Meet My Dad

There are many of you who have recently asked me why I left the Peace Corps early, knowing that I was only in Moldova for about 8 months. I have had some trouble sharing with people the reason as I previously thought mass emails, blog posts or Facebook wall updates were not really the appropriate venues for the information. However, I do think it is a good idea now to share with you the reason on my blog, in order to give you insight on the life of a wonderful man.

On February 28 of this year, my father, Bill Moran, passed away after a long battle with colon cancer. I left the Peace Corps in early January after hearing that my father had been admitted to the hospital. I wanted to be there to help take care of him and do anything I could to support the rest of my family. It is a decision that I would never take back because it provided me quality time with my father that I never would have had if the circumstances had been different.

But that's enough about me. I want to share with you all some of the great things my father accomplished in his 55 years of life. While his life was cut short, he certainly accomplished more than most other people can in 100 years.

One thing my dad was really passionate about was being a Judge Advocate General in the California Army National Guard. He was responsible for helping to deploy literally thousands of troops to Iraq. He assisted soldiers with the preparation of their wills, powers of attorney, and other assorted paperwork in addition to consulting with family members and being a support system for those who needed him. This picture below is of my dad (on the right) consulting with a soldier before his deployment.


Being a part of the National Guard was something that my father truly enjoyed. He worked a full time job as an attorney with AAA and did all of this in his spare time. He would head down to Camp Roberts on the weekend to deal with even more paperwork because he recognized an importance in doing this work. He felt personally responsible for the well-being of these soldiers and he carried out his duty with honor and compassion, earning many medals and assorted merits. Below is a picture of my father with other JAG officers (second from left).



And as if all of this weren't enough, my dad also provided pro-bono legal advice to the emergency homeless shelter my stepmother runs with her twin sister in Los Angeles. On the day of my father's funeral, the Los Angeles City Council adjourned their meeting with a standing tribute to my father in honor of the services he provided Los Angeles through his work with the shelter. My family members have all received certificates signed by councilmembers Jan Perry and Bill Rosendahl to commemorate this rare honor. Furthermore, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors also adjourned their meeting in memory of my father.

I must admit, I do feel a bit of shame at the ignorance I had in terms of the broad impact my father had on changing the lives of so many people, but it really just goes to show his unbelievable humility with it all. He never really shared all the great things he did in his life with me or my sister - it's just what he did and he obviously didn't do it for any sort of recognition.

In addition to being a superb father, loving husband to my stepmother, and proud grandfather (and son, brother, uncle, so on), my dad was also number 1 in they big, bulging eyes of our family chihuahua, Ginger. Ginger is getting old now and has been moving around with less ease even before my dad's passing and in the weeks directly following my father's death, there was a noticeable difference in her behavior. My stepmother says that now instead of sleeping in her bedroom, as she used to do, she now will creep downstairs at all times during the day and night to be closer to the leather recliner where my father spent his final days. She also gravitates to a memorial picture of my father that we used at his funeral. See the picture below.



All in all, my father was an outstanding human being and is an excellent role model for me. As corny as it all sounds, I really do want to make him proud and continue his legacy of helping others in need. Let his life and his accomplishments serve as a reminder to you that the measure of someone's life should not be counted in years lived; rather, it should be counted in the number of people touched, good deeds filled and overall positive impact made.