Remember our aging heroes
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Jamie Patterson Managing EditorI have had the honor and privilege of interviewing several World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans from Yazoo County.
All of them have welcomed me into their homes with a hearty greeting and a pat on the back. Usually gathered around a kitchen table, I am treated to a glimpse of their lives with photographs and letters from their time in the service. Listening to their stories, I often leave the interview with a sense of pride of being in the presence of a hero.
I am most always reminded of my own grandfather who served in the Europe theater with the Army during World War II.
My Paw Paw was involved in a brutal battle deep in the woods of Germany. As if fighting the Nazis wasn’t hard enough, he had to also deal with bitter German winter.
He had bullets buzzing by his head. He dodged approaching tanks through the dense forest. He held friends as they died in his arms. He even personally wrote of a few families of the men he saw killed in front of him.
I have several photographs of Paw Paw during his time in the service scattered around our home. I caught myself gazing at a few of them as my husband Jason and I watched a World War II documentary earlier this week.
With his hat tilted slightly, he has a youthful grin on his face. He is as handsome as ever in his Army uniform. He looks tough and proud.
Thinking back to the stories I heard over the years about his time in the war, I know he was a strong person, both mentally and physically. He had to be in order to survive.
But something came to my mind as I typed the D-Day story for this edition of The Herald.
The Paw Paw who I knew was confined to a wheelchair. The soldier who once stood proud and tall had to get around by pushing two wheels.
With the assistance of a walker, he could do a few physical therapy exercises for his legs. But at night, he would still need help getting into his bed.
The same man who braved the icy winds of that German winter had to now wear a jacket during a slight breeze because of his thin blood.
The same man who could outrun a bullet now couldn’t even stand up on his own without a crutch.
The same man who drove Jeeps through European towns as villagers praised his group’s arrival had to use a board to slide into a car now.
It was a sharp contrast of the strong soldier who was part of the Greatest Generation.
Like so many of our World War II, Korea and now Vietnam veterans, Father Time has waged a battle against them. We are losing them every day.
Many are being pushed around in wheelchairs. Many must have canes to walk. Many are confined to a bed. And many sit in nursing homes, unable to remember the names of their children.
Please take a moment to thank these men and women for their service. Record their stories. Listen to an account of their heroic actions. Spend time with them.
They deserve it. After all, they are heroes.
Dear Editor,
The decision by the present school board not to renew the teaching and coaching contract of Mr. Archie Carlyle was a planned and calculated act of politics. This kind of thing has been happening for years.
They didn’t follow policies or procedures in this matter. The state’s report on the district asked the board to stop interfering in this kind of situation, but it seems they didn’t get the memo.
My mother always put her 11 children first in making decisions for their futures. It is clear this board did not do that.
Mr. Carlyle’s only crime was putting his students first. I feel like Jesus, when he told the people at the well, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I and the 800 people who have signed the petition calling for Carlyle’s return can find no fault in his dedication to our community. We are being laughed at across the state, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Our community is losing faith in our ability to work in a productive and successful district. The Yazoo Herald’s sports editor called it a “travesty.” I ask the question, where are all those Christian folks, his co-workers, his pastor and his fellow church members?
Where are the athletes, past and present, and most of all where are the parents? He has mothered and fathered when you were unable to make it to a game or on the road, giving your children heart-to-heart talks of motivation and encouragement both in the halls of our schools and on the streets of this community. Now he deserves your support in this critical matter.
This affects us all, black and white, because the future of our community is at stake. I am asking everyone to show as much concern about this matter as they do during election time.
Mr. Clifton Jones, I sat on the school board when you and your wife in a 3 to 2 vote were denied what you rightfully deserved. When you first ran for alderman you were the only politician I ever spent an entire day with, walking the streets because I believed in you. When I ran for mayor as an independent, I endorsed McArthur Straughter in the primary. Many people thought I was crazy, but I was exercising my rights.
Mr. Aubry Brent Jr., I followed you from Vicksburg to Belzoni and saw people commit perjury to defeat you. When citizens support a candidate, they want something in return. As a citizen with the 800 petitioners, we are calling in our wager. Just get the record of the board of that decision, which is public record. Check the timeline of the action, and you will be amazed. Next month you will appoint or reappoint a board member, but before you do we deserve answers.
If you find me wrong I will come back and sit before you and the school board and give a public apology. Everyone deserves their day in court, and Mr. Carlyle certainly does.
What you do or don’t do will determine the caliber of teachers and coaches willing to come into our community and work with our children.
Johnny Staples
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