Pfc. Cindra Smith of C Company clears her weapon before entering the barracks after physical training. She joined the Army to become an EOD specialist after her daughter was injured in Iraq during an IED attack.

‘Mama’ ready to deploy like her children

By Sgt. Eliamar Trapp
July 10, 2006

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Army News Service, July 10, 2006) – Having volunteered with the Red Cross, Cindra Smith knew there was something wrong when she arrived home from work late one night and had a Red Cross message on her machine.

“When I called them back I was told to wait by the phone and expect a call,” she said. “When I got the phone call they said my daughter had been shot in the back during an IED attack in Iraq.”

Pvt. Tracy Branton, Smith’s oldest daughter, was a heavy wheel mechanic on a convoy in Iraq when it was hit by IEDs. When Branton and her fellow Soldiers got out of the vehicles to inspect the area, she was shot in the back. Now 21, Branton is 70 percent disabled and has a slight paralysis because of the injuries caused by the shooting.

“I remember being angry,” Smith said. “As parents, we always try and look for someone to blame. But knowing that she was doing something she believed in and wanted to do helped me get over that.”

After Branton was injured, Smith’s 20-year-old son, James Pritchard, decided to join the Army to become an infantryman. He attended basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., and is serving in Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division.

When the Army raised its acceptance age from 35 to 40 and then to 42, Smith made a life-changing move. Two weeks away from her 40th birthday, she is now known as Pfc. Cindra Smith, a Soldier in C Company, 832nd Ordnance Battalion, 59th Ordnance Brigade, where she is attending AIT to become an explosive ordnance disposal specialist.

“If I can save another parent from getting the same phone call I did, then I would have done everything I came in to do,” Smith said.

Smith said joining the Army has given her a better understanding of what her children have been through. Her journey through initial entry training, however, was harder than it is for most. While attempting to rappel off Victory Tower, a 65-foot obstacle, Smith fell and fractured her hip in five places.

“I only missed one training event after I fell,” she said. “I completed all the road marches and ran with my company for PT. I might not have been the first one in, but I finished all the company runs.”

But the biggest obstacle Smith faced was an emotional one – after fighting cancer for more than two years, Smith’s mother died.

“I had been taking care of my mother for more than two years before I came into the Army,” Smith said. “When the time came for me to join, my mother and I had a long conversation and she supported my decision. We made the agreement that I would not be called if she passed away while I was in basic so my training would not be interrupted.”

Smith learned about her mother’s death during a call home a week and a half afterward.

“You aren’t guaranteed anything in life,” she said. “So if you have the opportunity to do something you like and believe in it, then go for it.”

As the oldest Soldier at C Co., Smith has received the nickname “Mama” from her fellow Soldiers. Smith said she doesn’t mind after having been called “Grandma” at basic training.

“She is a mother to everyone around here,” said Pfc. Kim Schoonover, C Co. “She gives us advice when we need it and she scolds us when we’re doing something wrong. If we’re messing around in formation she’ll tell us to straighten out, and everyone listens to her because she’s older and because we know she’s right.”

Smith’s determination to succeed in the military in the midst of all that has happened in her life and the lives of her children has drawn respect and inspiration from many who have met her. She has also motivated many of the Soldiers in her company to volunteer with the Habitat for Humanities organization in Huntsville.

“We are fighting a war overseas to help the oppressed so why not do the same outside our gates?” Smith said. “If I can help others then my life will be complete. I’ve always been the Girl Scout and the Brownie troop leader – I’ll do anything to enhance the lives of others. It’s why we’re here.”

“I am as proud of her as I have been of any of my other Soldiers over the course of two years,” Staff Sgt. Lee M. Hallman, Smith’s drill sergeant, said. “She had firsthand knowledge of what she was getting into and she chose to come in anyhow. She is a highly motivated Soldier and she sets a great example for all of our Soldiers.”

As far as Smith is concerned, her story isn’t a big deal and the prospect of deploying only further motivates her to succeed.

“I’m looking forward to (deploying),” Smith said. “I believe it will give me a better understanding of what my children have experienced. Also, there are so many new IEDs being found out there everyday. I commend those Soldiers who have been putting their lives on the line each day for our country. It would be an honor for me to dismantle IEDs with them. I could be saving the life of someone’s father, daughter or mother.”

With the support of her husband, a retired firefighter, and her three children, Smith hopes to complete phase one of EOD training in August, then PCS to Eglin Air Force Base to complete phase two of her training and graduate as an EOD specialist.

(Sgt. Eliamar Trapp writes for the Redstone Rocket at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.)

ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT TO FILE ANTITRUST SUIT ALLEGING PRICE-FIXING IN COMPUTER CHIP SALES Abbott, other state AGs to sue international high-tech industry giants

AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will be joining several other state attorneys general tomorrow in suing several high-profile, high-tech industries in the U.S., Europe and Asia for conspiring to control the price of the widely used “dynamic random access memory” chip. Commonly known as “DRAM,” the chip is a form of high-speed computer memory universally found in personal computers, servers and other electronic devices. The domestic and foreign companies, and their subsidiaries, which as a group controlled virtually all DRAM chip manufacturing and were allegedly found violating federal antitrust laws regarding price-fixing, are: • Hynix Semiconductor Inc. (South Korea) • Elpida Memory Inc. (Japan) • Micron Technology Inc (Idaho) • NEC Electronics America Inc. (California) • Infineon Technologies AG (Germany) • Mosel Vitelic Corp. (Taiwan) • Nanya Technology Corp. (Taiwan) “Price-fixing will not be tolerated in our free enterprise system,” said Attorney General Abbott. “We believe these companies worked in collusion to manipulate the chip market and drive up the prices of computers sold to consumers, corporations and state institutions.” The complaint to be filed tomorrow in California and joined by 33 other states contends that high-volume purchasers of computers, such as public schools and state agencies on fixed budgets, paid excessive prices from 1998 to 2002. The suit seeks restitution and penalties, and an order prohibiting the companies from ever again manipulating pricing that harms the public, resulting also in extraordinary profits. As a group, the companies were virtually the sole sources for the acquisition of DRAM chips by computer manufacturers such as Dell Corp., a major supplier of computers for Texas public schools, universities and state agencies. The suit alleges the companies’ deliberate scheme to systematically trim production to inflate chip prices caused computer manufacturers to increase their wholesale prices for units, resulting in an inflationary ripple effect in the marketplace. Worldwide sales of these chips jumped from $14 billion in 2001 to $17 billion in 2003, with the U.S. accounting for a significant slice of the market. The U.S. Department of Justice, which launched its own criminal investigation of the practices in 2002, called the scheme “one of the largest cartels ever discovered.” Micron cooperated with investigators in the federal investigation in exchange for amnesty from criminal charges. Since then, Samsung, Hynix, Infineon, Elpida and 12 individuals have pleaded guilty to criminal price-fixing and together paid more than $730 million in fines.

Home Pest Management Program

Candace Beal, Extension intern, will be presenting a program on Home Pest Management on Wednesday July 19th, beginning at 1:00 at the Coleman Housing Authority Community Room. All interested persons are welcome to attend. For more information call the office at (325) 625-4519.

ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT TAKES ACTION AGAINST INTERNET CHILD PREDATORS; TESTIFIES AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ABOUT CRITICAL ONLINE SAFEGUARDS Stresses responsibility of social networking site operators to implement meaningful security measures to protect kids from pornography, predators

WASHINGTON – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a nationally recognized leader in the fight against online predators, testified at a congressional hearing of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet in Washington today on federal legislation that would require publicly funded schools and libraries to limit access to commercial social networking sites like MySpace.com. Attorney General Abbott also reiterated his call on MySpace.com and other social networking site operators to step up their efforts to protect young users of their sites from being subjected to sexually explicit images and unwanted solicitations. Media Links Attorney General Abbott's remarks to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet Congressman Michael G. Fitzpatrick's bill, H.R. 5319, The Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 “The operators of social networking Web sites can no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to the predators who lurk on the playground they created,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Site operators are part of the problem, and to be part of the solution they must do more than pay lip service to providing a safe environment for children. They must take affirmative, definitive action, such as verifying the age of their users, to ensure the protection of the millions of children and teenagers who use their networking sites and chat rooms.” Noting the success his Cyber Crimes Unit has had in arresting over 80 sexual predators who were trolling Internet chat rooms for underage victims, Attorney General Abbott testified in support of H.R. 5319, introduced by Congressman Michael G. Fitzpatrick, R-PA. The federal legislation, known as the “Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006,” would also require the Federal Trade Commission to publish a list of commercial social networking Web sites and Internet chat rooms that are shown to allow sexual predators "easy access" to children. Attorney General Abbott had issued a letter to social networking Web site executives in May calling on them to strengthen safeguards against pornography and sexually explicit solicitations after his Cyber Crimes Unit arrested three men in Texas who used MySpace.com and other Internet chat rooms to solicit minors for sex. In his testimony today, Attorney General Abbott again called on site operators to implement more stringent age verification measures to protect younger users on the networking site. He pressed operators to upgrade their resources and utilize filtering software that would also provide parents with the opportunity to block access to the sites at their discretion. “Social networking site operators have made several adjustments to their safety protocols in the last few months, but sexual predators have found ways to get around those limits,” added Attorney General Abbott. “Without meaningful safeguards in place, no child is safe from the unwanted advances of chat room predators.” Attorney General Abbott appeared at the hearing at the invitation of House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-TX. Attorney General Abbott has made pursuing sexual predators a top priority of his administration. The Cyber Crimes Unit, launched by Attorney General Abbott in May 2003, targets online predators by assuming the identities of young teenagers in Internet chat rooms. Investigators have arrested 84 men who used teen chat rooms to arrange meetings with underage victims, with some predators driving hundreds of miles to meet children they met online. The office has also obtained convictions against 44 men on child pornography charges. On May 18, the Cyber Crimes Unit was awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention to establish an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The grant will help the Unit expand its efforts to protect children and partner with law enforcement agencies across Texas to fight against online child exploitation. In addition to the Cyber Crimes Unit, the Fugitive Unit, which locates convicted child sex offenders who have violated the terms of their parole and could be stalking children, has arrested more than 270 such offenders. To find out more about Attorney General Abbott's efforts to crack down on sexual predators, visit the Attorney General's Web site at www.oag.state.tx.us or call (800) 252-8011.

All Stars Game

How about that All-Star Game?

No not that one... the annual Texas Six-Man Coaches Association Clinic and accompanying all-star games will take place Wednesday through Saturday in Lubbock.

The clinic will run from Wednesday through Friday at the Holiday Inn Plaza, while the all-star basketball games will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rip Griffin Center. The all-star football game will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lowrey Field.

Patrick Kerr to play in All-Star Game

Local standout Santa Anna player Patrick Kerr, and my son-in-law, will be playing in the all-star football game in Lubbock mentioned above this Saturday.

Post season football honors for Patrick include:
Six-Man Illustrated's 2005 Six-Man All-American - Honorable Mention Defense - Line Backer - Patrick Kerr
San Angelo Standard-Times All-West Texas Super Team
San Angelo Standard-Times All-West Texas Six Man Team
Six-Man All-Region Team Second Team Offense - Wide Receiver
District 11 First Team All-District Offense - Wide Receiver
District 11 First Team All-District Defense - Safety

That Other All Stars Game

In the Major League Baseball All-Stars game played Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Texas Ranger star Michael Young, led the American League comeback with a two-run triple to the wall in right-center field for the AL 3-2 victory over the National League.

Young was voted the MVP for his game-winning hit and game play.

District 7 Record Book Results

By: Candace Beal - Extension Intern Coleman County

The District 7 4-H Record Book Judging contest was held in Llano on July 6, 2006. There were over 100 entries from the twenty-three county district. 4-H Record Books contain project information, a project story, picture portfolio, and a report form that reflects all projects that the 4-Her has participated in. This year Coleman County sent six record books, their placings are:
Sarah Hailey- 4th place Intermediate Clothing and Textiles
Casie Swening- 5th place Intermediate Goats
Sarah Lofton- 3rd place Senior Horse
Gary Heath- 2nd place Intermediate Shooting Sports
Nathan Taylor- 1st place Junior Shooting Sports
Nicole Heath- 3rd place Senior Swine

Congratulations to our winners. For more information on the 4-H program, contact the Coleman County Extension Office at 325-625-4519.

Still Not Much news...

We are still roofing... and will be for a couple of months at the rate I am going!

ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT SUES EL PASO WOMAN FOR UNAUTHORIZED LEGAL SERVICES BUSINESS Patricia Puentes Monroy allegedly duped consumers out of thousands of dollars with unauthorized legal advice, document preparation

EL PASO – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today announced that he has filed a lawsuit against an El Paso woman for allegedly defrauding consumers by providing immigration and other legal services despite not being licensed as an attorney. The Attorney General’s lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction against Patricia Puentes Monroy and M&N Business Management Assoc., the fraudulent document preparation business she operates in El Paso. “I have made it very clear that I will not tolerate the exploitation of Texas consumers,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Families in need of legal assistance should be able to rely on honorable professionals who are qualified and licensed to practice law. My office will vigorously pursue anyone who ignores the requirements set out under Texas law.” Media Links Lawsuit Against Monroy Temporary Restraining Order Against Monroy Attorney General Abbott’s lawsuit against Monroy alleges that she charged consumers thousands of dollars each to prepare legal documents in anticipation of immigration proceedings and misled them into believing that she was authorized to handle such matters. Consumers complained that after paying Monroy about $2,500 to prepare immigration documents, she failed to file the necessary paperwork with federal officials and did not return calls from consumers seeking the status of their applications. Monroy is neither licensed as an attorney nor accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) as able to charge fees to advise and represent clients in immigration matters. Monroy’s alleged activities violate several provisions of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA) as well as Texas notary public laws, which specifically prohibit notaries public who are not attorneys from handling immigration matters. The lawsuit seeks fines of up to $20,000 per violation of the DTPA. Monroy also faces criminal charges filed by El Paso County Attorney José Rodríguez for her alleged deceptive business conduct. Consumers seeking licensed attorneys should contact the Texas State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Services hotline at (800) 252-9690. Since assuming office, Attorney General Abbott has become a national leader in halting businesses that prey upon unsuspecting consumers. He has shut down almost 40 businesses that are not authorized to provide legal advice or document preparation services. For additional information or to file a complaint against a suspected unauthorized legal services operation, consumers can contact the Office of the Attorney General at (800) 252-8011 or visit the website at www.oag.state.tx.us. Assistance is available in English and Spanish.

County EEA Gathers for Meeting & Cultural Arts Contest July 14th

The Coleman County EE Association will have their County Cultural Arts Contest, which will take place on Friday, July 14th at the Coleman County State Bank Club Room. Members should bring their entries from 9:00 to 10:00 am, with judging to begin at 10:30 am. All members who have items to enter are urged to bring them for the contest.

EEA members in District 7 are eligible to enter the Cultural Arts Contest, which consists of hand crafted items in numerous categories, as well as photography. Winners of the District Contest will be entered in the State Contest at the Texas Extension Education Association Conference in Lubbock in September. Members of the Extension Education Association have been busy lately getting ready for the EE District Camp, to be held at the 4-H Center on Lake Brownwood, August 8th and 9th. The Coleman County Extension Education Association is Co-Host of the event, along with Host McCullouch County.

As Co-Hosts they will be in charge of decorations and craft programs, among other things. Next year they will host this event. This will also be the final work day for the EE Camp preparations, as well as an early planning meeting for the Holiday Fair, which will be take place in November.

Members should bring any items which can be used for table decorations, including, but not limited to; speckled pitchers or cups, votives and candles, small quilts, other antique-style items. Please label all items with your name. All Extension Education Association members are invited to attend the 4-H County Fashion Show, to be held this Friday, July 7, at the Bill Franklin Center. Judging will begin at 6:00 PM, and Awards will be presented at 7:00.

If you are interested in this active, delightful organization, talk to one of the members of the Good Neighbor Club or the Gouldbusk Club, or call the Coleman County Extension Office at 325-625-4519.

Santa Anna Elementary Student Receives Treatment for Encephilitis

Ethan Mendoza, age 8 and a student at Santa Anna Elementary is currently hospitalized at Cooks Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth due to a diagnosis of Encephilitis. He has been there since early June and will likely remain there for several weeks due to physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Ethan is the son of Sandi Watson of Santa Anna. Send any well wishes to Ethan Mendoza, Room 2816, Cooks Children's Medical Center, 801 7th Avenue, Ft. Worth, Texas 76104. If he changes rooms, his mail will follow him.

Please remember Ethan and his family during his recovery.

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