Wills for Heroes

Boy, I didn't realize it's been so long since I've posted anything new to my blog. And I do have a lot I need to add to bring you up to date. But, before I do that, I have to tell you about the Wills for Heroes event our paralegal group put on yesterday.


We had 10 lawyers, four paralegals, one legal assistant, a couple of students and Lonnie, and with combined efforts, we prepared wills, medical powers of attorney, general powers of attorney, and directives to physicians for 58 people, all military veterans and spouses. All at no charge.

The Marine Corps League in Longview offered us the use of their building, free of charge, and provided coffee for everybody. TLC Office Services provided the printer and copier. Stephens Love Law Firm supplied the paper. Everybody worked for free, some just a couple of hours, some half a day, and some worked non-stop for 11 hours. (We were among the last group, arriving about 7:15 Saturday morning and leaving about 6:15 that evening.)

Col. Randy Smith, the Gregg County Veteran Services officer, was on hand for most of the day to answer questions and help the guys who needed other things in addition to the documents we provided.



One of our veterans was from World War II, but I believe most of them served in Vietnam. They all seemed so grateful for the services we offered. One of them, when he thanked me, said "This is a lot better than the welcome we got when we came home." That's so sad. I truly remember that era, and hearing on the Houston radio station about the number of casualties every day. When I gave birth to this brainchild, my feeling was this: I can't give these guys back those lost years, but I can do this. I think got more hugs yesterday from more people than I can ever remember.


I was so exhausted when we got home, that I was in bed around 9:30. And for this night owl, that's a strange thing. I didn't even wake up when Lonnie came to bed.