Bill Cahir, 39, was born in Bellefonte and raised in State College, Pa. His father, John J. Cahir, was a meteorologist and a dean at Penn State, and his mother, Mary Anne Cahir, was a teacher, aerobics instructor and Penn State development officer.

Bill's parents, John and Mary Anne, instilled the values of hard work and sacrifice from the very beginning. As a boy, Bill delivered The Centre Daily Times, cut grass all over town and even hauled trash on State College Borough garbage crews.

Bill graduated cum laude from Penn State with an English degree in August 1990. Upon graduation, Bill took a job as a staff assistant on the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. Bill was a junior member of the team that U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy assembled to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as updates to federal job-training laws.

In 1993, Bill departed the Labor Committee to join U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford's staff to work on the Pennsylvania Democrat's top legislative priority: providing affordable health care to all Americans. The legislation did not pass, but providing access to affordable health care remained a significant goal for Bill. If elected, Bill would work to bring high-quality health care and affordable coverage to all people in the Fifth District.

After leaving Sen. Wofford's staff, Bill began a career in journalism. Over 13 years, he was honored for his work, receiving awards for deadline reporting, coverage of federal education issues and environmental writing.

Bill covered the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as a reporter. Although no one asked him to make any sacrifice, Bill sought an age waiver to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. He graduated from Parris Island at age 35.

To date, Bill has completed two tours of duty in Iraq, serving in Ramadi and Fallujah (August 2004-March 2005) and again in Fallujah (September 2006-April 2007). He has been promoted three times, and, as a reserve Marine, he must take part in active-duty drills once each month and for two weeks each year. He has been selected for both personal and unit honors.

Bill and his wife Rene have a home in Bellefonte, Pa. that they share with their rescued dog, Frankenstein. Rene is a graduate of Duke University and Georgetown University Law Center.