Officer of the Week – Police Officer Brian G. McDonnell
October 28, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Officer of the Week
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Police Officer Brian G. McDonnell
Shield 6889
ESU-1
9/15/2001
Police Officer Brian G. McDonnell
Shield 6889
ESU-1
Police officer Brian McDonnell wanted to change the world, and he’d do anything to save a life. A member of New York City’s emergency service unit, his squad was among the first to respond to the World Trade Center disaster Tuesday.
“He thought about others before himself,” said Glenn Gering, a close friend who grew up with McDonnell, 38, in Wantagh. “He wanted to change the world,” Gering said.
The Emergency Service Unit is made up of about 350 men and women who risk their lives to save others. Fourteen members of the unit are unaccounted for.
McDonnell, who has been a police officer for more than 10 years and was a member of the armed forces before that, is a devoted husband and father of two, Gering said.
McDonnell was supposed to go to Gering’s house tomorrow for cake and coffee. “Unfortunately, because of our schedules, we didn’t get together as often as we would have liked,” Gering said.
“I hope all of America will never forget this horrific act of terror,” Gering said in a letter to Newsday, vand more importantly, never forget my friend, Brian McDonnell, an American hero.”
– New York Newsday Victim Database 9/15/2001
Source: NYP Angels
Patient of the Week – Tony Cain
October 28, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Patient of the Week
By St. Jude
October 27, 2009
Tony Cain
7 years old
Diagnosis:
Tony was found to suffer from Ewing sarcoma in July 2007.
Tony’s Story:
When 6-year-old Tony developed a limp and later hurt his leg while roughhousing, his family never imagined cancer was the root of these problems. During a family vacation to Florida, Tony slipped in a puddle of water and began limping. He assured his parents he wasn’t hurt, but they noticed that Tony continued to limp even after the family had returned home. A month later while jumping on his bed, Tony fell and hurt his leg.
“He didn’t sleep at all that night,” Tony’s mother said. “He said his leg hurt and he cried.” When Tony’s pain continued into the next day, she took him to the doctor. An X-ray revealed devastating news: Tony had a tumor. His pediatrician referred the family to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital right away. “I was in disbelief, I didn’t know what to think,” Tony’s mom said. “It all happened so quickly.”
At St. Jude:
As soon as the family arrived at St. Jude, they felt at ease. “We walked in the doors and my tears just stopped,” his mom said. “We saw kids playing and nobody looked sad.” St. Jude doctors found Tony suffered from Ewing sarcoma, a cancer of the bone and soft tissue.
Tony underwent five rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove the tumor and part of his pelvis affected by the tumor. He then received 12 more rounds of chemotherapy. Tony also received physical and occupational therapies to help him regain strength. He now returns to St. Jude every three months for checkups.
Tony’s mom is thankful for all that St. Jude has provided for her family during this difficult time. Aside from Tony’s treatment and care, St. Jude provided housing, meals and transportation for him and one family member, as well as activities like arts and crafts projects to keep Tony and his sister, Alexis, occupied. The family is grateful, too, for the donors who help support St. Jude. “There’s no way we could have done it on our own,” his mom said.
Tony is in second grade. His favorite subject is reading, and each week he brings home a stack of books to read. Tony also likes to play outside with the neighborhood kids. “He gets tired a lot faster,” Tony’s mom said, “but Tony does his best to keep up with the kids. He still runs with them.”
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Source St. Jude
We Forget to Say Grace Before We Eat
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
October 26, 2009
Editors Note: This was sent to us by one of our unknown readers. We hope you enjoy it, called: Sometimes we forget the really important things in life.
Last week, I took my children to a restaurant.
My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, “God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all! Amen!”
Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, “That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today don’t even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!”
Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, “Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?”
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.
He winked at my son and said, “I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer.”
“Really?” my son asked.
“Cross my heart,” the man replied.
Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), “Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.”
Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment, and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.
He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, “Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already.”
The End
I love this story!
Please keep it moving.
Sometimes, we all need some ice cream.
I hope God sends you some ice cream today!
Soldier of the Week – USMC Lt. Col. Brian M. Kennedy
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Soldier of the Week
By Brian J Arthurs
Investor’s Business Daily
October 26, 2009
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Challenges hit the Marines ahead of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Many, like Brian Kennedy, had just traveled from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Kuwait.
In his case, he had gone by sea along with the Cobra helicopter he would pilot. When he reached the Persian Gulf, he faced harsh weather and other conditions he couldn’t replicate in prewar training.
For Kennedy and his fellow Marines, they would need bravery and a commitment to purpose.
Kennedy, a major at the time, was among the first to fire on the Iraq War’s opening day. He piloted his Cobra in support of the Marines advancing through safe lines identified on the ground to avoid land mines set by the enemy.
“The weather conditions were very challenging,” said Kennedy, now a lieutenant colonel. “The wind-swept sand floated in the air, making the sky and the ground the same color.”
As ground forces advanced on enemy targets from March 20 to April 14, 2003, Kennedy and his team of Cobras targeted enemy weapons installations.
On March 20’s start of the war, plans called for Kennedy to lead four Cobras in support of a nighttime mission. But plans changed.
The word came down for Kennedy and his team to get airborne and provide cover before dark. Flying at dusk meant the night-vision gear would be less effective. Now the pilots had to follow chopper instruments to guide them at dangerously low levels in poor visibility.
Fog Of War
The view was so poor, the helicopters had to turn on their exterior lights to make them visible to one another — and to the enemy.
“We were facing mostly small-arms fire, anti-aircraft fire,” Kennedy told IBD. “But we also saw some RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) that looked like flying roman candles through night vision and (also looked like) a surface-to-air missile, but mostly machine guns.”
Kennedy recalls that for all the artillery fired his way, the biggest threat that night wasn’t Iraqi forces, but the possibility of running into the ground or another Cobra.
“Night One was undoubtedly the worst conditions I’ve ever flown in,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the Marines achieved their objective.
Three days later, Kennedy embarked on a mission that would last 12 hours. He led his section over a battlefield near the Rumaylah oil field, just across the border from Kuwait, that the Iraqis defended with artillery and small-arms fire.
The Cobras had to cut through haze because of oil smoke and burning Iraqi equipment. Kennedy flew two hours at a time, returning to base camp only to resupply and refuel. He never left the cockpit.
“You’re just not thinking about the time it takes to refuel and re-equip,” said Kennedy. “(There’s) no way you’re going to say no to a mission and let down a fellow Marine on the ground trying to find his way through a breach in the minefields. We pushed the limits to make sure we helped our fellow Marines on the ground.”
Again, Marine forces advanced in these crucial opening days.
Teamwork was crucial to more Kennedy success in battle. On March 28, he and his team provided invaluable support to their allies.
While the British army’s 7th Armored Brigade maneuvered to take Basra, Kennedy and other U.S. air support forces engaged Iraqi troops, again from low altitude in minimal visibility. The combined effort helped the coalition prevail.
Kennedy kept coming. According to his fellow servicemen, his flights decimated eight artillery positions and an enormous artillery stash.
The biggest hits landed on April 5. Kennedy and his team destroyed the Iraqis’ last remaining ballistic missile system. These systems had the capability of delivering chemical weapons against allied forces stationed in Kuwait.
This mission was especially harrowing. If flying at night and through smoke from burning oil fields wasn’t bad enough, Kennedy had to pilot his Cobra at just 300 feet so he could see the ground. Then there were surrounding tension wires suspended at 500 feet.
“We flew on instruments only while we were (higher) in the smoke clouds,” Kennedy said. “And when we knew we were clear of the wires, we would drop straight down in order to see the city so we could prosecute the targets.”
His fellow Marines were impressed by Kennedy’s cool and attention to detail. “He never tried to do too much,” said his co-pilot, Capt. Dennis Pyszczymuka. “He always spent the time needed to prepare in advance for his missions. He was very proactive. He always wanted to know what you had to say. He wouldn’t just make a snap decision, even when it was his to make.”
For his heroics, Kennedy received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, a top military honor.
“What impressed me most about (Lt. Col.) Kennedy was his calm demeanor,” said Maj. Lee Mayer, who piloted another Cobra in the section. “He never let the rush of combat affect his judgment. He always did the right thing.”
Kennedy served another tour in Iraq in 2005. By then, the enemy had morphed from an organized military force into one of terrorists often hiding in the shadows.
He says it made for a significant tactical change for the Marines. Rather than having direct engagements, combat required more intelligence gathering to root out an enemy trying to blend in with the citizenry.
College And Corps
Kennedy, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1989 after graduating from Ohio State University. He was eager to try something difficult, where the outcome “was not preordained.”
His interest in aviation had been piqued at an early age. He worked at an airport with his dad, doing everything from pumping gas to washing planes and cutting grass runways.
When Kennedy entered flight school in 1990, Desert Storm was on the horizon. He says he selected the Cobra because it seemed like the most rewarding mission.
Now 43 and near his 20th year in the Marines, Kennedy is the executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group 39 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He’s passing along his knowledge to the Marines’ new aviators.
Kennedy’s Keys
• Bravely led a team of four Cobra helicopters supporting Marine forces in the opening days of the Iraq War, battling the enemy and harsh weather, smoke and fire.
• “Calm, like panic, is contagious. Stay calm.”
Source: Investors
Maurice LeShawn Ellis | Sexual Predator | Miami,Florida
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Sexual Predator
Date Of Photo: 04/23/2009
Maurice LeShawn Ellis
DOB:
01/28/1966
Reported Address:
687 NW 100TH TER APT 6 Miami,Florida
Additional Information:
Gary Willie Porter | Sexual Predator | Miami,Florida
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Sexual Predator
Date Of Photo: 10/21/2009
Gary Willie Porter
DOB:
05/11/1972
Reported Address:
Additional Information:
Donald L Hill | Sexual Predator | Miami,Florida
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Sexual Predator
Date Of Photo: 10/21/2009
Donald L Hill
DOB:
06/09/1964
Reported Address:
Additional Information:
ANTWAN DWAYNE ANDREWS | Sexual Predator | North Miami Beach,Florida
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Sexual Predator
Date Of Photo: 08/13/2009
ANTWAN DWAYNE ANDREWS
DOB:
12/21/1983
Reported Address:
10 East Dr Apt 4 North Miami Beach,Florida
Additional Information:
Reuben H Teitloff | Sexual Predator | Miami Beach,Florida
October 27, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Sexual Predator
Date Of Photo: 09/01/2009
Reuben H Teitloff
DOB:
12/06/1962
Reported Address:
600 72nd St Apt 8 Miami Beach,Florida
Wish of the week – Paul
October 25, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Wish of the week
By MWF/PIO
October 25, 2009
Growing up in South Florida, Paul had never seen snow. Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont was the idyllic setting for this 6-year-old’s snowy escape from his battle with leukemia. With a sleek limousine ride to the airport, Paul and his family were off to a winter wonderland.
Paul was astonished to see his accommodations at the Smugglers’ Notch Resort. His luxurious mountainside condo was equipped with a jacuzzi tub, fireplace and balcony. He and his family suited up in cozy winter gear and headed to the mountain for their very first ski lessons. According to his mother, Paul was a natural who also loved riding the ski lift.
There were plenty of chilly adventures including nighttime tube sledding, a sleigh ride, making snow angels and visits to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and the Ben and Jerry’s Factory. As he and his family woke up on the last day of the trip, they were treated to falling snowflakes that seemed to follow them everywhere they went. The highlight for Paul was hitting the slopes – it’s something he always wanted to do. His mother said, “He skied so effortlessly, so happy, so free of any thoughts of hospitals, needles or treatments.”
Wish Granters: Tanju Comert & Sheilagh Mylott
Referred by: his mother
Wish adopted by: Lorber Charitable Fund
Source Make A Wish Foundation
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com