The Front Page
The Risk is Real - Serving our Country
Remembering those that have served and those that are serving our country.
You know sometimes it doesn't hit you until it is personal.
I had told you last week about hearing from an old friend of mine, David Kilcrease.
David I think moved away sometime our Freshman year at SAHS and I haven't heard anything from him since so you can imagine the surprise I got when I received an e-mail from him last week. Hearing from old friends and family has been one of the greatest things about doing SantaAnnaNews.com and one of the greatest rewards has also been putting old friends together.
David retired from the Navy and had some very moving things to say about his experiences. If you have read SantaAnnaNews.com very much, you know that I get emotional sometimes and certainly David's story was no different.
Sometimes it is hard to realize the sacrifice that is made by those that have served our country and are serving our country. When I asked David what he had been doing for the last 25 years and if it was OK to share with readers he had these things to say:
James,
The front page of your web site where you honor the local boys, made me think. So I thought I would send this a long. It’s actually (don't laugh) bits and pieces of a book I've been messin’ with for three years. It probably will never be finished. For me it’s cathartic.
The front page of Santa Anna News and the Independence Day weekend have made me reflective about Military service. I beg your indulgence while I ramble a bit about my personal experience, I do speak from experience, I spent the majority of my adult life in the U.S. Navy.
On November 17, 1981 I joined the Navy. Over the next two decades I met people that I will never forget. Some where the best friends I have ever had others I couldn't stand. The interesting thing is when it came time to do the job; we all stood side by side and performed. In everyday life, I don't know a lot of folks who could put differences aside and do that. Then again most people’s life doesn't depend on it.
I get laughs sometime when I refer to military service as military sacrifice. I don't mean it to be funny, just true. On July 1, 1985, my daughter Maggie was born. Three days later I went to sea. When I came back Eleven months later, she was walking and had no idea who I was. For twelve years I made sacrifices in my marriage, finally it ended in divorce. You see the military comes first. When I was in boot camp we were told that the Navy didn't issue wives, so that wasn't their problem. Besides 80% of every one I knew was divorced. Some of them more than once.
Maybe we served for the money. When I joined I made $545.00 a month. Managers at fast food restaurants make more than a lot of the people who protect our freedom. In 1982 I was on the U.S.S John F Kennedy, we set off the coast of Lebanon for 154 straight days. It was considered combat duty, my extra pay was $95 a month, but our mail was free. Everyone I knew was in debt, including me.
Physically, when I came out of boot camp, I weighed 225 pounds. I could have been on Baywatch. By age 26, I was a full blown alcoholic. Everybody drank a lot. After the Gulf War, We had a fire on the ship. In the middle of the deep blue that’s a serious problem. We put the fire out, but during the fight, I damaged my leg so badly I had to have my knee replaced. I was thirty.
After the Gulf War, my sister Terry and I would argue about war for oil. She never understood, the why was never my concern, it was the what. I know it seems like I have been bagging on being in the military, believe me I am not. After everything, I kept re-enlisting. You see I'd do it all again. Because for me, and most others it’s about the what. The Patriots are the super bowl champs, the best. Because of the men and women who sacrifice, so is the United States. It’s a pride thing, knowing without a doubt, you are the best. That’s what it’s about. I have been on all seven continents, and to 63 countries. I know ours, although not perfect, is the best way of life. The people who have served and now serve know this, and sacrifice to keep it that way.
So do me a favor, thank a service member or a vet, for preserving the American way of life.
God bless America and God bless you.
Thank you for recognizing service.
Dave
Thanks for sharing this with SantaAnnaNews.com Dave and thanks to all of you who have served and are serving our country
Please remember these Santa Anna folks that are serving our country in military combat, training, or support: Maricela (Marty) Siller, Clay Stewardson, Eddie Dawson, Ike Garza, James Watson, Austin Voss, Randy Casey, Mike Montgomery II, Mark Rutherford, Allen Tucker, James Culpepper, Shane Watson, Brandon Beloat, Glen Donham, and Jeffrey Watson.
1751 American soldiers or sailors have died in Operation Enduring Freedom as reported by the
Department of Defense and the
Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. Pray for our country, its' leaders, and our soldiers and sailors.
Please remember the many serving as volunteers for various groups and those that may be working for the media or one of the many Department of Defense contractors that have employees in support roles in Iraq including Santa Anna's Jason Dane. These folks are serving an important part in the rebuilding of Iraq and the danger is just as great if not more for them as it is for soldiers.
The
Iraq Coalition Casualty Count has also tracked the deaths of 89 American contractors working in Iraq so the risk is real.
Many service men and women return home safely. Operation Tribute to Freedom Homecoming Photographs.
We must never forget the sacrifices of men and women serving our country from all generations. Tex Wright recently sent me this information:
The Coleman County Historical Commission has started work on a new project.
Since this year is the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII, we (Texas Historical Commission statewide) have started a project to honor the ones who served.
We (I) have set up a Web Page to keep people posted on what is being done and to ask for their help in remembering those Men and Women.
The Web Page is:Coleman County Historical Comm.
WW2 Commemorative Activities
You might be from Santa Anna if..
You might be from Santa Anna if you talk and write hillbilly for effect!
It drives me crazy when some calls Santa Anna, Santee Anna.. especially radio people. Do they say Santee Claus?
I know I talk hillbilly Texan but that is what or who I am.
When I have notice it most is when someone from Santa Anna moves off for a long time and then comes back to visit. For example, Beth Rhoades Foster, who is from Santa Anna but has lived in Ohio for the last twenty or so years, no longer talks like us.. not that there is anything wrong with that!
I also work with a Canadian and he is pretty funny to listen to sometimes, eh? He makes fun of me too a lot and it is all in jest.
You might also be from Santa Anna if all you have to talk about on your website is sulphur, chiggers, and Deep Woods Off!
Oh and by the way... my, now fourty year old, lawyer friend from Snyder used to keep his sulphur sock on the back porch!
I wonder whatever happened to..
Speaking of my, used to be a friend.. lawyer buddy from Snyder, Mike Hartman and I wonder.. whatever happened to Casey Anderson?
Git 'er Done
I have been telling you about Cindy and I painting the house and I thought I would give you a shot of it and a little shot of laughter at the same time.
I have been doing the most of the scraping and caulking and Cindy has been doing most of the painting. The kids helped most of the first weekend but for some reason or another they have been pretty scarce the last couple of weeks..
Wednesday night I was scraping around a window on the side of the house when my seven foot ladder just fell over to the side. I was standing on about the third step and scraping to my left side when all of the sudden it just went. It didn't wobble or anything it just fell. With my Spiderman like reflexes I jumped off and landed on my feet but it wasn't over yet!
I was reminded of my old preacher friend, Marvin Hale, when he fell off a ladder and broke his leg when we worked at Coleman County Broadcasting. As it fell away from the house the step ladder hit a sixteen foot aluminum extension ladder that was leaned up against the house and it began to fall towards me so I put my left forearm up to keep it from hitting me in the head. Man did that smart or as I prefer to say man did that dumb!
I came out OK though with a knot on my arm instead of my head... not that it would have hurt any..
Dawson and the Pony Ride
Mine and Cindy's Grandson, James Dawson, never ceases to entertain us. Last weekend we kept him for a little while and there are a couple of things he loves to do at our house:
Get his, or my, putter and hit golfballs.
Wear my sombrero.
And ride SAM's pony.
I won the play golf clubs at a company golf tournament a few years agobut he has just about outgrown them so he has been wanting to use mine more.
I got the sombrero a few years ago when we went to Nuevo Laredo.. but that is another story..
SAM's pony didn't get ridden very much so Dawson is having to break it in..
I decided to see how well the video feature worked on my still camera since I never have messed with it any. I thought the video turned out OK considering the user and the fact that it was poorly lit.. see for yourself in this made for Windows Media Player version: Dawson's Pony Ride.
Old Memories - Part II
I told you last week of hearing from some old Scouting friends and of going to Camp Tonkawa near Buffalo Gap for a 25 year reunion of sorts.
Cindy and I met my two old friends from Camp, Joe May of Magnolia and Randy Lantrip of Abilene, Friday around 6:30 at The Deustchlander Garten and Freshwater Catfish Co. in Buffalo Gap. Joe's mom worked for a long time at Hendrick Medical Center and Randy's father, who recently passed away, was a pioneer in the convenience store business in Abilene with Lantrip's Flashmarts. Randy is now an RN at Hendrick after he recently finished nursing school.
The Deutsch is one of mine and Cindy's favorite places to go in Buffalo Gap and I have been going there for those last 25 years or so. The Bar-BQ Barn has been good over the years and Perini's Steakhouse is really nice too but I don't think I have ever taken Cindy to either of those.. maybe sometime in the next 25 years we will make it to them..
Cindy had the spicy baked catfish filet while us guys opted for the fried catfish for three. Cindy's filet was really tasty and our fried was in abundance and great as always. The beer was cold and service was good as busy as they were. If it had been a little later in the day the outdoor dining area would have been nice but we toughed it out in the air conditioning since we were going to get enough air later. If you are ever in the Buffalo Gap area and want some good food and a place with a lot of old character The Deustchlander is a great place to go. For us it holds a lot of sentimental value. I would recommend reservations on Fridays and Saturdays, particularly for more than four.
After filling up and talking about what we had all been doing lately we headed to Camp for the Parent's night awards ceremony and OA Lodge Indian Dancing and Callout.
We talked a lot about the way things used to be and how things had changed and wondered where some of the others had gone. Scouting and Camp Tonkawa was such a huge part of our lives that we all had some great stories to tell.
Joe, me, and Randy in front of the dining hall.
Me, Randy and Joe.
Campfire, teepee, and drummers.
Grand Entry of Flags.
Fancy/feather dancer.
Fancy/feather dancer.
Callout.
Old Memories - Part III
I had told you last week that you might be from Santa Anna if your idea of a nice smelling man or women wore Deep Woods Off.. well one thing that I remembered about Camp Tonkawa was that if there are a lot of Spring rains the mosquitos are usually pretty bad. As Cindy and I left town I made sure she had some Off insect repellant. As we got out of the truck at Camp she sprayed some on and remarked how good it smelled.. right then I knew I was in trouble.. because it wasn't that knock 'em dead scent of DEEP WOODS OFF!
Well I had worn jeans and boots so I thought I might be OK. Cindy had worn some high waters, aka capris, and sandles. Let me tell you from experience, the smell good stuff don't turn a chigger away. It's more like puttin Bar-BQ sauce on a drumstick!
And that is where my memory had failed me was the chiggers. I say don't, and I repeat don't, go to the country with no sisified Skin So Soft smellin stuff. Take nothin but the best - Deep Woods Off!
When I used to work at Camp I would take a sock with a 50-50 Baby Powder and Sulphur mix and bang it around my ankles to keep from getting chiggers. The only thing about that was Mom, and later Cindy, sure didn't like the way it made the laundry smell! If I did get some chiggers, I used to always take a vinegar or bleach bath to get rid of them. Sometimes alcohol, calamine, or chig-a-rid would help.
This almost worse case of chiggers I had ever had and a group discussion about chiggers lead me to do a little research on the old Net. Here are some interesting but strange facts about chiggers that I found in a Google search for chiggers from The University of Ohio website:
Adult chiggers overwinter near or slightly below the soil and in other protected places. Females become active in the spring and lay up to 15 eggs per day in vegetation when soil temperatures are 60°F. Eggs hatch into six-legged larvae, the only stage that attacks humans and animals (parasitic stage). After hatching, chigger larvae climb up onto vegetation from which they can more readily snag a passing host. After engorgement, often requiring one to several days, larvae drop off the host and transform into eight-legged nymphs which mature to the adult stage. Nymphs and adults feed on eggs of springtails, isopods, and mosquitoes.
Chiggers feed on a wide variety of snakes, turtles, birds, and small mammals as well as humans. Chigger larvae do not burrow into the skin, nor suck blood. They pierce the skin and inject into the host a salivary secretion containing powerful, digestive enzymes that break down skin cells that are ingested (tissues become liquefied and sucked up). Also, this digestive fluid causes surrounding tissues to harden, forming a straw-like feeding tube of hardened flesh (stylostome) from which further, partially-digested skin cells may be sucked out. After a larva is fully fed in four days, it drops from the host, leaving a red welt with a white, hard central area on the skin that itches severely and may later develop into dermatitis.
After returning from a chigger-infested area, launder the field clothes in soapy, hot water (125°F.) for about half an hour. Infested clothes should not be worn again until they are properly laundered and/or exposed to hot sunshine. Unlaundered clothes or those laundered in cool water will contain the biting chiggers to again reinfest your skin. As soon as possible, take a good hot bath or shower and soap repeatedly. The chiggers may be dislodged, but you will still have the stylostomes, causing the severe itch.,
Before going into an area where chiggers may be present, protect yourself by using a repellent such as deet (Off MGK, Muskol, Detamide, Metadelphene, Repel, Diethy-toluamide) or permethrin available at many drugstores or hardware stores. Deet-based repellents are effective for only a few hours, whereas permethrin-based repellents are for use only on clothing and effective for several days.
Well no wonder chiggers are so mean... they eat off snakes and mosquitos! The really scary part is that they stay on you for several days sucking away your skin! I have often thought that they seemed to multiply after a couple of days. I guess they were just looking for a new spot.. I think that is why the bleach bath works pretty darn good. Now maybe you will believe me when I say "Don't leave home with out the Deep Woods!"
Independence Day
I hope that you and you families had a safe and fun Fourth of July!
Cindy and I are still painting the house and I will try to share a little more later.
Culpepper Reunion
Submitted by Connie Culpepper Massey
The annual Culpepper Family Reunion will be held on Sunday, July 10, 2005 at the Coleman City Park. Lunch at noon, bring a dish if you are family. Come early for coffee and visiting. We welcome friends that grew up with us in Santa Anna, or friends of Lacy and Jean's. This is held annually the second Sunday of July and when most of us are together to visit family and friends. Our brother James, will be coming through Texas the third week of July as he is being transferred from Maryland to California by the Navy. It has been about 8 years since James has been home. Hope you will come by to visit.
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