April 14, 2009
CPT William "Bill" Moran, CSMR, 1953-2009
CPT William "Bill" Moran explains legal documents he prepared for a California National Guardsman getting ready to head to Iraq, during a pre-deployment mission at Camp Roberts, California. (Click on image for larger version)
When Bill Moran passed away last month, a hard drive crash prevented me from posting pictures of him doing what he loved best: Helping the troops before they headed into harm's way. Thankfully, a backup drive has yielded the photos I was looking for.
The GI seems overwhelmed by Bill's explanation, but Bill always managed to make the most arcane subjects easy to understand, if not exactly scintillating. Trust me, nobody can make this stuff exciting, especially for a soldier operating on little (read: no) sleep. (Click on image for larger version)
These shots, taken at Camp Roberts, Calif., during the Spring of 2007, are how I remember Bill, intensely focused on the GI as he explained the will he'd drafted, going over why giving power of attorney to the new girlfriend was a terrible idea, and using his many years of experience as a lawyer to clearly and concisely lay out the advantages (many) and disadvantages (few) of having an Advanced Medical Directive ready, just in case. As one trooper explained to me, "Plan for the worst and hope for the best, right, Sir?"
Right.
Bill and his fellow CSMR JAG officers stand in front of one of the tanks on display at the Camp Roberts Museum. Pictured, left to right: CPT Michael Lief, CPT William "Bill" Moran, CPT Andrew Pharies, CPT Thomas Belden, and CPT Andrew Brooks. (Click on image for larger version)
You can see pictures of Bill's final journey here.
Posted by Mike Lief at April 14, 2009 12:49 AM
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Comments
You did honor to this man with your posts. Thank you for sharing this.
Posted by: Red at April 19, 2009 07:21 PM