A Boy and His Birds
The Black Knight was born on 3 Sep 1959 at Oregon Health Science University. Partly due to the fact he was once known as an illegitimate child, he was deemed by the State of Oregon to be a juvenile delinquent and a ward-of-the-state in the time of his birth.
In November of 1961, at the age of two The Black Knight was taken illegally to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay without legal adoption documentations by an active duty Seabee with the US Navy.
A short time after arriving at GITMO, The Black Knight had his pinky fingers broken because he accidentally shut a sliding door on a cat's tail.
On 22 October 1962, on orders from the President, 1703 individuals were evacuated from Guantanamo Bay. Of this number 100 were three year old children, with The Black Knight being one of the 100.
Cuban Missile Crises in World History
· Dept of State History of the Cuban Missile Crises
· Adlai Stevenson Address to the United Nations
· John F Kennedy Speech from the Oval Office
The crises was handled superbly by John F Kennedy and his adviser, Dwight D Eisenhower, utilizing effective military deplomacy and strategy.
During the evacuation, the White House released to the press that all identities of evacuees were properly vetted. In contrast, evacuees headed toward Norfolk, Virginia in four ships, including the USNS Upshur with 4,000 Army Rangers originally headed to Panama for Jungle Training.
However, paperwork of a few evacuees was falsified. At least three children had their names, records, and documents illegally modified, whereby The Black Knight was the youngest of the three, being one of the 100 three year olds evacuated.
According to official Naval documents and press releases; a small Southern Baptist Church in the state of Texas gathered coats, jackets, and sweaters for children as the temperature in Virginia is much colder than the island of Cuba.
When the crisis ended evacuees returned to Guantanamo Bay.
Due to the stress of the Cuban Missile Crises, and having a rifle pointed at his head, The Black Knight started sucking his thumb at the age of three. As a child, The Black Knight was constantly whipped and beaten for this action until, at the age of five, The Black Knight was beat so badly that he had black, blue, and red welts over his entire back and legs.
From five to ten years of age, The Black Knight endured some extremely traumatic events:
· At five The Black Knight was made to walk a mile or so alone in midnight darkness to get home
· The Black Knight had numerous beatings that left black, blue, and red bruises over his body
· At eight years old The Black Knight was locked and chained to a metal bed because he wanted to Tricker Treat on Halloween
· At nine years of age, his adult abuser stabbed The Black Knight with a fork in his left arm, . . . the same arm The Black Knight would later be bayoneted with while serving on the DMZ in Korea
· The Black Knight had a bottle of Tabasco sauce poured down his throat while being held down because he wouldn't eat peas
· On his 10th birthday (1969), The Black Knight received a severe head wound from his abuser, treated at the Port Hueneme Naval Hospital in Port Hueneme, California with the abuser spending 10 days in jail and subsequently court-martialed by the United States Navy.
From the age of 10-15, The Black Knight spent time in foster homes, juvenile halls, reform schools, and even a camp for kids run by the State of Oregon. During this time period, The Black Knight spent three-plus months in solitary confinement.
At 12 years old and weighing less than 70 pounds, The Black Knight put down an armed guard three times his size at the Ventura County Juvenile Facility in Ventura, California. The Black Knight was subsequently kicked out of the state and sent back to Oregon, the state of his birth.
In just a few months back in Oregon, The Black Knight drew a picture for the 'Keep America Beautiful' campaign started by Ladybird Johnson. He won the top prize of $250 USD. However, after being featured in the local paper on Thursday 12 Apr 1973 at 5-6pm, the townspeople realized the hidden message within the drawing, and The Black Knight was in trouble. He was confined for three months in the Crook County Jail and sentenced to nine months at MacLaren School for Boys for being out of parental control.
The Black Knight was later transferred to the Tillamook Boys Camp, whereby he escaped. During that cold winter night of freedom he had to decide to if he should leave two other escapees or save them at his own peril. He chose the right path. He surrendered to authorities and was sent back to MacLaren and spent two weeks in solitary confinement and then back to his original cottage.
A little over three months after his escape from the Tillamook Camp, The Black Knight was sent to the Double T Boys Ranch in Bend, Oregon. And shortly after arriving at the ranch, he became a paid firefighter at 14 years of age. The Black Knight was also the map reader and radio operator for the last teenage fire crew in Oregon.
The Black Knight with Another Teenage Firefighter · Summer 1974
It was during the summer of 1974 that The Black Knight put an (x) between the eyes of US Marine Tommy D Cobos.
When 15 the State of Oregon sent The Black Knight back to the same abusive home situation, whereby an assault was still on record in 2015 at the Crook County Sheriff Dept from 1975, even though the perpetrator is now deceased.
C. Tom Warren of the Double T Boys Ranch · Summer 1974
Not lasting long in Prineville Oregon (Crook County), The Black Knight went back to the Double T Boy's Ranch, where as a 16 and 17 year old kid he worked as a night counselor for other foster kids and a cook at the Snow Bunny and McDonald's Restaurants in Bend to help pay his expenses and finish high school, after which he entered military service when he turned 17 years of age.
Fort Leonard Wood Missouri · Winter 1977.
The Black Knight was a firefighter, yet did time for another kid's arson. The Black Knight was treated like a criminal, yet he excelled in law enforcement while stationed in South Korea. As a machine gunner, The Black Knight, searched for the answer to peace wherever he traveled and that path always seem to return him to his love of his avian friends, known throughout history as military pigeons (i.e., carrier or messenger pigeons).
In 1981, on the recommendation of Wayne Hamilton, The Black Knight was the first inmate invited as a guest speaker who had previously spent time in MacLaren School for Boys . . . and The Black Knight is still encouraging young people to participate in solutions to help the world become a better place for the kids of the future.
Active Memberships
Avian Messenger Associations
In November of 1961, at the age of two The Black Knight was taken illegally to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay without legal adoption documentations by an active duty Seabee with the US Navy.
A short time after arriving at GITMO, The Black Knight had his pinky fingers broken because he accidentally shut a sliding door on a cat's tail.
On 22 October 1962, on orders from the President, 1703 individuals were evacuated from Guantanamo Bay. Of this number 100 were three year old children, with The Black Knight being one of the 100.
Cuban Missile Crises in World History
· Dept of State History of the Cuban Missile Crises
· Adlai Stevenson Address to the United Nations
· John F Kennedy Speech from the Oval Office
The crises was handled superbly by John F Kennedy and his adviser, Dwight D Eisenhower, utilizing effective military deplomacy and strategy.
During the evacuation, the White House released to the press that all identities of evacuees were properly vetted. In contrast, evacuees headed toward Norfolk, Virginia in four ships, including the USNS Upshur with 4,000 Army Rangers originally headed to Panama for Jungle Training.
However, paperwork of a few evacuees was falsified. At least three children had their names, records, and documents illegally modified, whereby The Black Knight was the youngest of the three, being one of the 100 three year olds evacuated.
According to official Naval documents and press releases; a small Southern Baptist Church in the state of Texas gathered coats, jackets, and sweaters for children as the temperature in Virginia is much colder than the island of Cuba.
When the crisis ended evacuees returned to Guantanamo Bay.
Due to the stress of the Cuban Missile Crises, and having a rifle pointed at his head, The Black Knight started sucking his thumb at the age of three. As a child, The Black Knight was constantly whipped and beaten for this action until, at the age of five, The Black Knight was beat so badly that he had black, blue, and red welts over his entire back and legs.
From five to ten years of age, The Black Knight endured some extremely traumatic events:
· At five The Black Knight was made to walk a mile or so alone in midnight darkness to get home
· The Black Knight had numerous beatings that left black, blue, and red bruises over his body
· At eight years old The Black Knight was locked and chained to a metal bed because he wanted to Tricker Treat on Halloween
· At nine years of age, his adult abuser stabbed The Black Knight with a fork in his left arm, . . . the same arm The Black Knight would later be bayoneted with while serving on the DMZ in Korea
· The Black Knight had a bottle of Tabasco sauce poured down his throat while being held down because he wouldn't eat peas
· On his 10th birthday (1969), The Black Knight received a severe head wound from his abuser, treated at the Port Hueneme Naval Hospital in Port Hueneme, California with the abuser spending 10 days in jail and subsequently court-martialed by the United States Navy.
From the age of 10-15, The Black Knight spent time in foster homes, juvenile halls, reform schools, and even a camp for kids run by the State of Oregon. During this time period, The Black Knight spent three-plus months in solitary confinement.
At 12 years old and weighing less than 70 pounds, The Black Knight put down an armed guard three times his size at the Ventura County Juvenile Facility in Ventura, California. The Black Knight was subsequently kicked out of the state and sent back to Oregon, the state of his birth.
In just a few months back in Oregon, The Black Knight drew a picture for the 'Keep America Beautiful' campaign started by Ladybird Johnson. He won the top prize of $250 USD. However, after being featured in the local paper on Thursday 12 Apr 1973 at 5-6pm, the townspeople realized the hidden message within the drawing, and The Black Knight was in trouble. He was confined for three months in the Crook County Jail and sentenced to nine months at MacLaren School for Boys for being out of parental control.
The Black Knight was later transferred to the Tillamook Boys Camp, whereby he escaped. During that cold winter night of freedom he had to decide to if he should leave two other escapees or save them at his own peril. He chose the right path. He surrendered to authorities and was sent back to MacLaren and spent two weeks in solitary confinement and then back to his original cottage.
A little over three months after his escape from the Tillamook Camp, The Black Knight was sent to the Double T Boys Ranch in Bend, Oregon. And shortly after arriving at the ranch, he became a paid firefighter at 14 years of age. The Black Knight was also the map reader and radio operator for the last teenage fire crew in Oregon.
The Black Knight with Another Teenage Firefighter · Summer 1974
It was during the summer of 1974 that The Black Knight put an (x) between the eyes of US Marine Tommy D Cobos.
When 15 the State of Oregon sent The Black Knight back to the same abusive home situation, whereby an assault was still on record in 2015 at the Crook County Sheriff Dept from 1975, even though the perpetrator is now deceased.
C. Tom Warren of the Double T Boys Ranch · Summer 1974
Not lasting long in Prineville Oregon (Crook County), The Black Knight went back to the Double T Boy's Ranch, where as a 16 and 17 year old kid he worked as a night counselor for other foster kids and a cook at the Snow Bunny and McDonald's Restaurants in Bend to help pay his expenses and finish high school, after which he entered military service when he turned 17 years of age.
Fort Leonard Wood Missouri · Winter 1977.
The Black Knight was a firefighter, yet did time for another kid's arson. The Black Knight was treated like a criminal, yet he excelled in law enforcement while stationed in South Korea. As a machine gunner, The Black Knight, searched for the answer to peace wherever he traveled and that path always seem to return him to his love of his avian friends, known throughout history as military pigeons (i.e., carrier or messenger pigeons).
In 1981, on the recommendation of Wayne Hamilton, The Black Knight was the first inmate invited as a guest speaker who had previously spent time in MacLaren School for Boys . . . and The Black Knight is still encouraging young people to participate in solutions to help the world become a better place for the kids of the future.
Active Memberships
Avian Messenger Associations
- American Racing Pigeon Union
- Int'l Federation of American Homing Pigeon Fanciers
- National Pigeon Association
- Texas Center of Racing Pigeon Clubs
