Welcome, everyone. We invite you to listen to our songs, sign our guest book and tell us what you think. Ellen's song YOU ARE A HERO was originally a poem she wrote to express the emotions she felt when her father was killed by communist insurgents many years ago. YOU ARE A HERO is a tribute to heroes and all of us left behind when our heroes fall. There are two versions of YOU ARE A HERO: country (Version 1) and pop (Version 2). Please, let us know which version you like best. Click on BIO for the full story behind the song. DON'T CALL MY NAME, GOLDEN RAY and WE WALK are country songs written by Don. Don't forget to check them out. Don also wrote CHRISTMAS WISH to add cheer and a happy feeling to the listener. He wrote CHRISTMAS KIDS as a fun, children's song. Contact us at 734donald@comcast.net. Thank you for listening.

The Story Behind YOU ARE A HERO

My father, a military man, was kidnapped by communist insurgents in the Philippines. A week after he disappeared, his body was found in the river, with hands and feet still tied with heavy ropes and with three gunshot wounds to the head. He was forty years old.

I was thirteen at the time, one of his eight children with ages ranging from two years to eighteen. My mother had no job prospects in our small town; but with strength, determination and a lot of sacrifices, she was able to guide us to achieve my father's goal: a college education for all of us.

Nowadays, the memories and the pain of my father's loss keep coming back to me every time I hear of our US soldiers getting killed in Iraq or anywhere else. I feel profound sorrow for our military men and women and their families. To the fallen hero, the war is over. To the ones left behind, the battle has just begun. They will have to live through the loss of a loved one; deal with emotions varying from grief, pride, loneliness, anger, desperation...I wrote the song YOU ARE A HERO to express these emotions.

To have the determination to survive is to honor our heroes. To preserve their legacy is to honor them more.

My goal is to have the song published and with part of the proceeds, establish an educational scholarship fund for children of our military, police and firefighters disabled or killed in active duty. My siblings and I were able to realize our father's dream of higher education for us. I want to share the same opportunity to others.