Month: May 2026

Posted on

My Heroes

“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” is a reminder of some of my childhood heroes. Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Lash La Rue, Gene Autry, Annie Oakley, Wild Bill Hickock, and The Lone Ranger and Tonto, served as examples of how I wanted to live my life. Honor, integrity, and respect were exemplified by the way these cowboys lived their life. These heroes were very real to me and I strived to live the perfection they portrayed on the screen. They each lived by the Cowboy Code. One example was Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code:

  1. A cowboy never takes unfair advantage – even of his enemy.
    1. A cowboy never betrays a trust. He never goes back on his word.
  2. A cowboy always tells the truth.
  3. A cowboy is kind and gentle to small children, old folks, and animals.
  4. A cowboy is free from racial and religious intolerance.
  5. A cowboy is always helpful when someone is in trouble.
  6. A cowboy is always a good worker.
  7. A cowboy respects womanhood, his parents and his nation’s laws.
  8. A cowboy is clean about his person in thought, word, and deed.
  9. A cowboy is a patriot.

(If you are interested in reading the other cowboy rules for life, just run “The Cowboy Code” in your Internet search engine and they all pop up.)

Life was simple, there were the good guys and the bad guys, good versus evil, and the guy with the white hat always won because he was an honorable person and that allowed him to overcome the dishonorable acts and deeds of the villain.

As kids, my friends and I would take on the identity of our favorite cowboys or cowgirls as we played in the world of make believe. Nobody ever wanted to be the bad guy, in our world of cowboys and Indians only the good guys were portrayed.

As I grew out of childhood and into an adult, I think many of the lessons learned from these childhood idols continued to mold me into the person I became. I think it also played a role in my self image when I was unable to live up to the cowboy code. I know that I broke every one of the rules of the cowboy codes and I beat myself up for being a failure.

On the other hand, when I drank, I could fool myself into believing what a great and wonderful person I had been. Those after shift get-togethers with my fellow cops allowed me to believe the lies I told myself. It was a tough world and I was the big gun in town. I was protecting people from the sinister deeds of the guys in the black hats. Looking back at it, I was probably one of those cowboys who spent most of their time sitting around the saloon in the middle of the day.
When my life was held in the balance and God was showing me the way out, the miracle happened. A support group was born that would shape the way I lived the rest of my life. A new set of heroes emerged that helped me through my new code for living. A set of 12 simple Steps that gave me a new way to live. My new heroes walked with me and taught me the meaning of the words, honor, respect and integrity. Deena R., Bob D., John H., Marty W., Ed S., Janice R., Butch R., and countless others too numerous to mention, became the heroes and icons I wanted to emulate.

Today I look for progress not perfection and I have learned how to forgive myself when I fail to live up to the Cowboy Code or the Twelve Steps.

If you have not yet found this wonderful way to live. If you want to find the peace that comes with this style of living, find a sponsor
and learn how to work the Twelve Steps. Find your heroes in this simple program and inherit life once again.

Thanks for letting me share!!!

Posted on

MY HERO

Back in the 1980s I was assigned to the Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s Station. I was a newly promoted sergeant and the Marina was located on the ocean on the west side of Los Angeles in a very affluent area. The Marina itself was a very small area made up of expensive high-rise condominiums and apartments. Docking space in the Marina was expensive and provided permanent docking space for boats and yachts owned by the well-to-do and the rich and famous. There was docking space for more than a thousand boats.

Needless to say it was not unusual to cross paths with politicians and celebrities on a regular basis.

I once sat in the back of Thomas “Tip” O’Neil’s (At that time Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) limo after being invited to get out of the rain while my deputies took a report from his aide who had been a victim of a robbery. Or stopping the son of Dan Rowan of Laugh-In fame for speeding. His son was being a jerk and throwing his dad’s name around when Dan showed up on the scene and put an end to his son’s tirade. Rick Monday who was at that time playing for the Dodgers had a six-pack cabin cruiser docked in the Marina and always offered me a cold drink whenever I passed by. Rick was know for his saving of the U.S. flag when he played for the Chicago Cubs. A fan had run onto the field and was preparing to ignite the flag in left field. Rick ran up and snatched the flag away and saved it from being burned. (Look it up). There are too many other instances to relate here. But the one I remember and loved the most is the one I will share now.

The Marina City Club in the Marina was a high rise comprised of numerous condominiums. the largest and most affluent places to live in the Marina at the time. The Marina City Club had their own security and we rarely received calls for service as security took care of their own problems.

One Sunday morning around 5 AM my deputies and I received a call to respond to the penthouse at the Marina City Club we were informed that a resident was holding a burglar at gunpoint This was very unusual as normally their own security would have responded but apparently the caller had dialed 911 and had bi-passed their security.

We hurried to the penthouse and entered via the unlocked door. There we came face-to-face with one of my long-time hero’s Dick Van Dyke. Dick was holding a shotgun pointed at the intruder he had captured.

What a sight to behold. Dick Van Dyke in his pajamas pointing a shotgun at a single male who had broken in to his condo.

As we entered, Dick broke out into his very familiar smile and said, “Thank God you’re here cause this darn shotgun doesn’t work.” He then laughed as we took the suspect into custody. Dick demonstrated that same wonderful warm personality we see him portray on the screen. No wonder he is so popular.

Dick Van Dyke had always been special to me and now I was face-to-face with one of my heroes.I had always loved his comedy but was also drawn to him as I knew he had imitated another hero of mine, Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. But what made my endearment of him so special was that I knew that Dick was a recovering alcoholic like me and we suffered from the same disease. Somehow that made it even more special in those early Sunday morning hours. That made us a sort of brother-in-arms.

After the deputies departed I had a short conversation with Dick. He gushed his appreciation for our service and I gushed mine over his accomplishments.

I went my way and Dick Van Dyke continues to wow audiences in spite of being in his 90’s.

Thank you Dick Van Dyke for all you have done for us.