PFC Justin Whitmire

Yesterday, January 6, 2012, I had the honor of leading the funeral procession for PFC Justin Whitmire, a U.S. Army Medic that was killed in Afghanistan on December 27, 2011.  This young man was only 20 years old and had only been in country for 17 days when his life came to an end by an IED.  I did not know PFC Whitmire but in the days before his funeral I learned a lot about him and was touched by his courage and need to serve is country.  I was asked by our Chief of Police to lead the funeral procession which I accepted as a great honor.

The outpouring from the community was overwhelming.  There were threats by the Westboro Baptist Church that they would attend the funeral in protest.  The community responded with hundreds showing up in support of PFC Whitmire and his family.  There were flags flying and people lining the procession route shoulder to shoulder.  As I led the procession in my patrol car I could not hold back my tears as I saw the support and love of this community with there signs and flags waving. Although it was such a sad day I could not help but be touched by the community and the way they came out for this young hero.

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• Justin M. Whitmire (americanheroesmemorial.wordpress.com)
• 3 Fort Hood Soldiers Die In Afghanistan Explosion (dfw.cbslocal.com)
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• US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,741 (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

The end is near, 2011 that is!

The year 2011 is about over and I have been thinking about the year in hindsight as 2012 approaches.  I can't say that 2011 was a terrible year for me but it sure could have been better and in saying that I realized that 2011 was better than 2010.  I still had my share of late year medical issues to include a battle with shingles on the left side of my face and a bout with a kidney stone, both of which required me to take time off of work.  Work went pretty well for me this past year although I jumped from day shift to night shift and then back to day shift again over a 8 month period.

Overall I really have a lot to be thankful for and very little to regret.  I guess the best thing is to keep a positive attitude about everything that goes on in my life.  The new year will only be as good as I make it. I am not big on making New Years resolutions as I prefer to just say I will do all I can to make it a better year for me and those around me. 

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Good Boy Roy - A teens dream comes true.

Currently Zack has 18 different designs and 8 unique characters, but there are a lot more characters and scenes waiting to be put on t-shirts in the future, but for now Good Boy Roy is focused on generating more sales for their existing designs and building the brand. In terms of what Zack has planned for the Good Boy Roy brand, he wants to make this his full time job after he graduates high school. However Zack has a much bigger vision for Good Boy Roy, as he wants it to be “on everything and everywhere,” and even become a cartoon someday where he can do the voice. Zack lives here in Simpsonville and can be found on the web at http://GoodBoyRoy.com.

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• Good Boy Roy catalogue (goodboyroy.wordpress.com)

Indomitable Spirit: The 236th Marine Corps Birthday Message

Is October over yet?

Image by cobalt123 via FlickrOctober does not seem to be the best month for me. Last year I was out almost the entire month of October because of slin cancer surgery and recovery and now this year October was an almost complete write off for work because of a case of Shingles. Now I had heard of Shingles but had no idea how you get them or the intense pain it can cause, especially when you break out with them on your face. I ended up in the ER twice over a 4 day period because of the pain it caused. Once the pain finally got under control it was just a matter of letting the Shingles heal. Hopefully I will get back to work by the end of this week.

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• Health Tip: Getting the Shingles Vaccine (nlm.nih.gov)
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Hurricane Irene

Image via WikipediaIt seems that the folks here in the Upstate of South Carolina have missed the brunt of Hurricane Irene.  The days preceding her arrival there was a chance that it could hit as far south as Charleston but as she approached that changed and it was moved farther north.  Hurricanes always seem to become some sort of cult phenomenon despite the destruction they can cause.  New Yorkers are by far the most interesting when told they could be in the path of Irene.  They throw parties, make t-shirts and generally make jokes.  While down here in the south people seem to take them way more seriously.  I just hope that no matter where Irene hits that people are smart and safe and there is no injuries and minimal damage to property. 

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East Coast Earthquake

Image via WikipediaAn earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck in northern Virginia, the U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday.


The quake was felt in Washington, D.C., and as far away as North Carolina and New York, witnesses said. While all U.S. Capitol buildings were evacuated, there were no reports of injuries or damage.

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