The 21^st Century Magazine,
at South Florida's www.miami-dade-online.com.

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Frank Wills was a twenty-four year old security guard at the Watergate Hotel. While doing his rounds on that June night he discovered a piece of electrical tape that was keeping the stairway door to the garage from locking. But he was used to that. People didn't like having to sign out of the Watergate to get down to their cars. Usually Frank would find chairs and other objects propping that door open, but this was the first time he'd seen tape. He ripped it off and put it in his pocket, then went on about his rounds. Little time passed before he went back to re-check that door. It was taped open again! That's when the young black man did his job. He called the Police.

Sounds simple doesn't it? He only did what he was supposed to do, right? Well so were the five men upstairs in the Democratic Headquarters wearing suits and surgical gloves. They were fixing a broken bug that had been placed in one of the phones. They were also photographing documents and searching things. Then, without warning, in walked the Washington DC Police with our man Frank Wills. They caught all five of Nixon's cronies. Actually, that last statement of mine has been argued repeatedly, and I believe it still is to this day.

From that moment on, the investigation and prosecution of one high official after another excluded Frank Wills completely. They took his ball and ran with it. Politicians became stars, reporters were heroes, and the one man that did his job perfectly was ignored. The eighty-dollar a week security guard.

It didn't surprise me then, it wouldn't surprise me now. Perhaps it was too soon to say thank you. With all those giant egos in full battle gear, do you think the name Frank Wills ever entered their minds? Hell no! So it's time for us all to put truth back into its rightful place. Frank gave politicians their careers and cemented them. Wills caused the downfall of more high-ranking officials than any person ever did with a single action. That one phone call took down the President of the United States. Dean, Halderman, Ehrlichman, and my personal favorite G. Gordon Liddy. Gordon has said many times, "If the President had wanted me to kill someone, I would have done it."

Afterward, the above named government criminals made money from their books and speaking engagements. They all became infamous in the most profitable way. The press and media literally saw to it! But who was looking out for Frank Wills? The only thing Frank Wills got out of that deal was to play himself in the movie "All The Presidents Men". He must have had a ball every night, just hanging out with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman drinking and telling stories. Those must have been great times! Yeah, sure they were. I wonder if the two stars ever took the time to say hello to him.

Frank spent the next stretch of years going from one job to another. He was arrested for shoplifting twice. Once for a pen worth 98 cents, and the next time for a pair of sneakers worth 12 dollars. Somehow he was able to take it as far as the Supreme Court, but fell short of his plea. He was awarded Richmond County Prison for a sentence of one year.

In 1990, he moved in with his ailing mother Marge and took care of her. Both of them lived on the 450 dollars she received every month from social security. She died in 1992. Frank couldn't afford to do a thing with his own mother's body, so he donated it to science. Then he turned to making money as a handy man. Not much though. He stayed in the run down house that his mother died in, with no electricity or running water. But he still went on with it, and that's important. Some people can't handle their future when it comes to them. For the last few months of his life, he waited for death himself in a hospital. Finally the brain tumor got to him and he was no longer 52.

Mr. Wills didn't live his life to be in any history book. He rarely spoke of Watergate at all. But he was alive once, the number of times that anyone's allowed to do that, and he made one hell of a difference. Never forget that.

So when the big man stood to judge him, he put the pen back in his pocket and those sneakers on Frank's feet. Then God put his arm around him and said, "Welcome to heaven, man, you've done everything you could."

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