Respect for Old Glory

During football season I enjoy a well-rounded tour of Texoma area football stadiums. My assignment is usually a different school each week so, by the end of the season and, now after working this way through seven or eight years of those seasons, I’ve been getting around.

I’ve noticed the last few years, a difference in the response of crowds to the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” before the game kicks off. A few weeks ago, I was shocked to notice a small group of women sitting at a picnic table. When the music to honor Old Glory started, they barely stopped their conversation. They did eventually turn their attention to the flag waving at one end of the stadium, but they never stood.

I’ve been in some stadiums where the fans in stadium seats had mixed reactions when the tribute sounded. Most stood and some placed their hands over their hearts. But many did not.

Two weeks ago, my game was at Blue Ridge. It’s a 1A school in size but seems to have great fans and big hearts. The announcer asked everyone to stand for the playing of “our National Anthem as we honor Old Glory,” and everyone did. I mean EVERYONE.

I looked at the field where the football players and cheerleaders lined up along the field’s side line and every, single one of those students stood up straight, turned toward the stadium’s flagpole and placed their hands over their hearts to show their respect. I don’t remember seeing that in any high school stadium.

Then I looked around at the home stands and it was the same thing. I think patriotism is important to the people in Blue Ridge and it was wonderful to see.

I am honored to write newspaper stories from time to time about our soldiers who serve this country weather in harms way or in less risky situations. I’ve seen up close the price they and their families pay to do what they do and it is significant.

Paying homage to Old Glory is nothing more than showing respect for the principles of our country which is still the greatest nation in the world. Those people who serve to protect her take that respect very seriously and so do I.

Help me spread the word.

Memorial Day

Uncle Charlie Aiken was one of three veterans from a Whitesboro, Texas family — all involved in World War II.
Charles Aiken, J.C. Aiken and Hubert Aiken have all gone on to be with their maker; Uncle Charlie was the last to go. We celebrated his life at his funeral in July. These are some of the men our family will be remembering this Memorial Day.

In a letter to the editor published in the Herald Democrat Nov. 19, 2006, Paulette Pugh of Pottsboro, Texsa wrote “Don’t we realize that if it wasn’t for these veterans we wouldn’t have a Memorial Day or 4th of July? I just think there should be more attention paid to this holiday by merchants than what it has become or I should say for what it HAS NOT become.” Pugh was lamenting that she had a hard time finding small flags to place on veteran graves for Veterans Day. I agree with her sentiment, not just for merchants but for all of us.

For many of us, Memorial Day is a paid holiday from work. It’s a day families get together in their back yards and put the grill or smoker to work. We don’t always stop to think about the meaning of the day or the men and women who’ve given their lives so we can have the freedom to celebrate such days.

I asked one of our pressmen what Memorial Day means to him and, without taking the time to think about it, Bobby Penn said “It’s for the guys who fought these wars and have fallen to preserve our right to be free.”

Residents of the U.S. do experience freedoms not realized in other countries. I just finished two novels by Khaled Hosseini which helped me understand a little of the Afghanistan struggle under the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. It also made me appreciate even more the life we have in this country.

Our country is divided in opinions today on the right or wrong of a war no one wants, but we still support our men and women doing the fighting. It’s a complicated issue for everyone that can’t be settled in this short space, but I’m proud of our country and its accomplishments since the original 13 colonies were formed.

I’m glad ours is a country that won’t stand by and allow atrocities of a rogue nation continue against its own people. Uncle Charlie landed on the beach at Anzio in WWII and said they lost a man for every step they took. He suffered the rest of his life from injuries received in a battle fought in the days after that costly landing. He understood what was wrong with Hitler’s tyranny. He and others like him are true American heroes.

Today, for Memorial Day, I’m also remembering some of the Texoma area soldiers who’ve paid the ultimate price in battle for this country in recent years like Staff Sgt. Michael Allen Shank, Sgt. Michael Luke Boatright, Spc. Bradon J. Long and Sgt. James P. Muldoon.

Commander Mark Escoe

Thirty minutes before U.S. Navy Lt. Mark Escoe was to go through his promotion ceremony moving him to the rank of commander, he received a call from the American Red Cross to let him know his father had perished in a house fire in Sherman. He was on his base in Pennsylvania.

Escoe has seen others get this type of devastating news while on active duty and away from home, and in fact, he’s been through it before when his grandmother died, but that didn’t lessen the pain. While in Sherman for his father’s funeral, Escoe took a few moments to share some of his experiences throughout his naval career.

He said the military men and women serving this country must be prepared to experience life’s separations, such as the death of a loved one, from great distances. He explained that the Department of Defense always tries to send people home in cases of serious illness or death if operations allow. Sometimes, it’s just not possible which was the situation in the case of his grandmother’s passing.

“I was close to deployment on the USS Lake Champlain on the 12th of September, right after the 911 attack,” Escoe said. “While it was under way — we were loaded out with weapons — that’s when I got the notice my grandmother passed. Professionally, I just couldn’t leave the ship then.”

Escoe explained further, there is a very literal meaning to the phrase, military family. “We really get our arms around each other during these times. We spend a lot of time to help out those folks who’re hurting.”
Escoe, who will leave for Baghdad in June for his second tour of duty there, said he is proud of having served on the USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), a Ticonderoga class Navy cruiser. In fact, he’s proud of his service in the military and attributes his desire to serve his country in this way to his father’s influence.

“He (Creig Escoe) was a lieutenant when he resigned after serving four years,” Escoe said of his father. “He was never in Vietnam but it was the Vietnam era. He instilled (the desire for) service (in me) at an early age.” So, when Escoe heard the famous inaugural speech by President Kennedy, he was able to identify with and take to heart Kennedy’s famous phrase, “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,”

Escoe said he entered the Navy at age 20 in 1984, and by the passing of two years, he knew it would be a career. “I remember being upset soon after I joined and called my dad complaining about how I didn’t like it and what came back to me from him was the voice of a position of authority telling me to calm down and focus and get back to the duties,” he said. “Dad and I always had great conversations since then and he lived vicariously through me and was excited at my promotion to commander. It was the hardest thing for me to not be able to call him after the ceremony to tell him about it.”

Escoe also shared his thoughts, stressing it is only his opinion, about what is going on in Iraq. He said he has faith in the American governing system so he’s not concerned about who makes it to the White House in the upcoming election. When he leaves in June, he’ll be going to the Multinational Security Transition Command in Baghdad. He said he’ll be training the Iraqis for planning and logistics for 365 days, but if his deployment gets extended, he’ll be OK with that.

“I think the cause is good and I support the cause,” Escoe said. “It’s my impression they (Iraqi people) were happy for us to be there protecting them. They now have democracy — not the same as what we have, but a democracy — and that’s a huge step forward for them. The troops who are there are winning the hearts and minds of the people there.”

The commander added that he believes it’s necessary the troops are over there. “This is our job,” he said. “It’s difficult on us when we have back-to-back tours, especially the Army and Marines, but we are serving our cause. This is what we train for.”

Escoe continued, saying, “There is always a chance we won’t come back but that is the same with fire and police every day. We try to prepare our families the same way.” He also expressed support for President Bush. He said there is no text book for him to follow for what the President is dealing with. “He has been very good at making decisions and standing by them,” he said.

“I don’t think, by any means, this is a lost cause,” he said. “It seems to be difficult for people back home to see the goodness that is going on. I think, if we leave now, we will have left the business undone. Iraqi people depend on the troops to educate and train them and they are doing a terrific job of learning. If we leave too early, the job won’t be complete and that will be the American legacy.

“If we pull out too early, who will ever trust us again? Evil has come and gone through the history of mankind, but over all, the good wins out.”

As Escoe prepared for his father’s funeral, wearing his dress blues and military medals, he wondered about his ability to maintain composure as he would be talking about his dad during the funeral. He reminisced about being a youngster with his sister, Barbie. “My dad was a great story teller and we loved listening to the recounts of what he did as a kid,” he said. “My dad was funny. He has a few quirks, like anyone else, but we were a family.”

The commander compared his relationship with his father as one of shipmates. “You can go six months or 10 years and pick up the phone and act like you just saw each other,” he said. “That is the way my dad and I have been. When you spend a life in the Navy like I have, that’s normal.”

He said, there is a blessing in all of this because he knows where his father is. “He was a devout Christian,” Escoe said. “He taught me much of my faith. I know in my heart of hearts he is with the Lord and I am at peace with it.”

Outlaw Dog

“What in the world is going on here?”

That, or something like it, was my exclamation when I saw the mess Thursday morning created by our black, Labradore Retriever, Allie, who sees herself as queen of our environment. In other words, everything I “think” is mine, is really hers unless she doesn’t want it and then it’s mine.

As a matter of fact, since she came to live with us in 1995 carried into the house in my sister’s handbag, she’s destroyed my Ryrie Study Bible containing 20 years’ worth of notes, the handle on my Dooney & Bourke purse, my kitchen wallpaper, an oak coffee table, an oak rocking chair, my den carpet, my hallway carpet and various other selected areas of carpet that have lured her into pulling it up or chewing it into oblivion. Numerous Polly Pocket and Barbie accessories have also fallen victim to the carnage.

Allie has been a wonderful member of our family, helping to raise grand children from the cradle and serving as a loyal friend. Her 70-pound stature can be imposing when standing between a sleeping child and anything else. Throughout her life, she’s found it her job to stand watch whenever sleeping babies are in the house, and for five years, it was her nightly station to sleep across the foot of our daughter’s bed or in the doorway of her room until Jamie left for college.

Allie has grown up with one of our adopted grandchildren, Raigan, for whom “Allie, out!” was one of her earliest phrases. It was never unusual to turn a corner in our house and catch a glimpse of Raigan lying on her back to watch a favorite children’s video with her head resting on Allie who was curled up around her.

With that kind of history, I guess I can overlook Wednesday morning when the mess I found was the remains of my lunch. She had dug it out of my bag while I was getter ready to go to work. She ate my hard-boiled eggs, shells and all, as well as the plastic bag they were in. I’ll have to find a higher spot for my lunch from now on.

Turning 60

I never expected I would see the milestone I’m crossing today. It always seemed like it was over the hill, older than dirt and a carry-over from ancient days. Something I never thought of as applying to me.

You may have guessed already — it’s a birthday. A big one in the eyes of some. I’m turning 60.
But, I don’t feel like 60, and when I look in the mirror, I don’t see 60.

I’m pretty active. I would still play tennis if I had someone to play with. I walk regularly and plan to join a workout gym this year. None of that “sounds” like 60 to me.

I’ve done the math, though. I was born in 1948 and graduated high school in 1966. Yep, I’m 60 alright.

I realize now, what seemed to be soooooo old to me before is not old at all. Am I still middle aged? or am I old? As far as feeling 60, I only have my misguided perceptions of what that would be like, and now I know that was wrong. I’m realizing that feeling my age is a totally subjective thing. This is not how I thought 60 would feel.

I remember my grandmother who came for extended visits in our home while I was growing up. With deep wrinkles in her face and what seemed like an out-dated look at life, she looked more natural in a rocking chair with a quilting needle or crochet hook in her hands, producing yet another work of art, than she would have on a tennis court.

Yep, this age thing is a little difficult to figure out, but that won’t stop me. When I get my answers, I’ll share them with you. In the meantime, you’ll find me in the news room at the Herald Democrat, proud to have lived every one of my 60 years.

I hear from unknown sources that 60 is the new 40. I like that because I think I feel 40 more than I feel 60.

Little feet are following

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a mother-daughter calendar — one of those flip-style stand-up versions. It’s called “365 treasured moments for Mothers & Daughters.”
And who was my gift from? My sweet daughter, of course.

When I flipped the page for Jan. 6, I read a quote from Hans Christian Andersen: “Most of the people who will walk after me will be children, so make the beat keep time with short steps.” I love this quote. My first thought was to share it with my friends.

I think we get busy into our day-to-day lives, which seem to be more challenging every day. We get focused on making enough money to pay our bills and save enough to live on after the age of 65. Some of us might refer to it as the rat race and others, like my husband, call it the war zone. He also refers to Dallas traffic in the same way.

We seem to get so busy, we forget about the young eyes watching us. Whether we are parents or grandparents, we have youngsters trying to keep up with, emulate or learn from us and this is what we overlook.

Our children are learning how to parent from the way we parent. They are learning how to treat their wives and husbands from what they see in us.

I know there are times, while raising my children (now grown), when I didn’t set aside enough time to spend with them while they were young. Even so, I sometimes recognize myself in some of their actions and, oddly enough, I see some of my parents as well.

I guess that’s just the way families work. We don’t need to over-think this — just be ourselves while remembering our children and grandchildren are watching and trying to keep up. I think Andersen was on the right track in suggesting we make our way easy to follow — easy enough for youngsters to grasp.

Stepping up to hi def

High definition technology has recently come to the Godwin household in the form of a new television. Since we got this great, new technology, we also decided to get a satellite so our reception will be better and we can realize the best features of our new TV. That, in itself, has been a pretty daunting task.

When we moved from Plano more than 15 years ago, we made a decision to stick with the channels we could get through our antenna. We had cable in Plano and found that, most the time, out of more than 100 channels, there was nothing we wanted to watch.

Well, after watching reality TV and courtroom TV and programs where people get up and scream at one another trying to figure out the parentage of their children, we decided it was time to make a change again.

We’re in the midst of figuring out what button does what on the satellite receiver, the remote to the TV as well as the remote to the DVD player.

We haven’t invested in the movie channels. We enjoy renting DVD movies and high definition on those movies is pretty spectacular.

One thing I noticed while watching “Breach” — you can see just about every detail down to the pores of the actors’ skin. Now, if you take into consideration that actors wear stage makeup to look good for the cameras, you may understand that it’s probably not necessary if the movie will be shown in high definition. That is the case with “Breach.”

I thought the actors turned in glowing performances. Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe were astounding in two of the lead roles. Cooper was the bad guy and Phillippe the cute, young FBI agent who did the work to catch Cooper.

My only complaint: there’s just something that makes a character less true, less mean or less macho when you can see his lipstick.