Tribute to a Fallen Soldier: Joseph Dwyer

Joseph Dwyer recently died after huffing "canned air". Dwyer was an Army medic and was in the 3rd Infantry's 7th Cavalry Regiment a part of the "Tip of the Spear" that went into Baghdad in March of 2003. His unit had been pinned down the night before by an ambush and an air strike had provided relief. When the sun came up and the smoke cleared a man carried his injured child towards the soldiers. Dwyer ran out to meet the child and took the child into his arms...
This photo became famous all across the world, not just in the US. You can find the story here.

I wish for his family and friends all the best. There are many discussions as to what drives ex-combatants from the Iraq conflict to do such things. It does need to be studied closely, as anecdotally, to me it seems there is a higher degree of suicides and/or self inflicted deaths for such soldiers from this conflict more than others. Perhaps it is associated to "general order number 1" and the soldiers cannot decompress in the field.

After times of heavy and or close fighting, a soldier needs to be able to decompress and talk things out, even if it is just with his buddies. In all previous conflicts there has been no ban on pets and alcohol, and in some arenas beer was basically issued to soldiers. Before you jump on a bandwagon saying how horrible I am for saying this - hear me out. Guys, especially in such situations are not likely to just talk things out on their own. After having their tongues loosened a bit with a couple of drinks, they are very likely to talk it out - telling their "war Stories" to their buddies. Many have pets they talk to (don't tell me you have never talked to your dog) I am probably wrong, but I believe research will prove me right.

I do not mean so much to digress on this issue - but more so about honoring the soldier who fell probably due to the wat, but not in it.

Detect Yourself to Protect Yourself!

So, you may have not thought of detecting yourself, but you really should. What information is out there for all to see? Do you have any ideas?

Step One: "Google" yourself. Now I know to google really isn't a verb, but by common use, it basically is. Of course don't limit yourself to Google, as Google at times can be evil* and it may have something against you. My wife had done this a long time ago and was amazed at what she found out just by typing her name. This is the same method used by almost all employers as the first step in an employee background check.

Don't get me wrong; having some information about yourself on the internet can be a good thing, especially if you are in business. What you do not want available for the entire world to see is private information. What is private information? Simply put - it is information you do not want to be made public.

Step Two: Run a credit report on yourself. It isn't hard, and most credit reporting agencies are required to give you at least one free credit report a year. What I do not suggest is to sign up at multiple free credit check sites and run your credit report many times. Things like that can actually hurt your credit rating. It will send a red flag to the credit reporting agencies that something fishy is going on. If you find incorrect information there - get it fixed!

Step Three: Check with your local law enforcement for a criminal background check on yourself and a driver's license check. (yes, they will do this) There may or may not be a small fee - usually $10 or less.

Step Four: Use an online detective service to detect yourself (shameless plug I know). You can access three of the most thorough instant background check sites from my blog: CIS (sidebar people search box), the Net Detective (top) and Intelius (sidebar text link). Do not be surprised when you find stuff on yourself there. Do not panic about what you find, a lot of information about you is in "public records." What you want to do is to make sure that the information is correct. I don't mean that an old address is still listed, because that can happen depending upon which records are accessed. I am talking about incorrect information. This is the harder part - because often you cannot tell where that information originated - that is when you really need to be your own detective.

Once you have detected yourself, you can feel more confident about what information is lying around out there that can affect your life.

Most importantly - Be Safe!

Be Your Own Detective – Check Out Your Date

Are you paranoid to check out a potential date or someone you have just started dating?

That is an interesting Question. In today's society with all the dangers that exist out there – paranoia may not be the best description. How about this: it is just being careful. If it is someone you have just met, it is not a trust issue per-say. Now I will digress on trust.

Trust: I always used to think that trust was earned and you did it by doing various trustworthy things. Now, someone is more likely to trust you if you act trustworthy. But the bottom line is – trust is given, it isn't earned. I know many of my readers are not believers, but even if you aren't play along for a line or two. If trust is earned, then why would God say – or we would be taught by a prophet to "Trust in the Lord…" I mean, if anyone already has earned trust it would be God. OK, now consider this: Let's say there is someone that you want to trust you. (I am wondering why you concern yourself with this, but I will continue.) So you go out and be overly honest, (in other words, jump through enough hoops)

Be Your Own Detective - Find Out Where You Car Goes

Sometimes - you just have to know. Do you want to know where your car has been? You've got your reasons I am sure. Maybe you want to snoop on your husband/wife/mate/girlfriend/boyfriend. (Note: It is illegal to use this on another person's vehicle without their permission) Maybe you are just the nosy type, or maybe you have some other reasonable need to know. One thing you can do is hire a Private Investigator.

But I will tell you right now. He - ok OR she, will probably just use one of these:

But if you are Daddy Warbucks (or his gold-digger) go ahead and pay $500 bucks or more a day! I am all for employing detectives. Or... you could play detective yourself (after all, this IS Be Your Own Detective) and "tail" your own car. Heck, at today's gas prices who can afford to do that? What the Mini Tracker is - a great way to track where your vehicle has been.

What this wonderful little gizmo does - it accurately logs where a the car has been, how fast they drove, where they stopped and for how long. Then you can even get the information displayed on a map. Just how cool is that? You can use it on a person too - maybe you want to record where you hike on your next camping trip - this little baby can do just that. This cool Mini Tracker is a great bang for your bucks! It is an accurate GPS tracking data logger system. It even comes in a weather-proof case with a magnetic mounting system! Just stick it on the car , um, where ever you can actually find steel and you are set. (or for the people with metal plates in their head)

Y'all Stay Safe!

Anti-Shoplifting in Liberia

While here in Liberia - I noticed that shoplifting is not as much of a problem as it is in the US.

I personally observed a local stores "loss-prevention" technique. A guy was attempting to steal a roll of duct tape from the store. Immediately several clerks from the store proceeded to beat the shoplifter about the head and shoulders while kicking at his legs. The store owner finally intervened when the shoplifter was trying to pull the duct tape out of his pants. One of the clerks was still over enthused about carrying out the loss prevention measures that he was still hitting the guy while he was trying to turn over the goods.

Once the tape was retrieved and a couple more cheap shots by the clerk, the shoplifter was thrown out of the store. But the story does not end there.

The people outside the store, including these guys


proceeded to chase the shoplifter down the street. One of the one-legged guys was hopping after him while whacking him with his crutch. In Liberia they like the idea of MOB Justice.

Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the actual incident, as I had forgot to bring my camera with me on that trip.

Random Saftey Tips from Be Your Own Detective

Wow! - I just realized that I have not posted for nearly a week. I have been busy in my new job, but I thought I had been making posts more regularly.

What I decided to do, was make a quick post about safety tips. Not stuff like use your turn signals and such, but some real life safety tips for real live people. These are not in any particular order, just some points to consider.

1. When walking to your car or to your house keep your keys in your hand. Keys can make a great make-shift weapon. Also, if something starts happening you have your keys out already, and you don't have to fumble/digg for your keys.

2. Don't be talking on your cell phone as you are entering your house or car. You do not need to be distracted when entering your home or your car. These are likely times for an ambush by a wanna-be badguy. If you are on the phone it is hard to call for help. The person on the other end of the line may not think you are serious if you start asking for help (especially if you tend to be a joker).

3. Be armed. I don't mean pepper spray - but that is better than nothing. Now some places you may go it is illegal to carry a firearm or even a knife (schools, bars, courthouse). But in normal situations, be armed. Heck, even liberals arm themselves! If you arm yourself - know how to use the weapon. Practice with it. If it is a handgun, know how to fire, reload, and how to safely carry it. If you choose a knife - the same principles apply.

4. If you are in a city, and someone pulls a gun on you - run! Yes, I said run. If you can run to/behind cover do so. Concealment is better than nothing, but cover is best. What is cover? Stuff bullets don't go through - normally brick walls, engine blocks, dirt - things like that. Most would-be badguys are not trained on firearms and are unlikely to get a kill shot off on you. In most cities, 70-90% of people shot with a firearm survive because they get to a hospital in time. If you are in a rural area, your survival rate diminishes because of the time it takes to get to the hospital. The odds are in your favor to run. Of course, if you are armed - AFTER you take cover - return fire!

5. Always look for an alternate "out." Remember that defensive driving course? In driving it works! Also whenever you are walking or in a business/restaurant - be observant of alternative exits in case someone goes postal, there is a fire, or other emergencies. Remember - some places offer up you making your own new exit - windows, interior walls, etc. I am not talking being paranoid - just be observant of thse things - it takes all of 2 seconds.

These are just some random safety tips to check out. Maybe I will make this a regular thing.

Remember - Stay Safe!