RIP Sgt. Bill Cahir

A bit off topic, but certainly worth noting the life and sacrifice of Bill Cahir. Too bad he didn't win his primary for the 5th Congressional District in PA. His type of credible leadership is needed in Washington, DC.

You almost have to read Bill's story to believe it. The son of two civic-minded parents from outside State College, Bill went to Washington right out of college. When the partisanship and shallowness became too much to bear, he took a job as a reporter covering his home region of Pennsylvania from D.C. But after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he did not feel right sitting on the sidelines. His country had been attacked, as one friend told me, and he felt the overriding need to do something about it.

So after a long internal struggle over how to heed this calling, and fairly soon after meeting the woman he would marry, Bill Cahir, at age 34, joined the Marine Corps Reserves.

"We all thought he was crazy," said another friend. So did the Corps commanders. They made him take a psychological test to prove he was of sound mind. His suspicious drill instructors at Parris Island punished him with special fervor, trying to break him. But they misjudged Bill.