What did you want to be?

Kids of every generation have always been asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Common answers from kids often include things like pro athlete, fireman, singers and actors. Later as we get into our late teen years, our answers begin to morph into more realistic answers. People might want to be teachers at this point, or lawyers, maybe even doctors. The dream of hitting a home run to win the World Series is gone for most of us at this point.

One answer that you will never hear when you ask the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is corrections officer. I have worked at the prison for just over six years and have talked to many of my co-workers over that time and the subject always comes up. Not one of them has ever told me that the work we do is what they had planned for themselves. Corrections was always a fall back position or something that was taken on to pay the bills. I know that was the case for me. After my divorce, I realized that a person simply couldn't live on $11.10 per hour so I was forced to explore other options. I picked Corrections simply because of the money. Not because it was what I wanted to do. I loved writing for the newspaper. If I could have made a decent living there, I would have stayed. I don't know how my friends who have stayed there for all these years make it.

Prison guards as a whole are a much-maligned group of people. I've read in articles that we make too much money and that corruption runs rampant among guards. As far as the money issue goes, I don't believe that we are overpaid. How many places of employment ask you to go hang out with over 1500 convicted felons, many of whom are there for already having killed someone else?

As for the corruption comments that I've read, it's unfortunate, but there is at least some truth in that statement, as evidenced by the number of people fired every year for one offense or another. I don't believe it's rampant or out of control. I would wager that the percentage of bad apples is actually pretty low. And that sort of stuff doesn't just happen in corrections. You read about embezzlement cases every day from businesses that are not corrections. Even at the paper when I worked there, we had someone get fired and prosecuted for embezzlement. That doesn't make every person at the paper a criminal, but it does cast a poor light on the place as a whole. It works the same in corrections.

I have never witnessed any of the offenses that corrections officers can get fired for, I'd like to take a minute and share with you some things that I have personally seen from my co-workers.

I have seen off-duty prison guards stop and act as first responders when a car skidded off the road and rolled over into the ditch.

I have seen prison guards volunteer their time to coach hockey, basketball, football, and baseball and softball teams.

I have seen prison guards come together in the parking lot after work and push each other out a heavy snow had buried cars in the lot.

These are just the things that I have seen. There are also things that I have personally experienced that make me refuse to condemn corrections employees as so many publications, notably, the Detroit Free Press, have done.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I tried to keep it quiet at first. I told a few select people at work and word spread quickly. I had lots of people approach me and ask if I was doing ok and that they were sorry to hear about what I was dealing with. I appreciated all of it.

There was a series of cook-ups done on our shift where people brought in food and everyone takes turns going up front to the break room to get a bite to eat. If you bring in food for the meal, you eat for free. If not, you have to pay $5 to take part. With the changes that have been made to food service out there, these cook-ups are a welcome event.

Two times since my diagnosis, I was the recipient of the money raised by the cook-ups. This money helped my and my wife so much with the constant trips to Petoskey that were happening at the time, as well as the seemingly endless miscellaneous expenses that always seem to be there.

In addition to the monetary gifts from my co-workers, they gave me time. By time, I mean hours. I was running really low on leave time when I got hit with this and that meant a lot of pay periods with no pay check. Like most people in this day and age, we are dangerously close to living paycheck to paycheck. The people I work with donated a total of 194 hours to me, which adds up to about a month and a week worth of time. I can't even tell you how much help that was to Kelly and I.

What makes it even more touching to me is that I know how valuable time is to corrections officers. There is nothing that we value more than time away from work. These hours also have cash value which makes the donations even more special.

I want to say thank-you to all my co-workers who helped me out. Whether it was by taking part in the cook-ups or donating hours, or simply taking a second to ask me how I was doing. I don't know that I'll ever be able to repay your generosity, but from Kelly and I, we appreciate you guys so much!

Corrections officers are not bad people. For every bad thing that you hear about us, please remember, that there are probably 10 good stories that simply don't get the publicity that the bad ones do.

I Will Win