A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Celes King III. I came to his office after responding to an internet poster of a wanted person. At that time I felt that my experience and expertise as a US Army Military Police man could be put to good use on their case. Not to mention I wanted the reward being offered. Upon arriving at his office I was cordially and friendly greeted by his daughter Teri. As I sat in the office of General Celes King III I had no idea who he was, who he represented or what his life had embodied. However I was keenly aware of the star on the Army uniform that hung so strikingly from the coat rack behind his desk. And almost at the same time I began to wander the room with my gaze. I recognized instantly that I had stumbled into the office of a powerful and great man. And then Teri King came in to greet me. But lets back up for a second.

I grew up in a small town in Indiana, in the "Bible Belt". Our school was small. There were only a few hundred people living in the town where I was raised.

I am the only child my parents have had. And all of my life I went about sheltered from the harsh realities due to that bubble of a small town and how I was raised. We never went to any larger cities very often. And when we did it seemed as thought we had entered another universe.

In 1985 I joined the Army and served as a military policeman, with a law enforcement mission, in Wiesbaden, Germany. At the tender age of 18 years I was conducting police/law enforcement missions for the US Army with all of the exposure that you might think one would get to the harsher realities of the world, such as violent crime, domestic violence, and of course racial issues. Now you might think that the Army is a quiet, disciplined bunch where all is in order down to the hairline, all of the time. Well not actually. Because of the harsh tolerances of rigorous discipline and mental conditioning for combat, soldiers, airman, marines, and guardsman all must face and deal with their own "demons" Some do better than others. But some don't forget their old habits and some learn new things. Some commit crimes. And there is a high amount of domestic violence incidents. I was once called to a full blown race riot on post between some "skinhead" type of soldiers and African-American soldiers. So not all is dull in the world of a Military Policeman. ( Whatever happened to waving people onto post in a pretty uniform? I have to chuckle sometimes now that I think of it.) I had good times and I had bad times while serving my country. Most of the problems I had were from being in a foreign country. But enough about that.

After leaving the Army I worked briefly as a protection agent with a small executive protection agency, where I was assigned to protect celebrities and dignitaries. The company that I worked with would later go on to protect Vice-President Gore at a private fund raiser dinner. Shortly thereafter I went onto become a licensed private investigator, with a specialty in missing persons. And naturally that specialty was further improved with a specialty in fugitives.

I left the office that day and went to work on the case I was assigned. I made a decision at that conference table to put aside any and all prejudice that I had learned in the Army and to decide to be a part of a winning team. I wasn't raised prejudice and I wasn't going to live my life that way. I was so happy to be given a chance to do what I had been wanting to do, in bail enforcement. I remember driving down the road in South Central, and I began to cry. I wept because I was truly grateful. You see I had come upon a hard time in my life. And the work that Celes King III gave me was truly an opportunity in our industry. I didn't realize at the time that the greatest reward that I found was a unique, deep, and meaningful relationship with a wonderful man who later came to know as more of a mentor and grandfather, than a General.

During the early years Celes took me under his wing and personally escorted me down the hallways of greatness, of our industry, and introduced me to a world I had never known. And as we walked he never failed to greet me every time I came to the office with " Hey! What say my man!!" as his face would light up with joy, and a smile would burst forward. Many times that I came into the office, weary in the battle of everyday life, that reception would brighten my spirits and give me hope.  We ate together regularly, and some of my favorite memories of Celes were us dining at various restraunts around South Central, having soup one day and fish another. It never ceased to amaze me how many people would come up to him with a story about how he had helped them, and how their lives had changed. Being from a small town I could not fully understand it all. But I saw Celes with CORE-CA trying to make a difference and watched as he mastered around powerful obstacles emerging triumphant.

We had incredible moments together; at conventions I attended with him, at dinners I ate with him, and during times in his last days. And I had begun to have a truly wonderful and deep seated professional and personal relationship with Teri King and the King family that continues to this day.

When Celes passed in April of 2003, a piece of my heart was forever lost. I wanted to speak at his funeral, but I couldn't. His passing had just broken my heart so much. Mostly my thoughts were private. And now I am sharing with you as a reader.

Being asked to design the Celesking.com web site was a huge honor. But being asked to design the Core-ca.org web site has been truly moving. As CORE-CA was Celes King's pride and joy. And so to be tasked with designing the web site was truly a blessing to me. I hope that this web site truly embodies the greatness of CORE-CA's founder, my friend, General Celes King III. I hope that you find it functional, informative, and welcoming. If you have questions or comments you may reach me through my email at Email For Eric Kindley

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please visit www.celesking.com and share your stories online in our community section. We appreciate your participation in our online community and your ongoing support of CORE-CA.

Sincerely,

Eric Kindley