Today would be Scotties 41 B-day, but he has paid the ultimate price for our freedom. He gave his life....
It was a fierce fire fight 21 Dec 1989 with the PDF in Panama, we were forward observation/listening post and first in contact with the enemy that night. We were leaping and bounding back to the front line when he was hit. The rounds were hitting all around us, and as I hit the front line, yelling dinckle berry as a call out password, he went down. The amount of small arms fire was unreal. Mansfield basically ran over top of me to pull Scottie across so we could return fire and get him help.
I can not tell you how scared I was that night, that moment. We began basic first aid while the rest of the line returned fire at the enemy, who retreated after the m-60 and 50 cal opened up. Later, in the wood line, we recovered 4 dead PDF sympathizers, all which were armed.
All my brothers in arms are equally important to me, but a few made a bigger influence in my life than others. Scottie would be the one comrade that I formed a brotherly love with. During a forced march, I had to carry his mortar base so that he could complete the march. We had done 24 miles in less than 7 hours, in full combat gear. There were dozens of times that he kept me running, he always pushed me to do better.
Scottie was a good friend to me, we always had each others back. I had done over a 100 jumps with him, and we even tried many times to steal each others air (while coming down in a parachute, you move under the person to make their chute collapse. this causes their chute to collapse, they slide down yours until theirs fill with air again.) I know crazy and wild we were back in the day when I was a warrior.
from left to right, Butler, Oswald, Scottie, and that would be me taking a knee. Butler would soon leave the Rangers to go to a new post in Korea. But I worked with the other two, after Scottie died, Oswald and I remand comrades for 2 more years.
Say a prayer for my brother Scottie today!!!
My service photo, still wet behind the ears....
This photo was taken by Oswald, we were building a fighting position together. This would part of our AIT (advanced individual training) the last 5 weeks of bootcamp.
I have some I took of what was the last true commie Russian army, but they haven't been located nor has the disk. Ten years ago, I put every photo I ever had on disc. With a few thousand disc, some of these surface from time to time.
I was 13y/o when this pic was taken, and was the first time I had seen my Dad since I was 5y/o. I spent Easter week down with him, later that year we lost the farm.
This photo was taken when I was a surfer boy w/ a mullet!!! Again even wetter behind the ears...
Pastor Dale Coffey, now he was a small man, and before he dunked me down, he said " Jason, your rather a big fellow and your going to have to help me get you back up " He said " I am nervous about this one ". As I walked down into the pool of water, he was getting set like a sumo wrestler. Without any problems, I was Baptized in the name of Jesus.
During my trip to New York City, I took many photos. One of which is the most beautiful woman in the world. Although her skin is green, she is always holding books in one hand and a torch in the other. She is of french decent and has a rather cold looking face as well. But she stands for freedom and opportunity, to many she was just a dream, to others she represented a great nation. I have always seen her as a representation of the possibilities that this great nation offers. She has stood fast during our moral and race issues within our own country. A land where there is free education, but is lacking proper direction today.
We camped at a place just south of where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean. A great Good Sam campground, nice folks. We even had a Black Bear visit. This is the only fish we caught. At the time my son was 7. 
