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.
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.
1788 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 91 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
Sometimes..
Sometimes we worry about our kids too much.
Cindy and I have been concerned about our oldest daughter Chrystal this past couple of weeks. She has been studying for her State nursing exam. She is a lot like me and never does think she does very well on tests but usually comes out OK. Well she went to Waco with Cindy's Mom, Linda White, on Monday so that she could take her test there on Tuesday. The test is pretty gruelling from what I have heard as it lasts for several hours. Chrystal had been worried the past two days that she didn't do very well because it had a lot of medication questions.
I was personally glad that it was challenging for her, because if it was easy everyone would be doing it and wouldn't you want your nurse to know her stuff?
For me it didn't mean as much as something that happened a few weeks ago when in my opinion Chrystal passed the real test of being a great nurse.
I am not sure what all I can relate and not get anyone in trouble but I will try to convey the meaning and keep confidentialialty.
Chrystal had been working in Post Operation where she is supposed to work normally. There was an elderly man in his 90's from out of town that had been visiting his sister who was in the hospital and only had a few days to live. The man became ill and was already distraught over his sister's condition. He was away from home and in a strange place. The man was coming out of a proceedure on Chrytal's shift so she was aware of his condition.
The next day, in Chrystal's rotation to become familiar with the different hospital areas, she worked in Intensive Care where the man was also sent to recover. His condition required that he could not eat or drink anything and Chrystal was concerned for him especially after hearing his story. His lips had become very dry and she would moisten them and try to comfort him as he wanted to go home very badly. She recalled that she had been taught to take care of someone like they were a member of her family. He joked with her that he wished she could come home with him.
It was only after coming home and reading an e-mail from her Paw-Paw, Tex Wright, did she realize that the man was Tex's Uncle and her Step Great Uncle!
That was the day to me that Chrystal really became a nurse.
I am very happy too, that she found out late Thursday that she passed her State nurses test.. not so much that she passed the test as much as I am glad that she can keep her job!
Way to go Chrystal! We are proud of you!
I wonder whatever happened to..
.. some of the Santa Anna folks pictured below in 1962-63?
I didn't have any takers Thursday, so I will name a few of them that I know.
Ladies first, since they are all identified, please forgive me if I don't know there married names.. additions and corrections are welcome.
Cheerleaders L-R: Sandra Davis (Guthrie), Sharon Gilbreath, Donna Walker, Linda Horner (Simmons), Karen McCluskey, and the mascot is a very young Vicki Smith (Drake).
Nice sweaters, skirts, socks, and hair-dos don't you think?
The football team is not identified in the picture and not all have individual pictures in the annual but it has some familiar names to me on the team. R.C Smith was one of the coaches. Some of the players were Seniors: Tinker Dockery, Randy Brown, John Dillingham, Pete Simmons, Donnie Henderson, Danny Wylie, Juniors: S.D. Fellers, Terry McIver, Wade Rehm, and Sophomore: Frank Valdez and manager Montie Guthrie. They were 6-4 that year beating: Cross Plains, Dublin, Clyde, Marble Falls, Copperas Cove, and Early.
Oh, and I will have more from this bunch next week if I have time!
I wonder..
As school is fixing to start and football teams and cheerleaders begin to practice it makes me think back to when I was playing football... does it bring back memories for you? Homecoming will be here before we know it and as we honor the classes ending in 05 and many of those that end in 00 celebrate with reunions and as I think back I wonder... whatever happened to the class of 1965?
You have to remember that my resources are limited but this was as close as I could get... to 1965.
These were taken from the 1963 Mountaineer... see anybody you think you might know? I know some of them but since I was born in 1963 I don't really remember how they looked back then!
Sure some of them are no longer with us and our memories of them back then, and certainly more recent, are even more important than the memories of those that are still here because all we have left is those memories and these kinds of photos to help us remember them.
1962-63 SAHS Cheerleaders
1962-63 Mountaineer Football
Dorothy Dillingham
I read in the Coleman paper Tuesday that a long time service station customer of mine, Dorothy Dillingham, had passed away last Friday and was buried Sunday. I didn't realize that she had graduated from Santa Anna High School.
Mrs. Dillingham was one of those hard working ladies that worked for 36 years at the Santa Anna National Bank, and also as a farmer and rancher after her husband passed away.
I remember that she drove a slick blue Chevy El Camino most of the time so that she could haul stuff home to Gouldbusk to work around her place.
Dorothy Dillingham - gone but not forgotten.
National Boy Scout Jamboree Tragedy
Four adult scout leaders were electrocuted Monday in an accident at the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill Virginia.
I tried to write more about this but just can't seem to get over it after reading several articles about it.
Please see this Yahoo News - Associated Press Article and the Official BSA Jamboree website for more information.
The Boy Scouts have had a very high profile year with several lost Scouts and accidents.
NASA Launches Space Shuttle Return to Flight Mission
NASA Press Release 05-203
NASA’s Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission (STS-114) is under way. Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off Tuesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla. at 10:39 a.m. EDT.
Image above: Space Shuttle Discovery launches from pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Image Credit: NASA/KSC
"We know the folks on planet Earth are just feeling great right now", said Discovery’s commander Eileen Collins from orbit.
During their 12-day mission to the International Space Station, Collins and her six fellow astronauts will test new techniques and equipment designed to make Shuttles safer. They’ll also deliver supplies and make repairs to the Space Station after Discovery docks on Thursday.
"I want you to think about what it takes to get millions of different parts from thousands of vendors across the country to work together to produce what you saw here today and to realize how chancy it is, how difficult it is, at what a primitive state of technology it still is", said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "This team managed to do it, and I think a large debt of appreciation is due to them. They have worked as hard as any team in NASA history."
Discovery’s first launch attempt July 13 was postponed because of problems related to a liquid hydrogen low-level fuel sensor inside the external fuel tank. Hundreds of engineers across the country worked to analyze and understand the issue. The sensor system was repeatedly tested during today’s launch countdown, and it performed without a problem.
The STS-114 Return to Flight mission is the first step in realizing America's Vision for Space Exploration, which calls for a stepping-stone strategy of human and robotic missions to achieve new exploration goals. The Shuttle will be used to complete assembly of the International Space Station. The Station remains a vital research platform for human endurance in space, a test bed for technologies and techniques that will enable the longer journeys to the moon, Mars and beyond.
See NASA's STS-114 Return to Flight webpage for more articles, photos, and video of the mission.
Clay..
My old Navy buddy, Clay Stewardson, and his beautiful fiance, Daena Castillo, came by to see me and Cindy Monday night. Clay is on leave for a week or so and he brought me a real nice baseball cap and patch from the USS Abraham Lincoln. Clay had the good news that he had asked Daena to marry him. She is attending Tarleton State University in Stephenville and planning on getting her doctorate in psychology from the University of North Texas in Denton.
Daena and Clay
Clay had left me some photo CD's back when he came to visit Easter and I forgot all about having them. He had said that I could share some of them with you and I will try to work them in this week.
Clay and me
Weekend and you might be from Santa Anna..
Cindy and I got back from Austin late Friday, just in time to help get a good start on Robert and Maggie Robinett's roof. There were several of us that worked until late Friday and Saturday all day except for a heat break and then a kind of welcome brief rain delay Saturday afternoon. We found out that no roof and rain don't mix too well. Those helping included Robert and David Robinett, Cindy's brother Troy Pierce, Josh Rambo, Jason Titsworth, me, and Cindy's step-dad Jimmy White. Head cook was Ray "firecracker" Findley, with cheerleading by Jean Findley, Cindy's Mom Linda White, Maggie Robinett, and a few others were in and out.
Well I am afraid that I don't have much news yet for the week. School will be starting soon and to give you an idea how soon, the first volleyball scrimmage is scheduled for August the 5th which is under two weeks away!
Speaking of volleyball, I am in a tough heat with Cindy as our daughter Jessica's biggest fan. This will be here Senior year and I hope that it will be the best. Her and some of her classmates make up a team that has been together for several years and this should be a great year for them.
She is one of SantaAnnaNews.com's biggest fans too and she recently sent me this:
Hey Dad!
I have a great "You might be from Santa Anna" if when the fire truck sirens go off you follow it to see what is going on... lol..
Keep up the good work. I LLLOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE the Website and I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YOU!!!
The Best Daughter you ever Had!
Jessica :)
Jessica also sent me a link to this cool website called PatriotFiles.org which has some really neat photo slide shows to music. The one she sent me was to An American Boy Grows Up with John Wayne.
Want your own dot com?
This is a great time to get it whether you just want it for an e-mail address of your own, like james@yourlastname.com, or for putting some family pictures on the web, or getting your business on the web
1 and 1 is by far your best bet!
Any questions just send me an e-mail and I will be happy to help you get started, or just click the 1 and 1 ad on the left, or any of the links in this article.
