The author was born in Anniston, Alabama in 1931.   The Childers’ clan moved to Dallas, Texas, via a year’s stopover in Wilson, North Carolina…in 1939.  Mom and dad had work waiting. Bill, his parents, and his brother, Lewis, began a new life.  A poem, “The Old Oak”, in this book tells this story.  Bill began writing poetry at age 14 in 1945, during WWII.  He has continued ever since.  Some are shared in this book, many more will be shared in his book, “Leaves From The Acorn Tree”, in the coming months.

Bill graduated from Crozier Tech High school in 1948.  He worked as a draftsman at Mosher Steel Co. until joining the Marine Corps in January, 1951 following 22 months in the Naval Reserve.  He was in Korea from fall, 1951-fall, 1952.  He was discharged in January, 1954 as a Staff Sergeant.

He worked with his brother until the call to ministry in The Methodist Church.  He spent six-and-a-half years at Southern Methodist University, under-graduate and graduate school.  Upon graduating from seminary, ordination, promotion to LTjg (active duty) in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, May, 1961, he reported back to Camp Pendleton, Ca…the Base where he was discharged seven and one-half years earlier.  It was a quick-time!

Bill was an active duty Navy Chaplain from 1961-1982, serving 13 of the 21 years with the United States Marines…his Third Love, after his Lord and his family.  One of those 13 was as Chaplain of the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines in Vietnam 1968-69…he is in e-mail contact with at least 30 of those Marines…35 years later.  One has written a book of over 500 pages, “Vietnam Flashback” detailing two unbelievable combat operations...one lasting five days...the other...two and one-half months!

Bill never planned to commit almost thirty years of his life to the military, claims he would have run the other way if he had been faced with that as a choice. The only drawback that could, and probably would have changed it all was the amount of time, about six years, away from family...they were the toughest of all.

 Bill, his wife, Tommie, and three of his children, Scott, Tracy and Thom  and three of seven grandchildren live in Dallas.  The fourth, another son, Guy, lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Lisa, and two more grandchildren.  The other two grand-children live in Anaheim, CA.  Much of Bill’s life is re-lived in this book.