We must change how we respond and recover from manmade and natural disasters here at home and abroad. The United States infrastructure is aging and we must be proactive in upgrading it to standards. I sacrificed my time away from my family and time away from home because I had a purpose to serve. My time serving was small in comparison to ones' sufferings. After getting burnt out from traveling I discontinued with the work (1998) and returned for Hurricane Katrina. August 2005 I was approached by my daughter to go help the disaster victims in the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Katrina and Rita. She said, "Dad, you used to do that disaster stuff; right." I said, "Yes sweetie." She said, "Will you go help them now?" I told her that if a door opened I would go. Well, to my surprise I got a call the next day and off I went. Not only did she ask if I would go but she volunteered for a month in Louisiana. As parents we must ask our children to give back as we experience an aging work force in our country. Change in response and recovery is a requirement for our nation. We saw more youth aid the Gulf Coast in its aftermath than adult volunteers. This new wave of youths are standing up and making deposits into the fabric of our country for social and humanitarian issues and we our proud that they count. After years of helping people overseas (five tours) and across the country, I felt that I needed to help here at home.

The call is now. Not everyone has the passion or the gift to move people like Senator Obama. I hear the call that Senator Obama is trumpeting. Our country needs help with education, health care, social security, energy renewal, environmental protection, jobs at home and a mediator to trumpet for peace with the other 193 nations across the world. I believe Senator Obama will act with diplomacy, urgency and calm in getting positive results during and after a manmade or natural disaster. I've voted party lines in the past; however, I vote for the best candidate. Our nation needs a leader at the top and I believe Senator Obama is the best candidate for the position based on his tenets. He will not leave the people stranded and leave them to defend for themselves.

I witnessed troops being deployed for the first time while responding to Typhoon Russ, Yuri and Omar on Guam. It sends a chill through your whole body when you are up close and personal. There is a higher calling and that time is now. We need teachers to teach our youth. We need mentors for youth and adult to participate in civic duty. I gave three and half years to mentoring youth and am now back at it. We need parents to not abandon their offspring and families to stand together. We are one nation and together we stand and divided we fall. Tenets are principles and we must stand for something or we fall for anything. I stand behind the person that has a heart for the people. If an error in judgment was made, then the candidate needs to own up to his/her individual accountability; as well as a fiduciary responsibility to the people whom they serve, once elected. We have seen the current administration fail in executing the task in the Gulf Coast. The Gulf States and other recent disasters still require help and we have to stand together as a nation to make sure that they receive the "response" and "recovery" help that they need; still.

Our country will always offer aid to those in need as we have in the past. I see good tenets in all of the candidates, Senator Obama communicates in a calming manner, style and etiquette. These are persons I see and believe in. We've offended people at home, and reconciliation is a high priority to restore relationships here at home and abroad..

After years of sacrificing my time to help, I felt overwhelmed with the dismay of the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina in comparison to other disasters I helped with. I believe Senator Obama has a compassion for people of all party lines.