Just an Average Joe: A young person's guidebook about respect, individual effort and responsibility, character building, and Christian behavior

I have toyed and struggled with the thought of compiling this book for a long time; almost 35 years, in fact. Since graduating from West Point in 1974, I have visited over forty countries in my military and business career. Everywhere I’ve been I have looked for articles or stories that I could include in this book. Many short stories came from friends and sources marked ‘-Unknown.’

This book is dedicated to young people everywhere and written for their benefit. I realize that many young people today would rather buy a CD or DVD rather than a guidebook or an owner’s manual- a book about how to improve their lives from just an average Joe. Some young people will only get this book if a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or probation officer gives it to them as a gift. I hope it is a gift worth keeping and sharing.

Today, young people struggle with finding good examples of role models. My first role model was David Cortez while attending Rhodes Junior High School in San Antonio, Texas. David was a ninth grader and our Student Council President. He helped me with my successful ‘political’ campaign to be the next Student Council Secretary. I thought David ‘walked on water.’ David came from a strong family. He was smart, athletic, and good-looking. He had a beautiful girlfriend. David’s story has a sad ending. He went on to Jefferson High, where he also excelled. He married his girlfriend- the girl of his dreams. A few years later, she tragically died in a car accident. Not much later in life, David, still a widower, died of a mysterious illness, leaving behind two young daughters. Parents should be their own kids’ role models, but sometimes we, too, fall short of setting the good example for our kids. Parents lose credibility and respect because, from their kids’ perspective, it seems like we were never young and rebellious. HELLO!!! We were. It is hard to believe, but we were and it was tough back then, too. It may actually be harder now in many ways- more distractions, more ‘toys,’ more peer pressure, more drugs, more gang violence, more graffiti, more sexual promiscuity, more TV, more video games and cyberspace but less family interaction and influence.

Teachers, who genuinely care about their students’ future success, are also rare. Teachers can be excellent role models and I applaud anyone who goes into this most honorable profession. In the business world, prudence is ignored and now takes a backseat to personal gain at any cost, recklessness, corruption and greed in some of our largest banks and corporations. In politics, the candidates tell the electorate what’s popular rhetoric: who can be against better healthcare for all, better education for our children, and a strong defense. Once elected or defeated they find it difficult to work with the opposition for the benefit of our communities and nation. Today’s politicians are no longer statesmen but ‘socialists’ bent on ridiculous spending programs and bailouts of mismanaged banks, companies and corrupt governments around the world at an exorbitant cost to American taxpayers. Having said all this, I am still optimistic about our country and about many of our youth and their positive impact on our society and our world. I wish I could say that I am optimistic about all of them, but unfortunately, it will be just a few of them that will make a difference. But these few will be the leaders of tomorrow, the peacemakers, the inventors, the farmers, the space explorers, the scientists, the teachers and the caregivers that will make all the difference in our world. Their answers to our world’s problems and challenges will come from within- from a strong sense of leadership, character and responsibility, self-discipline; and respect for self, the unborn, the elderly, religious freedoms, strong families, authority and the environment. This book attempts to inspire & motivate more of to