When I die. By Harry E. Oakes Jr.

When I die.... Written by Harry E. Oakes Jr. When I die, I don't want my friends and family to be sad. I want them to be happy for the thousands of lives I've touched around the world. I want them to share in the memories, the good times, the bad times. I don't want a memorial service, or a funeral. I just want everyone to play their favorite song, light a candle, and reflect on their fond memories. When the song is over, blow out the candle, look at the North Star and say "Goodbye". I want them to know that I was a good man. I traveled the world first as a child, then as a soldier, then as a rescuer. I survived and used the lessons learned to save lives instead of taking them. I’ve seen happiness come from a child playing with a stick and a rock. I’ve learned it doesn’t take a $1,200 dollar computer to make a person happy. It’s learning to find happiness in what you have at hand. I walked, crawled, ran, swam and risked my life in the jungles, deserts, oceans, streams, rivers, lakes, bayou’s, urban cities, glacier mountains, and wilderness, to find the missing. Lost people and lost pets. Both have souls and both hold the same important to me. I’ve learned that how we treat our pets, wildlife, animals in general, how we treat mother earth speaks volumes on who we are as a people. That's why I've never littered, or intentionally polluted my world. I've done everything to keep it clean. That’s why I am so proactive in saving both human and animal lives. I've traveled the world twice. I've touched the hand of death many times. Never feared it respected it and honored it as being a part of life. I've climbed 25 mountains around the world. I've touched the skies, walked through the clouds, smelled the fresh air and touched the stars in the sky. I’ve held a baby fawn just hours after it’s birth. I’ve heard the songs of the birds singing about life. I heard the cries of a scared baby bear trapped up a tree. I've documented 185 parachute jumps with four reserve chute rides due to malfunctions included. As a police officer and paramedic, and as a search and rescue dog handler I've held the hands and looked into the eyes of many who were dying or had died. Earthquakes, floods, fires, tornados, hurricanes, suicides, old age, accidents, war, murders, and terrorist attacks. I've seen the miracles of birth, and the sadness of death. I've lost so many loved ones along the way. But I know they no longer suffer from the aches and pains that the living do. It is my belief that when we are born, we're here to learn and teach lessons. Lesson about life. Forgiveness, honor, respect, love, trust, and life. Then when it's our time, we leave this world and move on to our next journey. I don't believe in GOD, or that there is a HEAVEN or a HELL. I've been to hell so many times in my work. I’m still here to write about it. To walk in 110 degree temperature over, around 30,000 decaying and dying bodies from the 1990 Turkey earthquake, it’s something you never forget. Was it worth it? Yes to save 14 lives with my search dog Valorie. To find the living and the dead with my search dogs Kodi, Valorie, Ranger, Willow, and Tyler. It’s been a labor of love. Was there a man named Jesus? Yes I believe that is true. Is he running around in heaven looking for us? I don't believe some spirit who lived over 2012 years ago runs around in a robe saving everyone. I've studied all of the religions of the world. MAN, not GOD, wrote the bibles from each religion. Yes I've seen miracles. Did they come from GOD? I don't think so. I think they came from man’s will. The energy of the people who willed them to happen. Finding that lost scared child in the forest, saving the drowning person from the water, finding the surviving victim(s) buried in the rubble from a disaster. I've been there, done that. It made me happy to know I was part of something so much bigger then myself. I've seen nothing but death, suffering, horrible atrocities, and it's my belief that if there was a GOD, he would have came down here along time ago and cleaned up this mess we've made. He wouldn't let men, woman, and children get raped, murdered, lost. He wouldn't allow animals to suffer, be tortured, murdered, and slaughtered. He wouldn't allow poverty; wars, greed and this world and its people in it wouldn't be so fucked up. So if people want to believe in fairy tales then that's their choice. I am a man of science. I believe in evolution. If we were to believe the bible then every one of us is having sex with a relative right now. As we’re all related. There was no ARK; no loading of every animal on earth two by two. No parting of the Red Sea, there has been so much DISPROVEN by science about man's writing of the bible. Like I said Fairy tales. I believe we should stand up for ourselves. I believe in an eye for an eye, a life for a life. Our societies are such bleeding heart pussies. If we brought back Capital punishment on a weekly-televised basis, we would have room in our prisons for more bad people. If someone murders someone else, they get one trial. If found guilty, they are taken out to the city center and killed by hanging or a bullet. I’m not talking about the man or woman who kills in self defense. I’m talking about the daily rapes, murders that we read about in the newspaper, see on Tv. We are the only people who can put a stop to this madness. In prison, there would be no more TV's, movies, cigarettes, cell phones, and sex. Just four walls, bars, and a place to shit. Your entertainment for that day would be trying to survive. Face it people, there is no rehab. It doesn’t work. For those people who like to hunt, they would be allowed to hunt deer, bear, cougar, and other game with a spear and a knife. Nothing else. The only time they would be allowed to use a rifle or bow would be on Death row day (every other Friday). When, they would be taken to a specific island with death roll inmates and lifers. (People who are sentenced to live out their lives in prison). There they would get the chance to hunt and kill the ultimate prey. Other humans. (Bad guys/gals) who by their own choices, raped, stole, murdered innocent people. What goes around comes around. Am I a little jaded? You bet your ass I am. I put way to many innocent people in body bags because of our bleeding heart liberals felt sorry for some scum bag and let him / her out on good behavior and allowed them to roam free only to kill again. There are sheep and there are wolves. You can make the choice to either be a victim or take the necessary skills to learn to be a wolf and when the time comes, to protect the lives and property that belong to you and your loved ones. I do believe in reincarnation. I believe we start from a lower life form and once we've earned it, we form into a human being. What we do while we're here on this earth determines what our next journey will be. So the next time you see a butterfly, an eagle, a coyote, a wolf, bear, dog or cat just hanging around, be nice to it. It may be a dear relative passed on into its next life. When I take my last breath here on earth, I will look back to all that I've accomplished and smile. A tear will drop from my eyes but it will be one of happiness because I made a difference. Be safe out there. Respectfully Harry E. Oakes Jr.