 11th

Before and after.

The day that changed our country, forever.

Photos from Digital Journalist

A Tribute Well Deserved

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land...

It is a simple verse from the King James version of The Holy Bible.  You can find it in the Song of Solomon, Chapter 2, verse 12.

It was with those simple words each spring that Ernie Harwell welcomed both spring and the boys of summer, the Detroit Tigers, back into my life.

I was nine years old when my love affair with the Tigers began.  My mother was a fan and we were out at our cabin without television, the radio would always be tuned to the Tigers game, long before I was nine, of course.

When I was nine, the Detroit Tigers became world champions and I heard... something on that radio that caught my attention.

I heard Ernie Harell. With his trademark phrases - "He stood there like the house by the side of the road" and "It's looonnnnggg gone!" and my favorite "A man from Flint will take that one home" - he brought an easy charm, an easy grace, and a perfection to the games that most broadcasters can only hope to reach. He would blend a lifetime of stories in with the actual call of the game seamlessly and you would come away not only knowing who'd won but more about the history and the players than when the broadcast had started.

I look back on my childhood now and Ernie Harwell is there.

He was the voice on the radio that would tell me everything was all right.

Now, at 91, this gentle, charming man has announced he has cancer. There will be no treatment. He may be with us for another year, perhaps not that much.

I know that he will face this with the same faith and courage he showed throughout his life. And he will teach us something about dignity, acceptance, and grace. He's that kind of man.

I've never met him but he is a member of my family. He is a much beloved member of my family and this news has already saddened me more than I can say.

I won't think of the future right now. I will simply think of the past, of those golden days of my childhood when Ernie was on the radio and all was right with my world.

Thank you, Ernie.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Reflections on the Fourth

Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Years.

When the Continental Congress emerged from that earth-shaking vote, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin: What have you given us? Franklin replied: A Republic, if you can keep it.

If we can keep it.

I worked 16 hours today but still managed to watch some of the fireworks. The university where I work is on a hill that overlooks the river, where the fireworks are staged. It's a good vantage point.

As I watched the fireworks and listened to the oohs and ahhs, I found myself thinking about Dr. Franklin.

A Republic, if we can keep it.

God, please, do not let us fail to do so.

The Lone Survivor

Marcus Luttrell isn't an average guy.

He started training to be a Navy SEAL when he was 14.

He joined the Navy in 1999 and became a SEAL

In 2005, was sent to Afghanistan.

On June 28, 2005, Marcus and SEAL team 10 were sent on a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountain. They were, instead, betrayed by a group of goat herders they let go.

They fought a superior force of anywhere from 40 to 140 Taliban fighters. Luttrell was the lone survivor of the group and managed to survive six days before he was rescued.

Luttrell was in the news recently when four thugs killed his dog, DASY. She had been given to him to help with his rehabilitation. Luttrell chased the four vermin until police caught up with them. As the thugs were lying on the ground, one of them was taunting Luttrell about his dog. I'm sure Luttrell wanted to do more than turn them over to the cops.

That's all part of what makes him a hero.

If you haven't read his book, "Lone Survivor", you should.

Quotations on Heroes

~ A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~
Joseph Campbell

~ It is surmounting difficulties that makes heroes. ~
Louis Kossuth

~ A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. ~
Christopher Reeve

~ The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. ~
Felix Adler

~ Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart. ~
Proverb

~ Who is a hero? He who conquers his urges ~
The Talmud

Anti-heroes

You know who I mean.

The ones who do nothing. They stand by in dismay but they don't lift a finger to help. Their lives, it seems, are too important to risk.

And yes, I hold them in complete and utter contempt.

Here's an example:

GARY, Ind. (CBS) ―

A 26-year-old convenience store clerk was shot and killed in broad daylight in Gary, Ind., and police say witnesses stood by and did nothing. CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports there are critical clues that may help crack the case.

Lessons from my Father

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~ Clarence Budington Kelland

He's been gone for 32 years. A lifetime. A second.

Today would've been his 97th birthday.

He was a kind, generous man.

He loved his family and gave us a life that was good.

He didn't have much and worked hard for what he had.

He loved our mother.

He loved his children.

He wasn't perfect.

But, he was a strong, compassionate, caring man who did so many things for so many people simply because it was what needed to be done. He did the right thing without expecting a reward and he expected us to do the same.

If there is a better definition of a hero, I don't know.