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Going Home For Good

Going Home For Good On August 25, 1992 my last day at Fort Leavenworth, it was hard to stay focused on anything. The anticipation of waiting for my family to take me home, was too intense. They were supposed to come early which meant I wouldn’t have to wait too long.   Luckily, there wasn’t much …

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Last Time Inside The Walls

Walls

Last Time Inside The Walls Before I could leave the Fort Leavenworth, I had to attend an out-processing briefing. A trip back inside the walled fortress was necessary for this to happen. Since it was a prerequisite for my upcoming release, I left the LPU and headed back to the Disciplinary Barracks. There was a protocol for walking to …

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Redeemed

Redeemed

Redeemed When the book arrived, I devoured it, reading and re-reading it. There is a saying that when a student is ready, the teacher appears. Man, was I ready. My mind was exploding with things that I had never heard before. With every page Bob George would point me to a scripture that I would …

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Grace and Forgiveness

Forgiveness

Grace and Forgiveness The first time I listened to the People to People broadcast, I was blown away. The host, Bob George, would take questions from the audience that usually were about some scheduled theme. The topic was on grace and forgiveness. Having attended church growing up, I’d heard these words tossed around but really …

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Strange Radio Program

Radio

Strange Radio Program Every evening, I would sit at my desk and catch up on reading and responding to letters. Once finished, I would plug my headphones into the radio that my parents bought me and listen to music. It was my escape to the world outside while I was still inside. Most of the time I would …

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Decision

Decision

Decision Waiting was not something I was good at. It always produced a level of anxiety that would drive me to the point of insanity. One would think that I would be an expert at it, since it was the way everything happened in the Army and especially at the USDB. Over the four weeks …

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My Last Attempt at Parole

Parole

My Last Attempt at Parole My situation had completely changed since my previous attempt at parole. My parent’s recent move to Omaha would allow me to move in with them, so I changed my destination from Connecticut to Omaha. My grandfather’s offer to live with him was gracious, and I was extremely thankful. It just made more …

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Two Dollars a Day Inmate Job

Job

Two Dollars a Day Inmate Job There were some benefits to working in the mess hall job, but not enough at this point to want to stay. When I was inside the walls there was a level of protection that came with being a cook. Since we were able to provide extra food for inmates …

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Riot

Riot

Riot After the murder, things went from bad to worse inside the walls. On May 11, 1992 there was a major commotion inside the Castle that led to a riot. The Disciplinary Barracks Command wanted to prohibit the speaking of Spanish, ban colored head bands, and added more restrictions on smoking. They also wanted inmates to …

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Murder

Murder

Murder Once I had the chance to taste freedom, my goal changed from maintaining my sanity to doing whatever it took to get out as soon as possible. There was an option to serve out the rest of my sentence with an earlier release based on earned good time. However, I had a parole board …

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