Page 2 - Edwards AFB Desert Wings 6-19-15

Desert Wings Commentary June 19, 2015
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Diamond in the rough:

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by Staff Sgt. Derek VanHorn +HSLFNHGXSDIHZRWKHUWKLQJV WKHLUNQXFNOHVGLUW\IL[LQJLW+H $LU)RUFHSKRWRJUDSKE\6WDII6JW'HUHN9DQ+RUQ
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a joint at four years old, how to WRKLVVPRNLQJKDELWLQ'DY- VHUJHDQWZDVQHJOHFWHGPROHVWHGDQGDEXVHGDVDFKLOGJURZLQJXSLQ
Growing up, many of his child- FKHZWREDFFRDQGWKDWWKHEXUQW HQSRUW ZDV FUXVKHG +H¶OO QHYHU EDFNFRXQWU\ 2NODKRPD +H NHSW TXLHW DERXW KLV VWRU\ IRU GHFDGHV EXW
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hood nights were spent staring forget what those summers meant decided to open up with the hope that it might help other Airmen through
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'DYHQSRUWGHVFULEHVKLVFKLOG- to him and the dread that followed
room ceiling. ,I VKH ZDQWHG WR EDWKH LW ZDV EDWKWXEZDV¿QDOO\IXOODIWHU'DY-
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ant escape from the surrounding PRYLQJEDFNLQZLWK0DUWKD
addict and was constantly loaded results were scars that were more As much as he wanted to change
chaos. It gave access to the wide :KLOHKLVDZNZDUGDGROHVFHQW WKLQJVKHNQHZLWPLJKWFRPHDW
RSHQ2NODKRPDVN\DQGKHSRVL- on whatever she could get her than just emotional. The searing
frame made him an easy target for the cost of harming his two sisters.
tioned his mattress in the corner of hands on. Men came and went EXOOLHVVFKRROZDVDQHVFDSHIRU water tore through his shoe and ,WZDVEHWWHUWKDWKHMXVWWDNHWKH
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the room to watch the stars crawl with regularity, and the same went EHORQJLQJ+HSOD\HGWKHGUXPVLQ pain and punishment.
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for houses. Moving from home to
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QHVVDSSURDFKHGWKHFRFNURDFKHV VL[WLPHV After he healed up, he was right
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familiar sounds of their chomping VXPPHUVZKHUHKH¶GVSHQGWKHIHZ she still always found ways to carry every other day and everyone had
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DQG0DULH,WZDVQ¶WWKHLGHDOVHW- out her hidden aggressions on him.
rus of the night. But even that was WLQJIRUDER\WU\LQJWR¿QGKLVZD\ +H ZDV WKH ROGHVW FKLOG RI WKUHH
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nonsense attitude groomed from his 'DYHQSRUWVDLG³%XWVKHDOZD\V
There were too many of those GD\V¿JKWLQJLQ:RUOG:DU,,DQG KDGDQH[FXVH6KH¶GXVHKDQJHUV
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through the night. him to a dictionary. If something ings, Martha assigned him far from
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regular household chores.

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