On the Way Up

On the Way Up describes the assent of a lowly country boy through the ranks of a growing sheriff's office in Tennessee. The story begins with the dreams of a youth maturing in the valleys of Western Virginia, and progressing to the post 9-11 trauma felt by all law enforcement officers nation wide. This story relates the steps experienced between a newly graduated educational instructor, and Chief Deputy of The Sullivan County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office. It isn't quick. It isn't simple, and it definitely has no certainty. There are too many indefinable circumstances, and far too many variables prevent it. In this respect, the book and life it depicts run parallel. As a child, attempting to cope with entering the new age of technology while struggling with self-identity and maturity, I wavered between ambitions to become a jet airplane pilot and a police officer. Both selections seemed equally unattainable at the time. Uncle Earl Benton was my idol during most of my life. He was an officer in the U.S. Air Force. From this I formed the jet pilot notion. Meanwhile, I idolized police officers and mimicked their work habits and actions when I could. I never missed an opportunity to observe and thus perfect my techniques. As maturity found me looking to my mentors for direction, however, I discovered a truth. In order to maintain the family tradition, I would have to become a preacher or a teacher. Naturally it was in this direction that my educational efforts would first flow.