While Virginia is known as the Mother of Presidents, she is also the Mother of Heroes. Today we mourn the passing of two of her heroes. Rep. Jo Ann Davis paved the way to the U.S. Capitol for other daughters of the commonwealth to one day tread. Her first piece of legislation, passed by the House, increased the life insurance benefit paid to survivors of military members killed on duty.

Pvt. Daniel Fisher, of Henry County, was preparing to also serve his commonwealth and country. He also lived by the motto, not self but others. We are truly blessed to live among such great Virginians.

Godspeed.

After having lived in Hanover and Goochland Counties for fifteen years, I came to feel a special kinship with the folks of Caroline County. That beautiful county must be feeling a hole in its enormous heart tonight.

From Tom at Caroline County, VA JUSTICE:

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office
P.O. Box 39 118 Courthouse Lane
Bowling Green, VA 22427
Phone (804)-633-1120 Fax (804)-633-1124
E-Mail: sheriff@carolinesheriff.org
Sheriff A. A. “Tony” Lippa, Jr.

For Immediate Release – September 26, 2007

CAROLINE COUNTY ANNOUNCES DEATH OF DEPUTY L. W. REEL
The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office is deeply saddened to announce the death of Deputy Leonard W. Reel, age 23, at approximately 12:30 p.m. The tragic set of events which culminated in Deputy Reel’s untimely death began on September 24, 2007. On that date at approximately 4:40 p.m., Reel’s girlfriend, Elizabeth C. “Liz” Ryan, age 23, was killed in a single vehicle crash on Nelson Hill Road. Deputy Reel was one of the first emergency responders to arrive on the scene of this crash.
This morning, a member of Reel’s family received a communication from Reel indicating he was despondent over the loss of Liz and thinking of ending his own life. The family member drove to Reel’s residence and discovered Reel. This was communicated to the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office by the family member. Sheriff Lippa, Major Hall, Captain Moser and other several members of the sheriff’s staff responded. All indications from the preliminary investigation are that Reel took his own life and died instantly.
Reel is survived by his parents, sister, and brother. While memorial services are incomplete at present, Deputy Reel has requested that he be buried with Liz and the families are working together to comply with that request.
Deputy Reel had been with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office since July 11, 2005. Funeral arrangements will be released by this office and the family once they have been completed.

Tom: Please keep us posted and we’ll keep these families and friends in our thoughts and prayers.

Events like this truly put things into perspective for me. How about you?

Bradford B. Wiles, a graduate student at Virginia Tech wrote the following editorial in The Roanoke Times :

. . . We were interrupted in class and not informed of anything other than the following words: “You need to get out of the building.”

Upon exiting the classroom, we were met at the doors leading outside by two armor-clad policemen with fully automatic weapons, plus their side arms. Once outside, there were several more officers with either fully automatic rifles and pump shotguns, and policemen running down the street, pistols drawn.

It was at this time that I realized that I had no viable means of protecting myself.

Please realize that I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun in the commonwealth of Virginia, and do so on a regular basis. However, because I am a Virginia Tech student, I am prohibited from carrying at school because of Virginia Tech’s student policy, which makes possession of a handgun an expellable offense, but not a prosecutable crime.

I had entrusted my safety, and the safety of others to the police. In light of this, there are a few things I wish to point out.

First, I never want to have my safety fully in the hands of anyone else, including the police.

Second, I considered bringing my gun with me to campus, but did not due to the obvious risk of losing my graduate career, which is ridiculous because had I been shot and killed, there would have been no graduate career for me anyway.

Third, and most important, I am trained and able to carry a concealed handgun almost anywhere in Virginia and other states that have reciprocity with Virginia, but cannot carry where I spend more time than anywhere else because, somehow, I become a threat to others when I cross from the town of Blacksburg onto Virginia Tech’s campus.

Of all of the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head that morning, the most overwhelming one was of helplessness.

That feeling of helplessness has been difficult to reconcile because I knew I would have been safer with a proper means to defend myself.

I would also like to point out that when I mentioned to a professor that I would feel safer with my gun, this is what she said to me, “I would feel safer if you had your gun.”

The policy that forbids students who are legally licensed to carry in Virginia needs to be changed.

I am qualified and capable of carrying a concealed handgun and urge you to work with me to allow my most basic right of self-defense, and eliminate my entrusting my safety and the safety of my classmates to the government.

This incident makes it clear that it is time that Virginia Tech and the commonwealth of Virginia let me take responsibility for my safety.

The event described by Mr. Wiles did not occur last WEEK. It occurred last AUGUST. His editorial was published on AUGUST 31, 2006!

Yes, Mr. Wiles, it is time that your university and your state allow you to take responsibility for your safety. Past time.