THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
The best news stories amaze and inspire.
A prime example is this week's story on Daniel Diehl's appointment to the Air Force Academy.
His parents had four birth children, including him, and 13 adopted children, all crammed into a yellow school bus.
In 1986, at age 8, Daniel had to testify about his parents' increasingly harsh punishment of his adoptive brother, Andrew, 13, that ended with Andrew's beating death at a campground near Sandbridge. Both parents were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to prison.
The world learned with horror that Andrew, who was belligerent and disruptive, had been handcuffed or shackled to the floor of the bus much of the month before he died. Often kept naked, he was forced to eat his own waste.
``Like any problem we face in life,'' Diehl told staff writer Dave Addis, ``there's always a way to get through it. . . . There was nothing I could do about that, you know; it's time to move on with my life and get where I want to go.''
Diehl has lived the past five years with foster parents on Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks. He is in line to be Manteo High School's valedictorian. He wants to be a pilot.
``Whatever Daniel says he'll do,'' said Manteo High teacher Paul Deal, ``you can count on him to do it.''
``Depend on yourself,'' Daniel said. ``You can do anything; just don't let circumstances pull you down.''
If circumstances should start to pull you down, think of Daniel. by CNB