Articles

Temptation to Discouragement

Staff — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:25:57 +0000

I remember all too well my spiritual and emotional condition in the summer of 1967. I had handled a really messy Fatality Investigation. Two young men were racing on a four lane divided highway and one of them struck a station wagon in the right front door killing the young mother sitting there and sending the father/driver and two children to the hospital. The two racers had just passed a truck immediately before the crash and the truck driver was waiting for me at the scene. He gave me his statement. Only one racer's car was at the scene. The driver had been taken to the hospital. The other racer had missed the collision and gotten away.

The station wagon was crossing from left to right. The Mustang struck the station wagon dead center on the door post pushing the door 18 inches into the passenger compartment where the young mother had been sitting.
The station wagon was then knocked into a power pole striking the pole with the left side at about the door post and crushing the left side in about 18 inches also. No doors could be opened. Survivors and the deceased mother were all removed through the rear window on backboards and transported to the hospital.

I charged the Mustang driver with Manslaughter/Reckless Driving/Racing. He hired a local prominent attorney for the County Court Hearing. I testified using all evidence including photos and measurements. The truck driver testified and identified the car as being one of the racers. The driver admitted to driving the Mustang. It was one of the best cases I ever took to court as far as evidence and witnesses. The County Judge looked at me from the bench and said, "I find no evidence of Reckless Driving here!" and dismissed the case...

Yet when the very same case, with the very same testimony, came to Civil Court and the same Racing Driver was sued, he was found at fault and judgement was awarded to the Complainant. That was the same as being found guilty in a Criminal Court and the Commonwealth's Attorney vowed to go after the driver before a Grand Jury but never did. This case haunted me for a long time before I could get over the picture of that crushed, young mother on the slab in the Medical Examiner's Office as I had to talk with him and view her during my investigation. That case was one of my hardest lessons learned as I worked to become a professional in the course of dealing with people and their crisis. This case was just one in a very long line of fatality Investigations and most of them are still readily viewable in my mind's eye even as I write this.

Quite often I am reminded of both the resilience and the frailty of human life. It can take so very much but it can be removed so quickly... And our job is to investigate it, handle it and to deal with it and the people... Then go on to the next one. For fifty years I have done that as a Trooper, Police Officer, Chaplain and Clergyman... Sometimes I would like to never have to look at or participate in another death situation but it is my calling in life and I have learned to handle those cases well and help others in the process. No matter how we plan when we are young, there is the great possibility that there is another plan that we will be switched into before we get our dream fulfilled... Or we just may get to fulfill all of our dreams and other dreams as well!

As I age I am losing Contemporaries. After my retirement I lost contact with many acquaintances... Some of them moved away from here. I don't get out much because of hindrances. I see very few people except for church on Sunday. Certain events change life's course and we all have to look closely, learn what we can do and then make adjustments... Making the adjustments is the most difficult part because we do not like change and we do not like to let go of things we have had that we wanted to keep... But we must learn that change is inevitable... It is going to happen in spite of us.

Peace Keepers, THANK YOU for your service... THANK you for all duty performed! My greatest wish and prayer for you is that you be so greatly blessed that it will be better for you than you have ever experienced before!!! STAY SAFE!!!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna came home last night. She is sleeping today.
My son is still working.
I had laser surgery on my left eye Thursday to remove heavy vein growth and stop their formation if possible. The counter registered over 1200 shots of laser beam into my eye. Some of it became very uncomfortable and I had a headache until Noon Friday. This was not to save the vision but to save the eye and maybe arrest the level of vision at the place where it already was. Only a miracle can restore my vision in that eye. The right eye is still fine. It recovered well quite a while ago.
Thank you for the responses, care, concern and prayers. We are making progress!

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Settlement

Staff — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:56:41 +0000

This country was first settled by small boat loads of people under the leadership of one man and his associates who crossed the seas from Europe... That one man not only was the Leader but he kept the peace... He was a Peace Keeper who appointed others to the duty of peace keeping. They were often accompanied by spiritual leaders as well. Spiritual Leaders are usually called Peace Makers, especially in the New Testament.

As colonies were established, individuals began to venture out into the unexplored wilderness and establish new settlements. There was always a Leader and there was always some one or more to help the Leader keep the group in order and in peace... Leaders and Peace Keepers... Often along with then came the doctors to help in health and healing, especially with army units. After the settlements were established, there came the spiritual leader traveling from place to place establishing a spiritual group and teaching them until someone could know enough to lead them... Then the spiritual leader would move on to another cabin or settlement. So it was with all of our frontier growth all the way to the west coast from the east coast over hundreds of years.. Leaders... Peace Keepers... Medical Practitioners... Settlers... Spiritual Teachers... All these were necessary for this country to grow into the United States.

The Continental (Colonial) Army recognized the need for Leaders, Rank, Structure, Peace Keepers and Spiritual Leaders as soon as militia groups were formed. All were recognized as vital parts to a fighting unit. All had to be trained, disciplined and experienced in doing their current jobs and familiar with all of the jobs of those for whom they were responsible. Even the Spiritual Leaders who were called Chaplains (French for Clergyman) had to know the basic makeup and duties of the fighting men.

Even after the Revolutionary War and the westward spread of explorers and settlers, these classes of people were involved at some early point. Of course the Leaders were there from the beginning... They were the Visionaries. As soon as a group gathered the Leader had to appoint Associates to see to the peace keeping on an ongoing basis because the people who did the early settling were a boisterous and often rowdy type of people... Rough, tough and sometimes needing discipline and enforcement, sometimes very drastic discipline and enforcement, for the safety and welfare of the group. If there were no Medical Practitioners or Spiritual Leader along initially, they would be along as soon as the settlement was made known in more civilized circles.

Our military recognized the need for surgeons for medical treatment and chaplains who could furnish spiritual guidance and support to our fighting men as soon as we formed fighting forces. Now they have been there for over 200 years including both sides during the War Between the States. I have a book written by one of those chaplains in the Confederate Army that ministered to both sides after some battles.

In the Military we have moved to the point where the top leaders are Administrators and those of lesser rank lead the Peace Keepers in the field... And most of the time the Peace Keepers in the field are accompanied by a chaplain somewhere close by if not right in the unit and field hospitals are to the rear reachable by 'copter flight with Medics on the ground with the units.

In Law Enforcement we have the same situation to a different degree. We have Sergeants on the street supervising the individual units and higher ranks are called to scenes only in certain situations involving larger numbers of enforcement officers... But we have also learned that sometimes it is very wise to have a chaplain on duty or called to certain specific scenes as soon as the problem is identified. We have Medics with SWAT teams and EMTs on call.

In the Military there are Soldiers that usually operate in groups, small or large. In Law Enforcement there are Soldiers that usually operate alone or in very small groups. Sometimes there is a chaplain riding with an individual officer to assist that officer and any other in any way possible... But this is a fairly new thing of only about 50 years officially. I did it for 35 years here.

The tip of the spear of expansion was the Leader/Explorer, always with the Warrior/Peace Keeper Spirit! His support was the one(s) he appointed to keep peace (actual hands on Peace Keepers) and discipline under his command and leadership... Spiritual Leaders came along to help in those gritty, demanding situations much like the advice John the Baptist gave to the Soldiers/Peace Keepers of his day in Luke 3:14, "Those serving as soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages)."

When settlements were formed, then along came the medical practitioner for health and healing and the traveling preacher to start a spiritual work and school with the idea of forming an active worship place called a church and a place where children could be educated... They were already there if the settlement were a military fort. Churches and schools usually were built fairly soon... Then when the modern age set in, many of these smaller churches were abandoned as the many smaller congregations consolidated because it was so much easier to move greater distances fairly quickly. The government took over operation of the schools and welfare and separated them from the churches. There was an abandoned church in my village where I grew up because of all this that is called progress.

These Leader/Peace Keepers today are the Soldiers of Law Enforcement and the Military... Both of which have chaplains and sometimes medics available when they have need of them. Fifty years ago there were no chaplains nor medics available when I was a Trooper... I certainly could have used a chaplain when my father committed suicide while I was in Basic School and I had to care for my mother was well as handle the funeral and keep warring families apart. Subsequently I became a City Police Officer/Chaplain assigned to mostly chaplain duties. That was over 35 years ago. I have studied it all. I have experienced it personally and watched as it came into greater and greater use... I have viewed all of the changes and efforts to reorganize. I even went back onto the street to do traffic safety and traffic enforcement because I loved it as a carry over from my Trooper days which I still miss. Now even the Virginia State Police has numerous chaplains available to their personnel.

Peace Keepers, each of you signed on to submit to leaders and those of higher rank... To obey lawful orders... To do your duty to support the Constitution(s) and law enforcers to enforce the laws... Unknown to most people this is a spiritually based system described in Romans Chapter 13 in the Bible. That has nothing to do with churches or religions except to inform them how to act in relation to dealing with the Peace Keeper.. It has to do with governing people, keeping the peace and executing wrath and punishment. It is all described there. I found it fascinating the first time I read it because it describes us so very well and most of us never knew it.

Under the power of my Commander-In-Chief, I pray you be greater blessed and go home safely to your loved ones at the end of your tour. Peace to you as you try to bring peace to every one else. Thank you!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna had a skin graft this week. No report since Thursday night.
My son is still working.
I am visiting the eye doctor. The excess pressure in my left eye is not decreased yet and I had new meds added this week to see if we can reduce it. Two eye appointments next week. I will victoriously get through all of this too!
Thanks for the responses, care, concern and prayers.

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful Watch and Response

Staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:36:01 +0000

Often each day holds surprises that we are not always prepared to receive... But they will come anyway. Some are pleasant... Some are difficult... Some are demanding... Some are simply something we did not expect. In peace keeping we learn to be prepared for surprises on duty or in connection with the job... But even we do not always keep the attitude of being fully prepared in mind. Sometimes we get surprised so greatly that we do not survive. I see that cars and traffic are already taking a toll this year among law enforcement... We are still losing military members on the field in Afghanistan... And the Iraqis are killing more and more Iraqis since the field units of our troops left Iraq.

Peace keeping is a variable profession. Someone described it as "Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror!"... And so it is often proven in each day, sometimes in each tour of duty. "Those serving as soldiers (the Peace Keepers of their day) also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages)."... (John the Baptist in Luke 3:14)... Good, useful basic instructions. To that I would always add the close that I use in every CHAPLAIN CORNER... " "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible."

This is my 50th year of working in and with law enforcement. In those years I absorbed many vital lessons. By Grace and the use of those lessons I survived without any serious injuries... The only injuries I received were two scratches... And without doing any injury to anyone I ever had to handle. I learned very early what my choices were and was very careful to make right choices after each lesson learned. I also learned to give the person(s) I was dealing with choices in how they should conduct themselves if they appeared to want to give me any problems of non-cooperation. Sometimes I would have to use brute strength to secure and hold someone or to put them on the ground to fully secure them but in those processes, by the Grace of God, I caused no injuries and I never had to strike anyone... But I was always prepared to go as far as was necessary in order to do the job and keep me as safe as possible. I thank God, my trainers and my on the job experiences that I always was able to go home safely to my family at the end of each tour of duty. I attribute this to the Grace of my Creator whose ways I learned and put to use from the Bible, good training from instructors and many other sources and my practicing right attitude in relation to the job and the people with whom I had to deal. I would treat them as nicely as they would let me or as strict and narrow as they dictated by their actions and attitude. I also became an instructor in how to deal with problem people and in how to deal with stress.

This week was a stressful week for me caused by another reaction to medications. They were causing debilitating headaches again and I could get no permanent relief. I called my Cardiologist and Ophthalmologist for adjustment and experimented to see which meds were the cause. The Cardiologist adjusted me off of some meds and lowered others. The adjustments and my experimentation caused the pressure in one eye to increase because of less medication to keep the pressure down... So now I am on more meds to counteract the eye pressures and must see more specialists to take care of the care and surgery that another doctor did not follow through on.

Today I am still experimenting on how much and how little it takes to be in the right condition without severe pain. Friday and today, Saturday, have been most pleasant because of the of the lack of pain. Two weeks of seeking adjustments to solve just that challenge of intermittent, debilitating pain came as a result of an added medication that upset the good balance that I was in. Since the doctor thought that one medication necessary to continue, I had to do research to determine the side affects of all of my meds and chart them and then present the chart to the Cardiologist. In an effort to help me, too much medication was taken away and that allowed the pressure to rise in my eye which then had to be brought down... But today is great... NO PAIN!

In celebration the two dogs and I shared our favorite sandwiches the past two afternoons and will do it again this afternoon. I take a bite, then I give the male dog a bite, then I give the female dog a bite and we continue that until we consume the food. They share it with great anticipation and great joy and satisfaction. I am blessed because it makes all three of us very happy! I wish you could see them as they wait the turn for their bite., the little female just shakes with anticipation and tries to rush me to give her turn to her sooner. Those two animals relieve a lot of my stress as I have been fighting the illnesses since April of '11. These challenges have caused me to have to miss the funerals of two friends but the problems had to be dealt with first before I could accomplish anything else.

Life is arbitrary. Life is what happens to you while you are making plans to do otherwise. We do not control life. We must deal with life as it comes. The first rule of life for me is "Do what you know to do and leave the rest to God or whomever else is responsible." That means that if I do not get the results I need to get, I pray, and then I ask for help from whoever else has the ability to help me solve the challenge. The most recent case involved me, God, two doctor's offices, several of their personnel, my knowledge as an Herbalist, my ability as a researcher, my ability to write a clear report of my findings and my experiences and presenting the problems to those who could assist me... All of that brought good results for me but precluded me from participating in other things I would like to have been doing instead...
Life is often like that. We often have to deny ourselves what we want to do in order to get the most necessary things that must be done accomplished. So it goes in job and in personal life... It is all determined by the challenges and the choices we make in relation to the challenges.

For those of you who are law enforcement officers... Watch out for cars with rear view cameras with a monitor in view of the driver with a screen much like a GPS screen. They are available in auto parts stores and can be wired to be on all the time so that the driver can see what is behind the car. They are designed to be used in viewing behind the vehicle while backing. If on all the time they could be used to watch your movements in traffic stops. They are designed to be bolted onto the top of the rear license
plate with the camera eye to the rear. One of my readers sent it to me today.
All Peace Keepers, while you are doing your duty, practice the greatest of watch care for yourselves. Keep your head moving like a radar scanner. Don't miss what might be behind you or concealed from you near your path of forward motion... Ambush and surprise have taken a lot of Peace Keepers out of action... Sometimes permanently... In ambushes and traffic injuries... It is usually what you don't see that will stop, injure or kill you. I pray you survive and make it homw to your loved ones. Be greater blessed...

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

I have been having much trouble conversing with Donna by telephone in the hospital because of the loss of hearing but two nights ago she awoke with the thought that she had earphones for her cell phone and to try them... They solved the problem... Now we can talk together on the phone. They tried a skin graft Friday. It will be checked Tuesday to see if it took... If so they will start grafting her own skin onto the wound to finish it's closure. That is good news, but we have no progress with a huge blood clot that is in her right chest and right arm. Heparin will not dissolve it.
My son is hurting some but still working.
I am solving my problems as outlined in the message body. It is amazing how much you need to know just to live and survive well in this world today.
I am glad that I have such a wide background of experience and knowledge.
Thank you for message responses, care, concern and prayer... Keep praying! We are doing better! These challenges, too, shall pass!

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful Watch and Response

Staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:36:01 +0000

PERSEVERANCE

Staff — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:14:35 +0000

per·se·ver·ance

[pur-suh-veer-uhns]

noun
1.steady persistence in a course of action, (in) a purpose, (in) a state (of being or working), etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2.Theology . continuance in a state of grace (God's unearnable, undeserves favor and blessing because He loves His Creation) to the end, (if we receive that Grace) leading to eternal salvation.

Related forms
per·se·ver·ant, adjective
non·per·se·ver·ance, noun
non·per·se·ver·ant, adjective

Synonyms
1. doggedness, steadfastness. persistence, tenacity, pertinacity imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: Endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end. It is regularly used in a favorable sense. Persistence, which may be used in either a favorable or an unfavorable sense, implies unremitting (and sometimes annoying) perseverance: persistence in a belief; persistence in talking when others wish to study. Tenacity, with the original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, is a dogged and determined holding on. Whether used literally or figuratively it has favorable implications:

per·sist·ence [per-sis-tuhns, -zis-]

noun
1.the act or fact of persisting.
2.the quality of being persistent: You have persistence, I'll say that for you.
3.continued existence or occurrence: the persistence of smallpox.
4.the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.

Also, per·sist·en·cy.

Origin:
1540–50; persist + -ence

Related forms
non·per·sist·ence, noun
non·per·sist·en·cy, noun

Synonyms
1. See perseverance.

(bold, underlines italics by DRS)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.

My memory has been very active this week. I have been thinking back over the Journey I have traveled from childhood to here.

I was a sponge in relation to some subjects. I read a lot from first grade onward. I usually had a special book in my pocket or among my school books and books, magazines and comics on my bed or on the couch. Before school age I spent much time looking at the catalogs of the day... Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Aldens, Spiegel, etc. My favorite subjects were toy trains, toy guns, playsets involving battles, boots and uniforms... The subjects of my reading were in the same categories when I could choose for myself... Military and war involving Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Sheriffs, Marshals, Mounties, Cowboys, Indians, Ancient Warfare, Hunters, Pirates, Adventurers, Police, Detectives and Criminal Cases... Some were historical... Some were novels... Some were Autobiographies or Biographies... And about trains - I loved trains. I gathered many toy trains as I never had enough and this is still true about trains today. My father was a railroad laborer and later Foreman and I lived twenty to thirty yards from the railroad tracks running north/south through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I often climbed into the cabs of the locomotives when they stopped at the signal in the village.

I had planned to go to a military school, study engineering and be a professional soldier. The most astounding appearance in my young life was the infrequent appearance of the "State Man"... That's what we called the Virginia State Police Troopers who occasionally patrolled through the village or came to investigate wrecks.

One of those wrecks happened in my front yard in the edge of the road between the house and the railroad on a rainy day. We invited him to sit on our porch to get out of the rain and he did. I got close enough to touch him but was not brave enough to speak nor to reach out. He was huge - as big as a mountain to me... His leather was black and shiny... His uniform was as crisp and neat as any I would ever see and the metal glistened like new silver... His Stetson was to me like a King's Crown. I lived in awe of those men. (I was fortunate enough to be hired and working as a Trooper before he retired and attended a retraining school with him. I had the opportunity to tell him how he had affected me that day so many years before.)

All of the knowledge gained in reading, in education and in experience led me through many paths to arrive at today... And led me through millions of lives as well. The Chief of Police that I worked directly under for much of my career said I would have to be 100 years old to have done all that I had done in my life to that point and I was only 55 then.

I worked in Civil Engineering Location and design for the Virginia Dept. of Highways... In Structural Steel Engineering for several companies and as a self employed contractor on my own... As a clerk-repairman for toy trains in a toy store where I also tended and stoked the coal furnace... In Law Enforcement, first as a Trooper, Then as a Police Officer/Chaplain/Instructor for Virginia Beach and for the local Regional Police Training Academy at Old Dominion University... And as a Deacon, Teacher, Evangelist, Assistant Pastor and Pastor for several local churches. Many of these endeavors ran concurrently with one another... Plus my dear, deceased wife and I raised four children, cared for 17 foster children and many needy families along the way.

Now I am still serving as a Pastor/Chaplain/Disciple Trainer... I am also winding down my Herb/Supplement/Health business and my Train business. Life has been full and busy. A leisurely pace seems like laziness to me. I have had difficulty adjusting to a slower pace as prescribed by my doctors and my Commander-In-Chief but I have managed to be OK with it most of the time. Little by little some things are simply gone or are going. My ultimate dream would be to move back to the area where I grew up and soak in all I can of that beautiful area and it's slower time and pace... But that is not within the foreseeable future if ever. All of my daughter's medical helps are here and not available there.

This week I suffered a new malady that culminated in total debilitation Friday.... First it was an ache in my left eye that eventually went away but returned on Thursday night with severe left temple and left eye orbit pain. It continued through Friday and became unbearable for a time Friday night.
I have never endured such pain before and as I prayed for help I was impressed to use some of my herbs and Extra-strength Tylenol. The Tylenol had not worked all day on Friday as it continued to worsen. The herbal combination I used worked and I was able to rest during the early morning Saturday (today). I am writing late in the evening and it is fine now but I will continue the herbs until tomorrow.

Perseverance has been the key to all that I have achieved in my Journey. It was my most important attribute in engineering, law enforcement, ministry to both Peace Keepers and civilians and in several side-line businesses. Sometimes everything and everyone around me tried to discourage me from my pursuits and courses of action, but I stayed the course and here I sit tonight in peace and safety in spite of all the difficulties even up through last night and this morning. Do what you know to do no matter what anyone else is or is not doing! This has been the key for me all the way from childhood 'til this moment... Keep on keeping on... Don't quit... It has gained my education, experience, knowledge and wisdom... It has never failed me even when it looked like it might... It was the main ingredient that allowed me to overcome the failure of the eye test and be hired to be a Trooper... It has brought me innumerable blessings that would not have come unless I persevered... I was able to regain my current state of health by persevering... I will finish my whole course and Journey through life by persevering...

I am told that I am a hard man. I am told that I have no feelings... I am told to stop, quit, give up, decease... But life has proven that the use of perseverance has made the Journey livable and profitable. Jesus and the Bible added much useful information to all that I had gathered before I learned about Him.... Then I added what I learned from Him as I learned it, putting it to use in every endeavor from peace keeping to repairing toy trains to solving engineering problems to dealing with people crisis. Prayer, guidance and application of these saved many dollars and improved many lives plus assisting many people through horrible crisis as He moved me about in everything that was mine to do. He was the Carpenter, I was the tool in His Hands... We saw many good things happen and many bad things get resolved. My life has been most adventurous and still is even though I do not run the same pace as in the most recent past.

The bike I bought back in March of '11 has been stored in my Engine House/Shop with my ride-in locomotive since spring. I was able to ride it only once before my eye problems and heart problems struck. I look forward to good weather, good eye improvement and regaining good strength so that I can get it out and enjoy riding again. My most [powerful dream to yet be gained is to get back to traveling and teaching in the Body of Christ (that's why I bought the bike)... I am awaiting open doors when He is ready... That problem, as well as my self, are His problems to solve and I await the adventure. I am not through yet. Moses had three lifetime segments of forty years each. I am not through my second forty yet so I still have a ways to go. It was His will to set me down in this closed in time for His purposes and my preparation. When it is His time we will begin the next phase as He wills... Meanwhile I am preparing, seeking guidance and praying as I have been doing for the past 44 years... God!, It's been a great Journey with all of you included!!!

Now Peace Keepers, I encourage you to learn the fullness of perseverance and keep it in use in your daily life on the job and in personal life. It could be an even greater key for you than it has been for me. Learn it to it's fullness, use it always and gain great results that will be profitable for you and all that you touch and work with as you live your adventure... Be even greater blessed!!!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna is feeling better and looking forward to coming home in a few weeks. The wound is now progressing well.
No new problems with my son. He is still working.
I am surviving well and still on the Way in my Journey to the Holy City... Still looking forward to the things yet to happen here as well as there.
Thank you for the great responses I have received, for the many prayers put in for all of us, for the persistent care and concern you have shown to me and for us... It all working as it should. Victory is ours daily as we persevere!

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

The Thoughts of my Heart

Staff — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:44:42 +0000

Sometimes we may appear crude, even hard and harsh, but underneath it all we are loyal, dependable, aggressive but controlled and controllable, self starters, able to keep attention focused... Intelligent - trainable - learn and retain knowledge and experience well... Wary, highly observant, do not give trust easily... Deserving of respect and respectful... Reasonable strength in relation to size and weight... I am describing the best, most desirable traits of Peace Keepers.

I am also describing the traits of good working dogs and good watch dogs. I know them well because I have two of them living with me daily and I love them like my children because of the way they respond to me, love me and treat me... And I love Peace Keepers like my own children because of who they are and for what they do for all of us.

I watched a movie about one such animal Friday morning and was powerfully struck with the similarity between the dogs we depend upon and the Peace Keepers we depend upon. Most of the traits are the very same traits... Both the dogs and the Peace Keepers make choices to be who they are and to do what they do. Some of my dogs have been so intelligent that I had to study and analyze their activities so that I could be smart enough to overcome their intelligence. All of my very best friends in this world have been most of the dogs in my life since the age of 12. Every one of them would fight to the death to defend me from harm... As would any of the professional Peace Keepers that I have worked with, known and loved.

Some may be offended that I chose this type of comparison today... But I mean it out of the highest possible respect. You would know that if you could see me together with my animals and with the Peace Keepers with whom I have served. I see it as no accident that dog is God spelled backwards. I find amazingly parallel attributes in dogd, Peace Keepers and God... And again I mean that with the very highest of respect.

I have worked with God for almost 44 years. I have worked with Peace Keepers for almost 50 years. I have known dogs as my best friends for almost 60 years... Those years total to be innumerable good experiences.

From my dog experiences I have the memories of many of the very best of friends including the two here with me tonight. From my peace keeping days I still have a few very best friends as well as some great memories of the ones who are no longer here. From my service with God I have many great memories of friends who are now gone as well as some of the very best who are still here close by.

In saying all of this I am trying to convey that the very best of those I have known have all had most of the same traits whether they were two legged friends or four legged friends and I love and have loved them all with the very best love I was capable of giving... Including my deceased wife who was my best friend as well.

The greatest things these precious friends conveyed to me were peace and contentment with unspeakable joy... Joy that I cannot describe... Joy almost as great as the joy I receive from my relationship with my Heavenly Father whom I describe as my Commander-In-Chief who happens to be my very best friend.

I served with courage, loyalty and fairness as a Peace Keeper. I serve my C-I-C with courage, loyalty and fairness. I live my relationship with my friends and family with courage, loyalty and fairness. This is my best... I can do no other.

I do not find it unusual that one of the men in this world that I hold in the highest of respect as Instructor, Author and Friend, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, U.S. Army Ret., calls Peace Keepers Sheepdogs. Sheepdogs are feared by the sheep even though the Sheepdog protects the sheep from the wolves and destruction. Wolves fear the Sheepdog because the Sheepdog will lay down it's life protecting the sheep from attack, injury and death. The Sheepdog takes it's life as an assignment to always be the shield between the sheep, any danger and the wolves. The Peace Keeper takes his/her life assignment to always be a shield between the law abiding citizens and the law breakers to preserve, keep or restore the peace and tranquility in our society. Many of them give their lives because in the final analysis they are what they do... Peace Keepers keeping or restoring the peace, whatever the cost.

Thank you Peace Keepers, for all that you do and have done for all the rest of us. Today I do not have much contact with many of you because I cannot actively go out onto the field... But I treasure and relish greatly every word that I receive from any of you in any form of communication. During the days of my mourning for my wife who died ten years ago and later for my son who was killed in the truck wreck I received communications from Peace Keepers from all over our nation and many parts of the world. I shall never forget that great outpouring of care, concern and support given then and also recently during the illness of my daughter and other son. Peace Keepers are among the most loving and giving people in this world... THANK YOU!... THANK YOU!... THANK YOU!!! May my Commander-In-Chief send you blessings many times more than you have been to me!

All of the foregoing was written on Friday because I knew Saturday, the day on which I usually write, would be very full and busy. Today, Saturday, was filled with attending a Memorial Service for an elderly dear friend. She filled much of my career her with love and care as well as much good food. The first time I saw her she was dishing out food to the students of a Police Academy during lunch time. That was in 1976. We had a full, happy friendship together, including her previously deceased husband. Those two gave the most love and care I ever saw any two people give to others. They loved each other and others greatly and powerfully. Then I had lunch with a friend and we went to the hospital together to see another friend who retired from our department, and my daughter Donna, in the same hospital.

Our friend had had surgery on his back and was home doing well when he was struck with blood clots in his legs. He was rushed back to the hospital and had surgery to remove the clots. He was recovering well when another unknown clot broke loose and resulted in a coma. Today he was still in the coma and not doing well. It was hard to see him in such condition for he had maintained close check on me when I was so ill, praying for me and encouraging me. It is sometimes very difficult experiencing what a day may bring. I was discharged from the hospital and now in three months have recovered from my heart ailment. My friend will need a miracle for him to recover. Pray for my friend, his name is Don also.

Then I saw my daughter, Donna, And I thought she would faint when I walked into her room. She had worried herself sick worrying over me and not believing I was now doing so well, recovering while she has been in the hospital since early December, and not knowing I was now off the monitoring device. She had a good, happy cry because I was doing so well and I left her in much better spirits than I had found her. She still needs a miracle to recover fully.

Monday I will be attending the Memorial Service for yet another retired Peace Keeper/Friend who died this last week. I am getting to be an old survivor because many of my younger contemporaries are passing from this life. Pray for this Sky Pilot as I celebrate the lives of friends. I have had to miss some of the most recent ceremonies as I was in recovery myself... Life is arbitrary and we must deal with it as it comes.

Readers... Thank you for being there... "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Daughter Donna is still in the hospital. No improvement in the hearing loss. The wound is still improving but she is tired, fatigued and worn out from such a long stay and all of the surgeries.
My son is working and surviving well at the moment.
I am doing well also. I can see, hear, and move about. This week the Portable Defibrillator/Monitor was removed and I do not need it anymore nor do I need a permanent one installed. I shouted "HALLELUJAH" when the nurse called and told me.
Thank you for the care, concern and prayers... Keep it up!

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.

To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful

Staff — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:06:37 +0000

If you want different results than you have been getting then you have to do things differently than you have been doing them. In your life there is always at least one constant - YOU! If things are not going as you want or desire them to go... As far as it depends upon you - you must evaluate the situation and see if there needs to be any changes on your part - actions, attitudes, communications, efforts or lack of efforts... There are some things we are able to change. There are some things we are not able to change. We must make the effort to learn the difference... Change the things you can... Learn THE BEST AND LEAST DANGEROUS WAYS to deal with the things we cannot change.

To enter a building you usually have to use a doorway. A doorway is very restricting. If you must enter then you must recognize that the doorway can be a frame of death making you a very large target in a very small space. If you gain entry without injury and yet must search the premises and apprehend a suspect then you must go through yet more spaces or doorways that restrict your movements and make you a very vulnerable target for a fugitive hiding within the space you are entering. Building approaches, building entries and building searches are very dangerous places where Peace Keepers must tread. This has been the situation for a long time and still is... In the homeland... In Afghanistan... In Iraq... In Mogideshu... And upon every battlefield where Peace Keepers have had to enter structures.

Preparation and training are the major keys but we always have to operate with the knowledge that we still have to go no matter how great the danger.
Sometimes the human confrontation is the only workable solution and we must go. The most important key is to minimize the exposure to the possible fields of danger by quick movements and utilizing cover and concealment. Where others may run away or at least elect not to go... The Peace Keeper very often must go!!!

I have had to search all kinds of structures, fields and woods, often in total darkness or very dim light. I have had to approach doorways and many other places that I knew were dangerous. I learned to take my time and not rush until quick movement was the best possible defense.

Much of the same information used here is also true of human relationships. As a Peace Keeper I have had to intrude into many hot, dangerous human relationships and activities to try and restore peace.

By Grace, Mercy, Luck and Learned Skill, I have survived all of this activity and gained retirement. The threat of injury or death have often been my companions in these activities and others. One time I even walked upon a snake in the middle of my path as I turned a corner around an old truck. I stood still, spoke to him to move away, and watched while he left. Being a well trained and careful Peace Keeper can teach us a lot about how to approach things in our personal lives as well as on the job... And powerfully increase the percentage for success and survival.

I am writing this message today because we are one week into January 2012 and we have had a bad week already in shootings, injury and death among Peace Keepers. I hurt and ached over each one of them and I hurt and ache over each of you who are still here. Training, patience and skill are our best tools for survival... Please use them. OUR WORLD CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!!!

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna is not doing well. She has lost the hearing in her right ear and is very tired and fatigued. The good news is that the infection is not causing any elevated temperatures and the wound is looking much better.
No report from my son so he must be doing OK for now.
I am surviving well.
Thank you for responses, care, concern and prayers.

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.

To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful

Staff — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:06:37 +0000

EVENTS, OPEN DOORS, OPPORTUNITIES

Staff — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:15 +0000

Happy New Year! We have spent another year and it is gone! (I am writing this on the 31st)... This week has been another crowded one... Not by plan, but by circumstances and events that presented open doors for me to serve.

The first course changing event... A friend and fellow retired Peace Keeper died last Saturday, Dec. 24, and I was enlisted to give a part of his Celebration of Life and Eulogy. He was a member of the Virginia Game Commission as an enforcement officer and he and his wife are also from my home town in the Shenandoah Valley at Buena Vista, Virginia. He was a Life Member of the local Volunteer Fire and Rescue in his area of the city. They had one son who is a City Firefighter, one son who is a Virginia State Trooper and one son who was a Deputy Sheriff who was killed in a motorcycle crash several years ago. The church was full of Firefighters and Peace Keepers with standing room only. We greatly enjoyed remembering Jim and his life among us. Thank God that we all survived some of the incidents we talked about. Just being among the Troopers deeply affected my spirit and my emotions, I do miss them greatly and always have since I left that department. Yesterday I was still more greatly blessed... I received credentials making me a Life Member of the Virginia State Police Alumni Association because of all of my work within the Commonwealth of Virginia. I had been a dues paying member for many years.

On Monday I had to work on accounts. On Tuesday a retired Peace Keeper friend called as he was on the way to my city to invite me to lunch with he and his wife. They are dear friends and we had a marvelous couple of hours together. On Wednesday another friend from out of town called to visit for a couple of hours and we had a great time together also...
On Thursday I participated in the Celebration of life of my friend who died...

Then this morning as I began an already full day, I received a call to minister tomorrow morning to a new class of Sea Cadets with an inspirational message and Monday at their graduation with a Benediction...
All of that means a lot of activity between now and Monday afternoon... Open doors are the usual way for me to get to do many of the things in which I participate, so some of my resting time is over.

And now we start a New Year together. We get to journey through a time in which no other person has walked. We get to make the new discoveries... We get to share the satisfying, special events... And we get to be involved in many life altering events for which we did not and could not plan. We have spent much time preparing for this Journey that we should not ever be caught unaware of what can happen to us, through us or around us. Life is what happens to us while we are making plans to do other things...
And it is arbitrary, it is going to happen and we must be ready to deal with it when it does.

Our soldiers are still dying in Afghanistan. A new time of killing civilians in Iraq has dawned since we pulled out our troops. Iran is saber rattling... So is Hamas, Egypt, Libya and several other places... Peace Keepers are still dying on the home front. Young Peace Keepers are still coming in... Old Peace Keepers are still going out... Life goes on, carries us with it and sometimes tries to roll over us in the process. Built things fall down or break and must be repaired... Vehicles must be maintained or replaced... Shelter and food are the major necessities... Survival and success in obtaining or providing all that is needed plus maintaining peace or restoring peace are our major goals.

I looked into the faces and eyes of many public safety personnel this week. I saw life, strength and determination. I saw the determination and the ability to win the battle and defeat evil. I was greatly and duly impressed with the virtue that I observed in these precious, powerful people.

Tomorrow when I look into the faces and eyes of the Sea Cadets, I will see much of that again. In them I will see the ones who can and must follow the call to take their places in the line to replace those of us who have moved out of the line. I have spent this morning preparing to deliver some very useful information and encouragement to them in our brief time together in the next two days. As is often the case in my life, I will probably get only this one short time to influence them in their course of life... I pray to be effective with them and also with you.

My week points out how a series of events can reach out into your life and totally alter it... Please... Go into the new year with a clear, firm attitude of success and survival... Be even more greatly blessed... We deeply love you!

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna is still in the hospital. She had another surgical excision yesterday and is feeling rough today. Today, the 31st is her birthday, so she has spent Christmas and New Years Day in the hospital miserable from illness and surgeries.
Son is still working and doing better.
I am fine. One eye is still 20/20. The other is still changeable many times a day. Sometimes I see with it dimly, sometime I do not see with it, but it is much better than it has been.
Thank you for the faithfulness, care, concern and prayers.

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.

To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Giving - Receiving

Staff — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:37:37 +0000

I have been thinking about giving and receiving. One of the most effective and useful gifts that I ever received was one bitterly cold, blizzard blowing, winter morning just west of Salem, Virginia on U.S. 11-460 on a steep hill on the four lane divided highway. The roadway was covered with snow, packed into ice. I had been there for hours trying to keep at least one lane open for moving traffic. I was dressed in full winter uniform including a Mackinaw with the huge dollar turned up, knee boots and stetson hat (we could not wear anything for headgear but the stetson) and the wind was howling and blowing drifts constantly. Ear muffs were approved but I did not have any. The traffic problem was on the east bound, upgrade roadway.

A westbound car stopped, the driver rolled his window down and called out to me to come to him. When I got to him he handed to me a quart size styro cup full of hot, black coffee. As I took it he rolled his window up and drove away... No words... Just the cup of coffee! I had just gotten the roadway clear and sanded so I went to my car and savored the heat and the coffee... Those moments were so marvelous that I cannot imagine anything or any time more pleasant this side of Heaven. The only better tasting cup of coffee that I ever had was many years later on the mission field in Haiti but that was in the tropics and I did not need the warmth like I did on that snowy hillside.

All of my career has been a life of giving and receiving. I had to learn to see what I was receiving. The greatest thing that I received was satisfaction that I was making a difference most of the time... At least as long as it did not involve the lenient local court. I was always happy to be doing the job. And I was happy to get home to my sweetheart (wife) and family. Once in a while I was in one place and would rather be in the other but that goes with loving a job and loving people... They often compete for attention. I have had to deal with that situation all of my life. Nobody ever loved being a Peace Keeper any more than I did and still do...
I loved it whether I was a Trooper, Police Officer or Chaplain.

Now today, I am thinking about all of those who are still on the field doing the job. Tonight (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow, many family members will be out on the streets, roads and battlefields where someone must be serving and guarding in order for there to be any peace upon the earth. Each one has willingly stepped up to pay such prices of sacrifice. Their payments include separation from loved ones during the times they would like to be with them and the loneliness of that separation... But they willingly pay those prices and much more when they must. Because of all of them we can be at home in peace.

Peace Keepers are my Commander-In-Chief's desire and gift to the world in which we live. When they answer the call that tugs unavoidably on their hearts they give the gift that He wants all of us to recognize and receive... Peace and safety are of great expense to all of us. They must give and we who love them must let them give!

Bless you, all Peace Keepers... Thank you for being part of His gift of Peace to all of us... And thank you for being willing to give of yourselves for the benefit of all of us. You are marvelous and I love you!

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself. Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful. All of this is by your own choice... He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna is still in the hospital. In 17 days she has had 12 surgical procedures. She is tired but better. She will probably be there through New Years and maybe longer.
My son is working. Construction is either feast or famine. I seldom hear from him when he is working. He is doing better for now.
I am fine and blessed. All of my challenges are for My Commander-In-Chief to solve as I do my best to cooperate and do all that I know to do.
Thank you for the messages of encouragement and response... For the care, concern and prayers and for all that you do and all that you are.

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved. This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.

To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.