• My silky brown hair blew over my face as the wind pushed by with the gentleness of a newborn child. For as long as I may recall, the smell of the salt sticks to me. There may have been a time when I was a child that the salty smell was not mine to hold but that of my fathers. I can remember his warm, smelly hugs when he would return home from a long trip at sea on his small fishing vessel; but now the smell belongs to me. Many other men carry it with shame or overlook it as somebody else’s stench but I carry it with pride. That small smell is my freedom. The salt air of the open sea is my freedom.
    This is my story and my name Sam Schroeder. I have had many nicknames given to me since I have chosen my life’s path forever. One of my most popular nicknames is Captain Deathbringer. That is right; I am Captain Sam Schroeder/ Deathbringer. And I am a Pirate.