JESUS MANUEL ORNELAS, SFC ARMY RETIRED
December 7th, 1947 - March 24th, 2010

These days, the rivers of life are many and vast and equally fast, before you know it, families are pulled apart, and all that remains are glimpses and faded memories. Whether the rivers have separated you by distance or by barrier does not matter, the result is the same. I was lucky to have shared time on the same river, and even the same boat, with my uncle. It can never be a bad thing to share the journey with family, but even though it shouldn't be, it can be one of the hardest choices to make.

In life, we are always different things to different people. The only ones that know who we are is ourselves and God. So, if our lives are measured by how true we remain to ourselves and God, then he'll be just fine. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean we don't sin, as you know, we all do, it means we understand the consequences of our actions or inactions and that we repent. We hope forgiveness is bestowed upon us, whether we ask for it or not.

He was trained to fight, and it seemed to follow him, but actually, he stayed away from a fight when ever he could. Few people understand and truly appreciate life as well as those who are dispatched to extinguish it. Consequently, it is often inactions that help define who we are, although, we are rarely judged by them. Therefore, we may or may not understand the decisions he made on his journey, but, after 20 years in the Army, you can bet, he definitely knew whom to salute.

Yep, that's me.