I spent my early years at Divine Word Seminary, then attended St. Joseph Seminary. I went up to the last year in the seminary. After the education, for some reason, joined the U.S. Marine Corps while the Vietnam War was raging. I am a Vietnam era Marine and Army soldier. After the Marines, I worked at Blaw-Knox Mill Machinery and Foundry. I was an Armor Inspector on M-60 tanks that were built for the contract for Israel. When the M-1 Abrams tank came into the field, we lost the contract and the mill shut down. Since the steel mills closed in the Ohio Valley and there was not a job to be found. I had a wife and two wonderful kids to support. This is when I joined the US Army. When I left the Army, I was a Correctional Officer. I was a hostage in the West Virginia riot where my injuries caused me to be hospitalized for over a month. That ended my career. From my religious background I became an Ordained Minister and Certified Christian Counselor. My book Awakenings: A Journey, took over fifty years to write. Through my interactions with people from all walks of life, I was persuaded to put my experiences on paper. I did! I now attend the University of Pittsburgh OLLI (Osher Lifetime Learning Institute) program on Zoom. By keeping the mind busy, flashbacks and memories tend to stay away. However, nighttime is still full of upheaval from the PTSD that I suffer from. I leave you with PEACE and LOVE to carry forth into your life