PTSD . . . the war within


In 1967-68, Phil Downer was a 19-year-old Marine lugging a M-60 machine gun through the jungles and rice patties of South Vietnam with the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines. Phil’s outfit saw some of the heaviest fighting in the Fall of 67 in Operations Swift and Essex. In one of these battles,... Read More

Ambushed by Grief


It sneaks up on you. Unsuspecting. Then . . . out of no where . . . wham! You get hit by a wave of loss that leaves you reeling, wondering what just happened. Could it be true? Is this real? You scramble to get your bearings. Wham! You’re hit from a different direction. Your once stable world... Read More

Man’s Best Friend


I had to make the decision to have our family dog put to sleep last weekend. It was one of the most heart wrenching decisions I’ve ever made. Andre, affectionately known as our “little buddy” (pictured to the left), was a part of our family for fifteen years. We will miss him deeply.
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Puppy love . . .


I received an email recently that set me back and pushed me to tears. It simply read:

We want to share some sad news with you. This past weekend, Brittany, our Golden Retriever, died at a little over 15-years-old. She was the puppy we bought from you back in 1994. I don’t... Read More