The Protector Series

Our six GREAT WARRIORS, Terry, James, Jeremy, Gerren, Junior and Allen left Boise and all those there whom they loved, and headed east as Saint Michael, the ARCH ANGEL had commanded them. They drove without a destination, knowing that all would be revealed to them at the proper moment. They were on a scenic route into Denver, they had just come through Rabbit Ears Pass and were descending into the suburbs of Denver when Jeremy screamed, "STOP!"

They had been driving for two weeks and had decided to take a back road into Denver. Rabbit Ears Pass was marked on their map as "Not Recommended", but somehow, the name appealed to then, so when they saw the road sign, James swung the big pickup truck onto Rabbit Ears Road and they immediately began climbing to the top of the Rocky Mountains. The road down the eastern slope was even steeper than the climb up to the top from the western slopes, he had put the truck into 4-wheel drive, low range to keep from riding the brakes.

Suddenly, Jeremy screamed, "Stop!" As the heavy vehicle skidded to a stop, Jeremy jumped out the door and ran into the bushes that lined the road. The rest followed him as fast as they could, they found Jeremy knelt down beside a prone figure, putting his jacket over the body. He turned and said, "Get the blankets, she has been hurt!"

Terry thought, "She?" as he ran back to the truck to retrieve a couple of blankets. They wrapped the young woman in the blankets and carried her back to the truck. When they sat her on the back seat, she began to recognize that someone had saved her. They assured her that she was safe and that they would care for her.

As they approached the outskirts of Denver, they saw a sign for "Edgewater Campground, County Park" James swung the truck into the campground, looking for an empty space. Near a small pond, they found a camping site and he parked the truck. By now, the young woman had told them her name was Tracy Wallace and that she had been hiking and had become turned around and lost her bearings. They made her welcome to stay with them for the night and that they would take her wherever she needed to go the next day. They made camp and Terry gave her his sleeping bag saying that he would sleep with James in his bag.

As they were getting ready for bed, they heard a child sobbing, the Warriors were on instant alert and went in search of the crying child. On the other side of the pond, they found a young girl child, about 8 years old. Terry picked up the frightened child and held her tight, "You are safe now, we have you."

Tracy was watching him like a hawk, her features began to glow and she rose to ten feet, a Great Sword in her hand, "HARM NOT MINE CHILD, SHE IS PRECIOUS TO ME!"

The men stared at her and Terry, still holding the little girl, went into his own change, "THE CHILD SHALL NOT TAKE HARM FROM ME NOR MINE COMPANIONS, SHE IS PRECIOUS TO US!" His Great Sword remained upon his back, gleaming in the moonlight.

Tracy resumed her human form, "Yu, yo yy, you are Warrior?"

James embraced the young woman, "Yes, we are Warriors of Saint Michael, the Arch Angel."

Tracy began to cry, "I am a Warrior of St. Genevieve, Patron of Women Warriors!"

They returned to their campsite and placed the child in a warm sleeping bag. Terry sat beside Tracy and said, "We are all Warriors of St. Michael and we have been tasked to care for homeless boys."

Tracy replied, "I and my sister Warriors are tasked to care for homeless girls, I became separated from my companions, I fear they are out looking for me."

Jeremy jumped up and started his change, he pointed his Great Sword upwards as a column of fire shot upwards into the night sky. Jeremy said, "SISTER WARRIOR, YOUR COMPANIONS ARE COMING FOR YOU."

Just then, three young women stepped from the trees and ran to Tracy, hugging her. After she had assured her companions that she was not injured, she said, "Fellow Warriors, what are your plans here?"

Terry smiled, "We are tasked to care for homeless boys, we will know when we discover our next task."

Tracy replied, "Might we consider joining forces and helping all the children?"

Terry looked at his companions and they all nodded "Yes", so he said to the women, "The Warriors of Sts. Michael and Genevieve, yes, we shall join forces to help the children."

The women went back to their own camp to retrieve their belongings and returned to share the campsite with the men. They had a smaller truck, but it was sufficient for their needs. The next morning, they gathered up their belongings and packed the trucks before continuing on toward Denver.

They convoyed into Denver, keeping to the industrial suburbs as their most likely destination. As they cruised down the streets of a poorer section of the city, they spotted several children hanging on a fence watching them pass by. Gerren was driving and something caught his eye, he jammed on the brakes and jumped from the truck. He ran to the corner of a building and hopped over the fence, when he returned, he was carrying two small children, and blood was dripping down his arms.

Terry and Tracy went into change, the others following them. Two angry men came around the building, chasing Gerren and the two children. Terry roared, "THOU SHALT NOT HARM MINE CHILDREN! BEWARE MINE TERRIBLE ANGER, THOU SHALT NOT SURVIVE IT!" With a look of frightened horror on their faces, the two men turned and ran off.

Tracy gathered up the children from Gerren and laid them both in the bed of the truck. Returning to her human form, she cleaned both children and Nella, one of her companions, brought a first aid kit. They bandaged both children, finding that the children were brother and sister, Cale and Della. Cale was the older at 12 years old. He was very frightened at what he had seen, he held his sister protectively and said, "Wwwwwaaaawhat are you people?"

Tracy held the boy's hands gently and replied, "We are Saints' Warriors in the care of all children."

The boy asked, "Did Mr. Michael or Miss Genevieve send you to us?"

Tracy looked at the young boy, "You know of them?"

Cale got a great smile on his face, "Yes, they fed us last night and told us stories to keep us from being scared!"

Gerren was standing right there and heard the boy's statement, he shouted to Terry, "This is where we are supposed to be!"

They parked the trucks and began to explore. They found an open gate and a door hanging ajar on a large warehouse-type building. Sticking their heads in the door, they discovered that the building was divided up into large rooms and a stairway could be seen leading to an upper level. There was another building next door that seemed nearly identical. In both buildings, the upstairs were bunk rooms and sanitary facilities. After they had briefly explored the buildings, they went out into the fenced area where they had seen children watching them through the fence.

A young boy came up to Terry, "Are you Mr. Terry, sir?" Terry said that he was and the boy handed him an envelope, "Mr. Michael said that you would need this, sir."

When Terry opened the envelope, there was a deed to all the buildings and 22 acres of land in the name of "Saints' Home for Children". It named Terry Donaldson as President and Tracy Wallace as Vice President of the holding corporation.

Terry and James explained to Tracy and her group about what had been the conditions at their previous "assignments", so they all set out to explore the buildings more thoroughly. They discovered "urinals" in the first building, so they figured that was meant to be for the boys. There were none in the second building, so they believed that building was destined to be for the girls.

As they were bringing their personal belongings into the buildings, they found that all the utilities were turned on and there were stocks of bedding, linens and clothing in each building. They made up 20 beds in each building, knowing they would soon be occupied. They already had six girls and seven boys collected!

James and Gerren had left, looking for a wholesale grocery supply business and Terry was telling Tracy and her Warriors about how things had happened at their other assignments. Junior and Allen had the children outside, they had found a soccer ball in a closet and they got the thirteen children interested in a ball game while they waited on lunch. James and Gerren soon returned, the truck piled high with bulk food and needed articles like bath soap, shampoo, paper plates, and plastic eating utensils. The children all came rushing over to assist carrying the boxes into the front building. They had decided that they would use just one kitchen to feed all the children at first.

Junior put together a lunch that had hungry children drooling in wide-eyed wonder! He grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and opened large containers of potato salad, boxes of chips and a portable milk dispenser. The last items to be put on the table were big tubs of vanilla ice cream and trays of toppings. He gave each child a plate and a bowl, and started them through the line as hamburgers and hotdogs were grilled to mouth-watering perfection.

One little boy asked, "Please, Mister, could I have two hotdogs?"

Junior put three hotdogs on the boy's plate and the little boy began to cry. Junior scooped him up and said, "Hey, little man, you will never go hungry again, not while I AM COOKING FOR YOU!" The boy kissed Junior on the cheek and suddenly, they BOTH were running tears down their faces!

A little girl came up to Junior and asked, "Please Mister, have you got some food for my baby brother?"

Junior said, "Sure, what does he like?"

The girl replied, "He is just a baby, he needs a bottle!"

Junior screamed, "Where is he?"

The girl led them to a maintenance room under the building, there was a little baby, wrapped in clean rags, sleeping in an old toolbox! Junior was slipping into and out of his change, his horror evident on his face! The little girl became frightened, "Don't hurt him, Mister, our daddy already did that." She drew the rags from the child's body and showed him fresh bruises and bleeding cuts all over the child.

That was all Junior could stand, he went into full change and swung his Great Sword over the tormented baby, "THIS IS MINE CHILD, HE SHALL NOT BE FURTHER TORMENTED. HE IS MINE AND MINE ALONE, BEWARE YOU WHO THINK TO HARM WHAT IS MINE!" As he waved this sword above the child, the bruises and cuts healed and the baby reached up his small hands to this giant being who was standing over him. Junior returned to his human size and carried the baby in his arms, daring anyone to take the little boy from him. He held the baby's sister in his other hand and shouted, "They are MINE!"

Allen came running to him and said, "No love, they are OURS!" as he picked up the little girl and cuddled her in his arms. The little girl told them that her name was Sally and her brother had no name! He became Phillip Allen Gorman and they would all remain as a family for the remainder of their lives.

As they were putting the younger children down for an afternoon nap, two policemen knocked on the door. The senior, Police Captain William Goode asked, "Is there a Mr. Terry Donaldson or a Miss Tracy Wallace here?"

They both stood up and went to speak with the officers. They were told that they had been instructed to provide all the assistance they could and that there was an additional four police officers assigned to the detail. The Captain asked if they would just call him Will and that he had some boys "stashed" away at his parent's farm, just to keep them from harm.

The other officer, John Tollman, said, "My wife is keeping four little girls for you. They are pretty cramped, we live in a two-bedroom apartment." They told both men that they could bring the children anytime.

Before the two policemen could leave, Gerren came into the room with Jeremy, leading six boys and two girls. Gerren said, "We found these children living in an abandoned car down the street."

The children looked hungrily at the remains of lunch and a small boy said, "Please, Mister, kin usin's have those crusts and old sandwiches? We ain't et since yesterday morning."

Junior and Allen screamed in horror and rushed back to the kitchen to put together another platter of hamburgers and hotdogs. As they wolfed down the food, Jeremy saw one little girl trying to hide some food in her pocket. He sat down beside here and asked her, "Are you still hungry or saving some for later?"

The little girl cried and replied, "No sir, its for my big sister, she don't walk so good and couldn't come with us when we's went lookin' for food."

Jeremy's distress was so great, his Great Warrior began to emerge, Mayce, one of the Women Warriors, rushed over to him, asking what the problem was. As soon as she learned of the problem, she went into change and stood beside Jeremy, "LET THE HUNGRY CHILDREN COME UNTO US, THEY ART OURS TO CARE FOR!"

Jeremy, in his rage, that children were still hungry, roared, "MINE CHILDREN SHALL BE FED, LET THOSE WHO WOULD DENY THEM BEWARE MINE TERRIBLE WRATH!"

Mayce returned to her human form and knelt beside the child, "Would you take us to your big sister, so that we might feed her also?"

The child took them to a large wooden box, where a young teen girl was laying, curled up in pain. They discovered the child was pregnant, she had been raped by a man, who dumped her on the street. Their parents had turned her out and her little sister, Trella, had followed her out the door. Both Great Warriors were in a terrible rage as they carried both girls back to their new home. Jeremy carried the teen upstairs at "Genevieve's House" of the Saints' Home and laid her gently on a clean bed. The Women Warriors gathered to care for the girl, bathing her and dressing her in clean clothing.

When Junior brought her a tray, loaded with nutritious food, Nora began to cry, "You don't know me, why do you care about me, feed me, and care for my baby?"

Mayce told her, "We are the Warriors of Saint Genevieve, Patron of Warrior Women!" She pointed to Jeremy and Junior, "They are of the Warriors of Saint Michael the Arch Angel. We are all tasked to protect the children of this world and this we will do unto our own deaths if need be!" Mayce held the distraught girl until she finally fell into an exhausted sleep. As they left, Trella refused to leave her sleeping sister and was soon asleep herself, curled up against her big sister.

Later that day, the two policemen brought the boys and girls they had been keeping and stayed around to help care for the children. Terry asked Will if there was a Navy Reserve Training Center anywhere nearby and was told there was one about six blocks away. He went with Terry to ask if there were any Medics available, who were looking for work. They walked into the Center and were met by a young Navy Yeoman Petty Officer, Neil Bowman. Neil gave Terry a short list of phone numbers and offered the use of the telephone. Terry talked to several Medics and settled on two, Joseph Bell and Carl Talmon. He asked them to meet him at the new Saints' Home the next morning. Turning to Neil, he said, "Now, I need an Office Manager, how about you?"

Neil replied, "I get off active duty in two weeks, How about I start in my spare time next week?"

Terry replied, "DONE!" Terry then said, "OK, now, how about some Marines for security?"

Neil smiled and opened a door to a hallway, "Hey, Willie, ya' want a job?"

A tall, lanky blond young man came out of a room and walked up to Neil, "Whatcha got, Pencil Jockey?"

Neil laughed, "Mr. Donaldson, this is my cousin, William Fares. He is a Lance Corporal just back from Iraq and is looking for a civilian job."

Terry looked the big man over and asked, "Do you like kids?"

The man sat in a chair and began crying, "Iiii I love children, sir, my wife and two kids were killed by a drunk driver while I was in Iraq...................." The man dissolved in tears.

Terry hugged him until he had regained his composure and said, "I think you will do, but I must show you something first." Terry began his change and stood ten feet tall, with his Shining Sword in his hand, "DO YOU, WILLIAM FARES SWEAR BY ALL YOU HOLD DEAR, TO PROTECT AND LOVE MINE CHILDREN AS THYSELF?"

The man looked through his tears at the monstrous apparition standing before him. He dropped to his knees and replied, "Lord, upon my body and soul, I will protect you and your children unto mine own death, so help me God!"

His cousin, Neil Bowman was also on his knees, "Lord, I know not what you are, but by all that is Holy, I, also, will serve you unto mine own death, so help me God!" Terry told Bill Fares that he was hired and to recruit six more like himself to provide security for the children at Saints' Home.

Bill Fares showed up the next morning with six young men, all looking like a fierce rugby team! They walked among the children playing in the yard and, before the men had reached the other side of the playing field, each man had small children in their arms and older ones trailing beside them.

As Bill reported in to Terry, he said, "I hope you approve sir, I have hired these men and, from the looks of the children, they are not going to be easy to get rid of!"

Terry laughed, "The children are better at selecting good folk than I!"

Bill asked, "Mr. Terry, sir, what are your objectives about other homeless children?"

Terry and James jumped up and screamed, "WHERE?"

Bill smiled and shouted, "MARINES, bringem' in!" At that, three of the new security men jumped the 8' fence and ran down the street. In a few seconds, they were seen returning with two dozen boys and girls in tow! Bill said, "We found these while we were walking over here from the Reserve Center!"

Tracy ran up and kissed each of the young men saying, "May God Bless you all!" The children were all hungry and dirty and very frightened at the sudden change in their circumstances.

One little girl asked, "Sir, does we gotta do things for our food?"

Terry looked at the small child, "Do things?"

The little girl said, "Ya know, sex things," as she reached for the fly of his trousers.

Terry screamed in rage, not at the child, but at those who would treat a child so, he immediately went into change, as did all the Great Warriors around him, men and women! The children were surrounded by ten-foot-tall Great Warriors, all angry! Terry and Tracy roared their anger together, "BEWARE THE WARRIORS' WRATH, THOSE WHO WOULD ABUSE SO OUR CHILDREN!" Great Warriors had all the new children cuddled in their arms as they carried them to their respective living spaces to be bathed and dressed in clean clothes!

Bill spoke to his men, "Spare no pity upon those who harmed those children, they are not long for this world!"

Nearly every day the Saints' Marines, as they had taken to calling themselves, would bring new children to Saints' Home. They were working two men per shift, around the clock. Two of the men, along with Bill Fares were living in the Saints' Michael's House and the other four were living in town with their parents. Their walking to work each day was becoming so regular, the "grapevine" among homeless children was telling those in need to be at a certain street corner and they would be certain of an escort to a home of safety.

One morning, two of the Marines, Eldon McVeh and Garland Peppers, arrived just in time to see six children being ruthlessly shoved into a car and driven off at a high rate of speed. They ran as fast as they could to report the happening to Bill. Bill immediately knocked on Terry's door to tell him what had happened. Terry's screech brought all the Great Warriors at a dead run, When they learned the cause, their anger was monumental, they began to shimmer, barely containing their Warrior.

James called Neil, who was on his last day at the Reserve Center, and told him to hire twelve more Marines and have them at the Home yesterday! Neil brought them over himself, the new Marines were anxious to begin, their own anger at those who had stolen the children reflected that of the Great Warriors. Terry and James showed them what they were and none even batted their eyes as they knelt and gave an oath.

The next morning, there were Marines in plain clothes at every street corner where it was known that the children waited to be collected. Along with each group was a Great Warrior shimmering with effort in containing his or her change! Terry and Tracy were at the main intersection, leading to the Saints' Home, along with four Saints' Marines. There were ten children milling around, waiting for their regular Marines when a large SUV came to a tire-screeching stop and four men jumped out, running towards the children.

Tracy and Terry shimmered into full change as the Marines drew polished wooden batons from their coat pockets and ran to place themselves between the approaching thugs and the children. Terry and Tracy roared their anger, "THESE CHILDREN ARE BELOVED OF US, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. NOW THOU SHALT PAY THE PENALTY FOR THY TRESPASS." The two Great Warriors drew their Shining Swords and fire shot out at the advancing thugs. The criminals went down on the sidewalk, horribly burned and bleeding from multiple wounds. The SUV exploded in fire, with the driver trapped inside, screaming in fear and pain. By the time the police and fire department arrived, there were no witnesses and the children were safely inside Saints' Home being bathed and fed.

Word leaked back to those at Saints' Home that the local criminal organizations had declared war on the Home. Terry and Tracy decided on hiring another twelve Marines and buying uniforms for all of them. They were armed only with batons and there were always at least two Great Warriors on duty beside the Marines.

There were now nearly a thousand boys and over eight hundred girls living in Saints' Home, a group of the boys asked to form a Marine Cadet group. Both Tracy and Terry thought it was a good idea and approved the project. Within hours 150 boys and 85 girls signed up! Every hall, classroom, and even the showers had a Marine Cadet Guard unit on duty, night and day. Some of the older boys asked to accompany the Marines when they went into town, and soon there was a steady stream of homeless children being escorted to Saints' Home by Marines and their Cadets.

A newspaper, hoping to stir up a newsworthy controversy, published a story about "Armed Conflict" going on in the Denver Streets, the only result was a delegation of angry parents descending on the City Council demanding increased police protection for all the city's children!

Joseph Bell and Carl Talman, the two medics, were being run nearly ragged trying to keep up with the health needs of 2,000 children and they asked Terry to locate a doctor, who would be willing to work with them. Neil found Dr. Frank Way at the local Veteran's Hospital. Dr. Way had been an Army Medical Doctor, he had lost both his legs in Iraq and was confined to an electric wheelchair. He was working at the Veteran's Hospital as an outpatient coordinator, a job he loathed. He was a Doctor, not a clerk, he said. He jumped at the chance to work at Saints' Home and agreed to come immediately.

He was welcomed by Joe and Carl and was treating injuries and health problems the very first morning he arrived. Dr. Frank, as he insisted on being called by the children, suggested that a small surgery and treatment room be built and work began immediately. It was hardly completed when Ollie Freeman, a small 5-year-old boy started complaining of a tummy ache. Later in the afternoon, he was in terrible pain and running a fever. The Cadet of the Watch in the Boy's Dormitory became concerned and called Carl. Carl felt the little boy's tummy and knew they had a hot appendix case on their hands. He didn't wait, he told the Cadet to call Dr. Frank and then he picked up the sick child and ran with him to the Medical Rooms.

Dr. Frank arrived just as Carl was undressing the boy, he drew some blood and examined the boy. Ollie looked up at Dr. Frank, his lip quivering, "Am I gonna die, Dr. Frank?" he asked.

Frank cuddled the frightened boy, "No, Ollie, you will be back in the kickball game in two or three weeks."

That satisfied little Ollie, Dr. Frank was gonna fix him! They operated that evening, when Dr. Frank examined the inflamed organ, he realized that they had gotten to the boy in the nick of time, it was ready to burst.

The next day, Dr. Frank Way instructed his staff to schedule all the children from both homes for complete physical examinations. They ended up adding a nurse and two orderlies to the medical department.

Little Ollie became very attached to Dr. Frank and was seen riding in the good Doctor's lap as he made rounds each morning. Shortly after Ollie had been released from the infirmary, he came into Dr. Frank's little office, looking frightened. Frank looked up from his work and asked, "Are you ok, Ollie?"

The little boy stared at his feet and said, 'eeer, aahh,mmm, Dr, Frank, uhn aahm..."

Frank opened his arms to the boy, inviting him to sit on his lap, saying, "Now, what is it you need son?"

Ollie burst into tears, "Wuuu woo, Would you beeeeeee my Papa?"

They were both in tears by now, Frank hugged the little boy and finally managed to reply, "Oh, Ollie, if they will let me, I would love to be your Papa!" With Ollie still on his lap, Frank raced his wheelchair as fast as the motor would run, to Terry and Tracy's office. Terry looked up as the two entered his office, each holding a death grip on the other.

It did not take a mind reader to know what they wanted, Terry smiled and said, "Let's fill out some forms and make it happen." Ollie and Frank looked at Terry, now convinced that the Great Warrior WAS a mind reader!

In a matter of weeks, Ollie was Oliver Frank Way and had moved into Frank's apartment on the upper floor of Boy's House. As Ollie got older, he would tend to Frank's every need. He eventually went off to University and became a Doctor himself, going into practice with his Papa at Saints' Home.

Several more children were hurt in confrontations with the criminal thugs and, finally, two of the Cadets were abducted. That was the final straw for the Great Warriors, they marched down the main street of the city in full change and stood before City Hall. Terry stepped forward and roared out his challenge, "ENOUGH! MINE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN HURT, MINE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN STOLEN. ENOUGH! THOSE WHO HATH DONE THESE THINGS CANNOT RUN, CANNOT HIDE, CANNOT ESCAPE OUR WRATH. MAKE THY PEACE WITH GOD, THOU SHALT BE DEAD BEFORE THIS NIGHTFALL!" They marched across the city to a large commercial warehouse and surrounded it. Terry again spoke, "DELIVER MINE CHILDREN, NOW!" rattling windows in the surrounding buuildings.

The Cadets appeared at the door, their uniforms in rags and supporting each other from their injuries. They were leading twenty children out the door at a fast run. As soon as the Cadets and children reached the ring of Great Warriors, Shining Swords were drawn and fire began blasting into the building, reducing it to flaming ruins. None inside survived the assault!

The Great Warriors, both men and women, remained in change as they picked up the injured Cadets and cradled them in their arms. The children were led by the hands, in a caravan by the Great Warriors as they made their way back to Saints' Home. Adult bystanders cringing in horror of the frightening apparitions, their children running to join the parade!

The next day, Terry appeared before the City Council, "No child shall be hurt, no child shall be abducted, nor shall they go in want of food, clothing or shelter. You shall not be warned again."

With the criminals out of the way, children who had been hiding were drawn to Saints' Home. The good food and care were matters of legend. All a homeless child need do is to approach a Saints' Cadet or Marine and they were on their way to a clean bed and full tummy. A contractor was brought in to construct tennis courts, a swimming pool and ball fields.

That fall, the Saints' Girls' Softball Team and the Saints' Boys' Baseball Team invited local teams to compete on their new fields. A city-wide tennis match was organized and Saints' Home fielded four swim teams in an area competition. Nora had her baby, a boy she named Terry James. Trella was proud to show off her new nephew and there was no shortage of babysitters when Nora was able to go back to school.

The population continued to rise, and they began to worry that they would soon run out of space to house additional homeless children. The last two empty buildings had been opened and, already the beds were filling. The Warriors were getting concerned and were holding a meeting to try to decide what to do. As they were discussing the problem, Neil stuck his head in the door, "Mr. Terry, sir, I have an idea, may I present it to you all?"

Terry looked up, "By all means, Neil, any help is appreciated!"

Neil replied, "Sir, my father is the commanding officer of the Navy Reserve SeaBee Battalion and my uncle owns Centennial Builders & Supply. Maybe they can help you." It was decided that Neil would introduce Terry and Tracy to the two men and they made appointments to meet them the next day.

Terry and Tracy accompanied Neil as they went to see Captain Nathan Bowman and he suggested they use his Reserve Unit Sailors to build a dormitory as a training project. He called his Brother, Ted Bowman, the owner of Centennial Builders & Supply and he agreed to supply all the materials at cost. Local Labor Unions were asked to participate in the charitable endeavors and many of their members did.

Within a few weeks, the walls of two new dormitories began to rise, one for the girls and one for the boys. Bowman Hall would be for the boys and Centennial Hall would house the girls. They had 1600 boys and 1250 girls in residence, with more arriving every day. The new buildings would have classroom space for those who needed remedial help to catch up to their age groups and meeting rooms for various clubs being started.

The Saints' Cadets affiliated with the Marine Jr. ROTC program and Gunnery Sergeant Albert Case was assigned as Chief Instructor. When he began training the Cadets in rifle safety and competition, team membership surged and the girls demanded equal opportunity. Gunny Mary Alyce Courtright arrived to assist. The Cadet Unit had grown to 250 members!

While Campus Security remained an important issue, they now had time for recreational activities also. The Cadets sponsored weekend camping trips into the surrounding mountains, skiing and snowboarding in the winter, canoeing and survival training in the summer. They started inviting students from surrounding schools to competitions and weekend campouts on the Saints' Home Campus, the invitations were highly prized and usually signed up before the day that the invitation arrived had closed. They announced a three-day Kayaking Competition through Horse Thief Canyon and 2,000 local boys and girls signed up in the first 4 hours after it had been announced!

The day of the big race, spectators came from all parts of the country. They wore tee-shirts that read, "I SURVIVED THE GREAT SAINTS' RACE". The kayaks pushed off from Highland Rock at 15 minute intervals all day Friday. There were Cadets stationed at intervals along the 96 mile course, ready to rescue overturned kayakers or anyone who became over-fatigued or injured. Newspaper Photographers were all along the course snapping pictures and recording rescue efforts. Ollie Way landed the job of announcer at the finish line, his Papa, Dr. Frank Way, was sitting proudly at his side as Ollie announced the winners of the race.

The Grand Prize was $5,000, donated by Centennial Builders & Supply. Billy and Kenneth Heckler of the University of Colorado won the event. They promptly donated their winnings to the Medical Department of Saints' Home for the care of injured children! Both brothers became doctors and spent many years on the volunteer staff of the Medical Department at Saints' Home. Dr. Kenneth Heckler would become a spinal injury specialist and would perform spectacular surgery on an abandoned boy, restoring his ability to walk following a brutal beating by local gang members.

Unknown to all, there were recruiters from the US Olympic Committee in the crowd and at the Finish Line Banquet, several invitations were announced for tryouts on the Olympic Team. One such invitation was for the Team Trainer position and Oliver Frank Way accepted! Newspaper pictures and accounts of the event made it into major newspapers from coast to coast and Terry and James' pictures were included.

The two were back home, resting from the public ordeal when the telephone rang, it was Jacob and Naomi Donaldson, the wonderful people who had raised Terry. Terry and James were in tears as Naomi and Jacob told them of their happiness and pride in their accomplishments. Next to come on the phone were Linda and Paul, James' parents. They were no less delighted in the boys' activities. They asked if they could come to Denver to visit with their sons and Terry and James eagerly agreed.

James and Terry were standing at the baggage terminal of Denver Airport, looking for their first sight of their parents since they had left home. As the four parents came down the ramp, their sons threw themselves in their arms. Jacob held his son in his arms, "Terry, you have become a fine man. I have always been proud of you, but you have both exceeded our most ambitious expectations!" He continued, "Michael has kept us informed of your exploits, they would have overwhelmed a lesser man. He has given us a message for you. This is to be your final home. Here is where you and James stop!" He then turned to Gerren, Jeremy, Junior and Allen and said, "You shall also stay for there is to be two more Boy's Homes in Denver, this is where the Saint Michael's Hospital for Children and Saint Michael's Schools for Boys shall also be located." He turned back to Terry and said, "The four of us will be part of your staff, Terrence Jacob Donaldson." He then turned to James, "You also, are destined for greatness, you are to be THE RECORDER, he who tells the story about the Children of Saint Michael, the Arch Angel."

Changes began at a dizzy pace, 600 acres just outside the city were purchased and construction began immediately for a 500-bed teaching hospital and pediatric center. Dr. Frank Way was named President of the Hospital, a position he would hold for the remainder of his life.

Next to be started was a school system, complete from Kindergarten through Post Graduate University - Saint Michael's Schools for Boys. Mr. Gerren Curle was named President of the School System.

The next project was the Saint Michael's Home for Senior Boys and Phillip Junior Gorman was named President. Allen Caulkins was named President of Saint Michael's School for Junior Boys. Terry Donaldson was named President, of Saint Michael's System. He was popular with the boys, who called him CHIEF WARRIOR behind his back. They thought he didn't know, but he was seen grinning whenever they were whispering about THEIR CHIEF WARRIOR!

The Saint Genevieve's Schools for Girls was built on the other side of town, but there was frequent collaboration between them and marriage between graduates of both systems was not at all unusual!

The sporting events and the annual Kayak Race were continued, attracting participants from throughout the United States and many foreign countries. There were continuing rumors of Great Warriors attacking the criminal elements of society. A newspaper reporter, Lowel Carpenter, tracked and recorded these events. He was suspicious of Terry, and had written several newspaper articles about his suspicions that Terry was The Great Warrior.

One morning, he received a telephone call inviting him to lunch with President Terry Donaldson of Saint Michael's. After that lunch, he never published another story naming Terry as The Great Warrior, but he was a frequent guest at Terry and James' home.

This ends our story of these great and wonderful men. Their lives are not ended, but their adventures are now confined to one place, reaching out to nurture boys in need and lead them to productive and valued adulthood. None know how many lives they have affected, how many boys they have saved, nor how many histories have been changed by their actions. The only yardstick that can be applied is the love their boys have for them and that is beyond mere mortals to measure! Look for more stories of those they have saved and are now protected by the Great Warriors they left behind. Those stories will be told in PROTECTORS II.