Major League Baseball All Star Game: American's Pasttime Honoring America's Great!

Tonight I am watching the  Major League All Star Game,  and  enjoying it.  I am thinking about Baseball being " America's Past Time."  Tonight the tribute before the game was to 29 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.  It is amazing to me that Corporate America, in the guise of Major League Baseball, takes the time, effort, and expense to honor these heroes.

This is what makes America great: We recognize and honor our heroes, and hopefully learn from their brave deeds!  

Wreathes Across America

I received a notice that Wreathes  Across America http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/#join-us was going to have a ceremony and wreathe laying at the City of Lubbock Cemetery on December  17,2016.  I went to the ceremony, and helped with laying wreathes.  It was a honor to do so.  I learned that this activity had been occurring in Lubbock for 8 years.  I had no idea!  I was honored to be able to participate.

Honoring War Veterans

On May 22, the Remember our Heroes group hosted a memorial service for Veterans who commit suicide. It was at the Lubbock War Memorial http://www.americanlegionpost575.org/lubbock-area-veterans-war-memorial.  It was well attended and it was a moving ceremony.

One of the few statistics they mentioned was that most Veterans who commit suicide are in their 50's or older. They related this to some Veterans who were in Vietnam, but not exclusively. And they acknowledged that there are many others who also commit suicide.

One of my maternal uncles committed suicide: Edward Crochier was my godfather http://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/edward-crochier_27468357. He died when I was 18, and away at college. I remember calling home in the middle of the week (usually my calls home were on weekends, because the rates were cheaper during the weekend day.  But sometimes, I called home late on a week night, or even during the times when the rates were more expensive in the early evenings on a week night.) My mother was guarded when she asked why I called, and said she was going to wait until we talked on the weekend, to tell my about my uncle's death.  I could not get home in time for the funeral.

The blessing was that we had a pastor who was immensely ingrained with the ecumenism and liberalism of Vatican II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council. He told my family about the "assumption of remorse," the sense that someone who attempts suicide, and is successful actually is remorseful for their act before they die, but too late to save themselves.  My uncle was buried in a consecrated cemetery and his military service was acknowledged.

This is all vague to me.  I remember that my mother's brothers were in the military, but I thought they were all just in the Korean War.  Apparently, my Uncle Eddie, and maybe his brothers, were in World War II. I know my paternal Uncle Voss was in World War II.  If we asked him about the war, he said "I went to San Diego" or "I was in England."  He would not talk about the war. After he died, we found a letter of commendation to him from Admiral Nimitz for his service during D-Day!

I have no real idea why my Uncle Eddie committed suicide. I know he had physical pain, that my mother related to his work as a painter: he hurt his back and was in ongoing pain. I wonder how much of his pain was also emotional from the war. I will never know. I know he had problems with alcohol. All this happened in an era when the emotional and psychological impact of war was not recognized.

I am only grateful that due to the mercy of our pastor, my uncle can be honored as a war hero. 

Veteran's Day

At work today, I saw a co-worker who wore a red white and blue flag motif tie. It was in honor of Veterans Day.  We chatted briefly: he was not a veteran, but had uncles who had been in World War II.  I shared that I had a paternal uncle who was in the Navy during World War II. When we asked my uncle what he did in the war, his stock answer was that he went to England. If you pressed him further, he would also say he went to San Diego. After this uncle died, in his effects, was a letter from Admiral Nimitz regarding his participation in D Day. My uncle never said anything about that.

I remember that I had maternal uncles who were in the military.  My recollection was that they served in Korea, but I could be wrong about this.  I know that one or more of my maternal uncles were in the military. Somewhere.

My father had polio as a child so had a medical deferment during World War II. He also worked in the electric power generation industry during World War II so would have probably had a deferment based on is profession.

My oldest brother was not drafted during the Vietnam War.  My younger brother's life was in between conflicts or war.

None of my female relatives were in the military, except the wife of one of my maternal uncles either during World War II or the Korean Conflict.

My first ex-husband was in the Marines.  His brother was in the Army, and served in Viet Nam. My first ex-husband said he was beaten and generally castigated because he did not go to Viet Nam. At first, I did not believe him, but years later, I do. 

I think the military services in the United States have some very barbaric and out-dated training and induction rituals that serve no purpose. I believe things have improved, and the racial discrimination has diminished but is not gone. I think the sexual harassment culture has decreased but has not been eliminated.

I think the reality is that women may not be able to do all of the physical things that men can do.  I also believe that women can do many things that they are believed not able to do, if they are only given a chance.

I recently watched a movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_of_Honor  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203019/   about Carl Brashear https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Brashear who became the first African-American Master Diver in the United States Navy.  The movie depicts the great odds and horrible discrimination he had to overcome to become a Navy diver, and to continue to be a Navy diver after he was seriously injured in service to his country. 

This movie is an eye opener about how racial integration in the military did not occur smoothly. It is a compelling story, and the racial factor adds to it.

I live in hope that we have moved beyond those racial discrimination lines, but I am not always sure about that.

But I can hope.

Lubbock High School Westerner Football and Band, Part 2

My friend and co-worker and I again went to the Lubbock High Westerner Football game to watch and support her son, who is in the band:

 
Actually her son is, in her words, the shortest one in the band:

 

 

I last heard the band two weeks ago.  I was impressed at how much better they sounded tonight than they did two weeks ago. They pretty much seem to have the marching down, but their first performance was pretty weak.  We stayed after the game and listened to the band director's comments. I thought she was spot on:  encouraging but corrective; acknowledging the much improved performance; reminding about procedures.

 

The Lubbock Westerners Football team wore uniforms meant to commemorate the survivors and victims of 9/11/2001

 

http://www.kcbd.com/clip/11838371/lubbock-high-wearing-special-uniforms-for-911

 

You cannot see the uniforms very well in my picture, but you can in the clip.

 

Before the game, I had the chance to go to the Lifestyle Center. One of the regulars was at the pool, and he is a long time teacher and former coach for the Lubbock Independent School District http://www.lubbockisd.org/pages/Lubbock_ISD__TX.  His take on the new uniforms was that the school district purchased them, including with donations from him and many other people, for the schools in the district to use them this year and in the future, rotating between the schools in the district, depending upon who had a game on or close to 9/11.  That is a really good idea, I think. 

 

 

 

Yeah! For South Carolina

Today, the State of South Carolina showed itself as a state looking to the future. After emotional and somewhat heated debate, the bill was passed that allowed for the Confederate Flag "Stars and Bars" to be taken down from the capitol property in Columbia,  SC, and placed in a museum on the capitol property http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/south-carolina-confederate-flag_559e0307e4b05b1d028fb690?ir=Politics&section=politics&utm_campaign=070915&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-politics&utm_content=FullStory&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003.  Governor Nikki Haley had promised to sign the bill quickly.  And, she did.  http://www.kcbd.com/story/29510871/south-carolina-governor-confederate-flag-comes-down-friday.  The best thing, in my mind, that although the flag is going to be relegated to a Civil War "relic room," there will be a ceremony that will treat the flag with dignity and honor. 

Why is this good?  Because although the flag's symbolism is mixed: "hatred vs. heritage" a ceremony to lay it to rest honors all:  It honors those for whom the flag symbolizes the heritage and the history of their family.  A ceremony also can be a rite of passage for those who view the flag as a symbol of hatred: A rite of passage ending an era of hate and racism, and starting a new era of forward thinking, future looking, respect and dignity embracing, inclusive and accepting people. 

It is symbolic that South Carolina leads the way: it lead the way into the Civil War.  It can now lead the way into a new era of compassion, acceptance and unity.  South Carolina has a burden to bear: to continue to move forward with inclusion, acceptance, equality, dignity, respect. 

What an outcome from an act of hate.

Honoring Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra was a great Yankee catcher, but he did more. He served in World War II, including participating on D-Day.  He was involved in civil rights activities, and in educational activities.  So, there is a petition on his museum website to sign, to have him be a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. They need 100,000 signatures by Monday, June 8, 2015, and when I signed a few minutes ago, they were at over 53,000. The link is https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/award-yogi-berra-presidential-medal-freedom-his-military-service-and-civil-rights-and-educational-activism. I was watching the national broadcast of the Yankee vs. Angels game, and this was announced during the game.  When I tried to get on the website right after the announcement, I could not. That tells me a lot of people also signed on.   I was just checking, and they have over 55,000 signatures now.  I have to believe there will be enough signatures by Monday. 

This is not about honoring a great Yankee player.  This is about honoring an iconic American.

Fallen Officer Ceremony

Today at work we had a Fallen Officer Ceremony https://www.odmp.org/agency/3822-texas-department-of-criminal-justice-texas.  This is a simple ceremony recognizing officers who have died in the line of duty since the last year.  This year, two were highlighted: they died in a bus accident transporting offenders from Abilene to El Paso http://www.oaoa.com/news/traffic_transportation/article_ecb9a086-9c05-11e4-8b48-5bab3838995d.html.

Usually, this ceremony starts with Amazing Grace played on bagpipes.  One year, we had real bag pipes.  Often, the rider-less horse with the boots pointing backwards is present. This year, the ceremony was inside due to the weather, so no horse. One year, the ceremony was moved inside at the last minute, so the rider-less horse was out in the rain seen through the windows. There are prayers, a short speech, and the reading of fallen officers names.  This varies.  Sometimes it is historical. Sometimes it is the list that have died in the line of duty for the agency, the state and/or the nation. 

The agency also sets a fallen officer table http://www.ehow.com/how_8721497_prepare-fallen-soldier-table.html in the foyer.

Tradition and ceremony is important to the place I work.  It might be corny, but I respect, admire, and appreciate tradition and ceremony, when it is purposeful and meaningful. This is purposeful and meaningful.  It shows respect for our downed colleagues. It reminds us that correctional work is dangerous, and we need to be careful. It honors those who have gone before us. 

Thank you for that.

South Plains Branch NASW March is Social Work Month Awards Banquet

Dateline:  March 24, 2015

Location:  Trustpoint Hospital, Lubbock, Texas

The staff at Trustpoint Hospital transformed their cafeteria into a lovely banquet hall, beautifully decorated with flowers, candles,  cloth table clothes and a slide show, emphasizing the teal NASW uses as its symbolic color, for the annual South Plains Branch NASW March is Social Work Month Awards Banquet.  The genial setting and format of the annual banquet allowed for networking and visiting before the meal, with hors d’oeuvres and beverages.   As social workers we regularly rush to the South Plains Branch NASW CEU luncheon meetings once a month, eat lunch, listen to the speaker, and rush off to work.  At the function tonight, we had a chance to sit back and relax, visit and mingle, and just enjoy, and be served, instead of rushing off to the next crisis.

Thanks to Bonnie Anne Rudd, who asked Trustpoint to sponsor the banquet tonight, we had a wonderful venue and a great, relaxed time.  Thanks also to Scott Brown, Trustpoint Director of Marketing, and their coworkers for their hands on efforts to make this a wonderful event.  We had a fine meal that included some wonderful desserts!  Social workers do not usually get served, and the Trustpoint staff did so graciously tonight.

After the meal, there was time for door prizes before the awards, and during the awards. Everyone in attendance was afforded the opportunity to receive a door prize!

The awards ceremony began with Pat Hollingworth  awarding the Fields of Practice Certificates

 

State Agency – Valeria Joiner

Mental Health – Margaret Lair
Criminal Justice -  Joyce Badger
Children and Families – Will Weathersby
Medical – Jan D’Orsay
Social Work Education – Cara Speer
Private Practice – Beverly Greiner
Retired – Anne Howe
School Social Work – Adelaida Montemayor
Elderly – Joyce Atkinson
 
For those certificate winners not present, we will have your certificates at the upcoming NASW events:  the annual April workshop, and the CEU lunch meetings in the coming months.

Interspersed among the awards presentations throughout the evening, were more door prizes.  As always, Cara Speer does a wonderful job acquiring “social worky” door prizes that are fun and have practical value.  Some door prizes were donated by members, including 3 Joe Arrington Cancer Center cookbooks thanks to Jan D’Orsay. One of the recipients of this door prize was Lex Webster, the chef at Raider Ranch who feeds us so well at our monthly meetings. Joining in the spirit of the evening, Lex said that since our next CEU lunch meeting is in May, he will have time to peruse the cookbook, and find something to cook for us from it at the May meeting!

This year, Public Citizen of the Year is really Public Couple of the Year:  Greg Carley most ably introduced the Reverend Ted (posthumously) and Betty Dotts, with contributions from Joyce Badger and Dr. Scott Badgett.  Mrs. Dotts gave a gracious and warm speech in acceptance.

Bonnie Anne Rudd presented the award for Agency of the Year to Raider Ranch, acknowledging their long history of hosting CEU activities, their generosity in providing us a meeting room, and free lunch!  Ashley Robertson thanked the social workers for their contributions to the community and Raider Ranch.

The Student of the Year from the Texas Tech University BSW program is Ashley Kuehl, presented by Helen Morrow. Helen told us that Ashley was the unanimous selection of herself, Dr. Elbow, Dr. Phelps and Dr. Lowe at Texas Tech! We were all given a pronunciation lesson: the name is pronounced “keel.”   Helen told us that both Mr. and Mrs. Kuehl have been United States Marines, and we thank them for their service to our country! as well as Ashley’s outstanding social work ability.  Ms. Kuehl was supported by the staff at VetStar, a part of Starcare Specialty Healthcare Systems of Lubbock County.  We thank them for their presence at the banquet!

Cara Speer, the 2014 Social Worker of the Year, presented the award to the 2015 Social Worker of the Year.  All of the previous Social Workers of the Year who were present were asked to come forward and support the 2015 winner, Greg Carley!  His efforts on behalf of the South Plains Branch include, but are not limited to, CEU activities for the luncheon series and the ethics workshop, Nominations and Leadership Recruitment, devoted steering committee member, and nominee for the upcoming election of Chair of the South Plains Branch.  Greg was out of town on business today, and we are grateful that he was able to get back to Lubbock to attend the banquet!

Poignantly, the last presentation of the evening was a memorial presentation.  Dr. Mike Rice lost his life in a plane crash earlier this year.  He, too, was a stalwart supporter of social services, and had a social worker’s heart.  He was a mentor to many, including Bonnie Anne, and gave of himself tirelessly to the needs of his patients. He was a strong advocate of the geriatric behavioral health program at Trustpoint.  One of his many passions was the American Diabetes Association, so the cost of the “ticket” for this evening’s event is being donated to the American Diabetes Association. We collected $240 + Trustpoint staff amount, and are grateful that his widow, Sandra Rice was present to acknowledge this memorial presentation.

As we departed, Scott Brown and staff, who had been taking photographs for us all evening, “framed us” for posterity. 

We asked all the social workers present to fill out a ticket with their name and phone number.  This will go into the drawing for the two NASW memberships that will be awarded at the annual ethics workshop on April 17, 2014.  You need not be present to win.  Your next opportunity to be entered into the drawing is at the workshop on April 17, 2015.  You are allowed one entry for the morning workshop, one entry for the afternoon workshop, and one bonus entry if you attend both workshops!

It was a wonderful night.  Once again, thanks to Bonnie Anne for her creativity, and the wonderful staff at Trustpoint for their efforts above and beyond!

I can’t tell you when I have had so much fun at an annual banquet.  As social workers, we need to learn to celebrate ourselves, and not always take ourselves so seriously! 

Thanks to all!

 

 

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/.  I generally try to do something to recognize the honorees on a patriotic holiday.  I did not today. I did not get the day as a holiday at work.

I did go to a patriotic concert last Friday. And, I did think about the veterans and their sacrifices today.   That is weak.  It is what it is.

Memorial Day, and Honoring Our National Heroes

This was on PBS on Memorial Day:  http://video.pbs.org/video/2318014363/  If you did not see it, it is well worth watching.  It talks about how there was not a way to bury and acknowledge the war dead during the The War Between the North and the South (I purposefully chose not to call it the Civil War or the War of Northern Aggression), and how, out of that grew the national recognition we now have for our veterans, deceased and serving.

Amazingly, but understandably, the recording, remembrances, and honoring of the dead was most attributed to the slaves and freed slaves. Honoring the dead, black or white,  was more important to them than to the Anglos at the time.  Also, it was due to the hard physical labor of the blacks that the bodies of the deceased were dug up and re-interned or otherwise recognized.  We had much to learn from the culture of the Afro-Americans, even then, that we ignored.

But this time resulted in the establishment of National Cemeteries.  And the acknowledgement of the war dead as national heroes.  President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm contributed so much to this recognition.

I agree with my niece it would be nice if we did not have to recruit and send our citizens in harm's way for the protection of our country.  Sometimes, as with the Native Americans, our efforts have been less than honorable.  Yet, also look at how many Native Americans have served the greater good of this nation.  Sometimes, with our more recent wars and conflicts, we have been the aggressors, often in an attempt to keep the aggression off our continent, or so we think. Do you want more attacks like the ones on the World Trade Center? Or the Pentagon? Or the airplane over Pennsylvania?

Although I would like to not have a military force and see us send our citizens in harm's way, I am a realist, and I am not sure that is possible.  And, harm's way can be recovery and rescue missions in the face of other types of tragedy as well as war: natural disaster, internal disruptive incidents of horrific result.  And, I am glad those forces are there to help when these incidents occur.

I am not ashamed to thank people for their military service on behalf of our country.  I also thank policemen, firemen, EMTs, and corrections officers.  We do not appreciate how important that is. I called the fire department a couple of years ago: At about 10 PM, my furnace motor burned up, and I was concerned that it might have started a smoldering fire in the heater closet. 911 dispatch  told me to vacate the house, and sent 3 fire trucks.  The firemen swarmed through my house, checked the heater closet, the pump outside, the electric line connections, the roof, the back yard, the fuse box (I had to go back inside to show them where it was) and the attic.  I apologized for the false alarm when nothing was found.  They told me they would much rather I call before I had a problem than wait till I woke up in the middle of the night with a problem. I took that sincerely.  I did not get a bill.  

Local police, county, state and national police (FBI) are the equivalent of the military forces in our country. What would happen if we had none of that in place, last year, on April 15, 2013, at the end of the Boston Marathon.  How do you prevent further destruction?  That broke my heart.   

We do not want to put lives on the line. But the reality is, lives are constantly being put on the line. Sometimes it is military, sometimes it police, fire, EMT.  Sometimes it is people who work on ambulance services, helicopter ambulances, and even teachers and social workers.

What I came away within from watching this show is that we are a nation that has learned a very difficult lesson, and have had to learn it more than once, that it is very important to acknowledge, recognize, honor and revere our public servants, no matter what role they have. We have learned to acknowledge them by monuments, cemeteries, ceremonies, rituals, medals.  Most recently, our communities have reached out and are starting to acknowledge them by special programs, services, and commerical and business options. 

Also, most recently I am aware of the scandal of the problems in the Veteran's Administration regarding of the veteran's health care system: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/05/15/a-guide-to-the-va-health-care-controversy/.  I do not know the truths of the Veteran's Administration Health Care System.  I want to believe it is well intentioned. But this is not the first time the VA has had a black eye regarding veteran's health care. Note this story about Veteran's Health care in 2003 http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/25/loc_VAhealthcare.html.  The point is we constantly need to strive to be sure that our Veterans receive the benefits and assistance they truly deserve.

And, I am so proud that this is a part of our national heritage.  I am not familiar with other countries. I wonder how this is handled in other countries.  It may be better, and we may have more to learn from other countries.  It is my dearest hope we are doing everything we can to help and acknowledge our service providers.

Memorial Day

I watched the National Memorial Day Concert http://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert/home/ on PBS tonight.  This was a very good but very emotional event.  The stories of surviving families, and veterans who survived or died in service were shared.  There was good music, appropriate patriotic music, and the rendition of the Services Medley always hits me hard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L9g1n25HdY.

So, I cried through much of this concert.  And, I had cried through much of the movie I saw earlier today.  My jaw was very sore by the end of the concert, a function of how I hold my mouth while I cry.

The tears are sad, happy, proud. 

Memorial Day Celebration

When I was growing up, my home town had a Memorial Day Parade.  As a Brownie and Girl Scout, I participated every year.  When I was no longer affiliated, I always went to watch the parade.

 

My home town had an American Legion Post and a Veteran's of Foreign Wars group. When I was young, we had the Millers Falls Drum and Bugle Corp, which marched in the parade. In addition to Scouts, the fire department marched. As did other local organizations.  The Boy Scouts put flags on the graves of veterans at the cemetery. The graves were marked with veteran's markers.

 

The parade started at the Ervingside park at the local war memorial, and proceeded to the cemetery.  At the bridge, crossing from Ervingside to Montague, the parade stopped.  There was usually a prayer, and a 21 gun salute.  Then, taps was played.  Not once, but twice. Once at the bridge, the second time in the distance.  It was a haunting rendition and somehow made the ceremony more solemn.

 

I have been to military honors burials, and many Memorial Day ceremonies in Lubbock.  The lack of the second distant rendition of taps leaves me wanting.

 

This year, as for the last 10 years, there is a Memorial Day Ceremony at the City of Lubbock Cemetery at 10 AM. I plan to be there.  Join me if you will.

 

http://www.ci.lubbock.tx.us/news-item/2014/05/20/default-calendar/memorial-day-service-at-the-city-cemetery

 

Today is National Candy Corn Day!

I did not know until tonight that today is National Candy Corn Day!  Wow.  I do not do a lot of sweets, but candy corn http://www.candyusa.com/FunStuff/CandyType.cfm?ItemNumber=1582 is one that I do.

It is interesting to me the the National Confectioners Associations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Confectioners_Association honors a candy.

It is quite possible they honor other candies on other days.  Hmmmm.

Mariano Rivera

Today was Mariano Rivera day at Yankee Stadium http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=121250#gameType='R'&sectionType=career&statType=2&season=2013&level='ALL'.

In case you do not know, Mariano Rivera has been the stellar closer for the New York Yankees, and his career with them has continued since 1995, with a lay by in 2012 for an injury.  He is retiring, and at Yankee Stadium today, there was a tribute to him.

This year he has done a farewell tour, and has been honored at each baseball stadium during his last scheduled game at the stadium. He was honored at the All Star game, also.

Mariano RIvera, affectionately, called Mo, is a gentleman of class and and high moral characer. Outside of baseball, he is devoted to improving his home town, Puerto Camito, in Panama.  

Mariano Rivera is the last baseball player who wears the number 42, which was Jackie Robinson's http://www.jackierobinson.com/ number. You will remember that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1947, being the first black player to play Anglo professional baseball.  His number was retired April 15, 1997, and every April 15 is celebrated as Jackie Robinson day.

It was fitting the the wife and daughter of Jackie Robinson, Rachel and Sharon,  were at the ceremony today, and their on field escort was Robinson Canó  If Jackie Robinson had not broken the color barrier, Mariano Rivera would not have been able to play professional baseball, and be revered as a hero.  And, Robinson Canó http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Can%C3%B3 was named after Jackie Robinson.

The baseball game was aired nationally on TBS http://www.tbs.com/?SR=tbs&SR=tbs.  Frequently, when there are pre-game activities honoring people, the highlights of these ceremonies are broadcast.  TBS broadcast most of the pre-game ceremonies live, which is a statement regarding the reverence the sports industry has for Mariano Rivera.

What a man!

The Columbia Exhibit at The Silent Wings Museum

I have written about the Silent Wings Museum before.  On February 1, 2013, there was a remembrance reception at the Silent Wings Museum, opening the Columbia Exhibit http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/specEvents/allSpecEvents.aspx.  Because my Friday afternoons at work have become somewhat inflexible, I did not have the opportunity to attend this reception, although I would have liked to do so. 

However, today, I went to see the Columbia Exhibit.  It was subdued but gave information about Willie McCool and Rick Husband, both of whom have Lubbock ties, and both of whom perished in the Columbia disintegration.

Willie McCool graduated from Coronado High School.  There is a statue of him in Huneke Park http://parks.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pk/willieMcCool.aspx  in Lubbock Texas.  http://today.ttu.edu/2013/02/a-fathers-pride-remembering-the-columbia-tragedy/ .  A few years ago, on Memorial Day, I went to a Memorial Day service at the Lubbock War Memorial http://parks.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pk/specialParks.aspx.  I walked over to the Willie McCool statue, and someone there told me the gentleman walking to his car was Willie McCool's father. I walked up to him, offered him condolences, and thanked him for his sacrifice. (I may have written about this before.)

Rich Husband http://sts107.com/crew/Husband/Husband.htm graduated from Texas Tech University. The exhibit at the Silent Wings Museum shows him doing a "guns up" pose in a shuttle photograph.

It is sad that Lubbock is blessed to have ties to two of the astronauts who perished in the Columbia tragedy 10 years ago.   Sad.

Parade and the Fourth of July Festival

Lubbock had an Independence Day parade today, and I attended it.   A Lubbock parade is an unusual creature.  There are few, if any bands.  Today, there was a drum line.  After the parade, there was going to be a festival of mostly music and food, and one of the music venues played recorded patriotic music for much of the parade.  Some of the "floats" included people who were singing.  One of the floats included acrobats performing.

Just about anything qualifies as an entry in the Lubbock parade: Elected or local celebratory individuals of all kinds riding in convertibles; official vehicles from city, state, county, hospital, school entities; vehicles representing churches, schools and businesses; some were real "floats."  Most were decorated vehicles, or vehicles pulling decorated or not decorated flat-bed trailers.  The street sweepers follow the horse group entries. 

Last year, very little was thrown to the participants, and someone said the practice was being discouraged. This year, candy, bagged snacks, T-shirts, wristbands, and flyers were distributed to the crowd.  It was a little more festive with these additions.

I was really distressed when the parade began, and the honor guard came by. This consisted of multiple military groups with flags, each including the American flag.  Only some of us stood and saluted the flag.  I do not blame the children, but I wish the adults knew better.  It was the young adults, probably under 40, who did not stand. This is very disrespectful.

One of the entries to the parade was AeroCare, the air ambulance of the area.  The helicopter flew over twice, which was a nice touch.  I saw the county tactical response vehicle (bombs, SWAT, etc) which I did not know existed, and the county mobile headquarters vehicle, which I vaguely knew existed but had not bothered to consider what it looked like. Someone in the audience commented that he did not know there was a Miss Lubbock County pageant, until Miss Lubbock County went by in a convertible.  (I did not know there was a Miss Lubbock County pageant, either.)

The other distressing thing to me about the parade was the end.  The final entries had not passed us, and spectators were already flooding the street in front of us.  The four motorcylce cops bringing up the rear of the parade were not enough to prevent this. It was not dangerous, particularly, but it was disrespectful of the participants. 

But I saw a lot of disrespect in the spectators this year.  Late comers crowding into areas already occupied by spectators. People standing in front of a spectators, without regard to the fact those seated behind them had been there before the standees arrived. People grabbing gifts from in front of other people.  I had a bag of chips grabbed away from me. My reaction to grab the chips was more defensive than acquisitional.  I think someone saw that because a few seconds later, a bag of chips landed on my shoulder.

The parade was just a parade.  It was okay. It celebrated the country and the service people: military, government, safety and first responders.  So that was good.

The festival was okay.  I think they should bring in a carnival of rides, and have craft and hobby booths as well as food and music, but no one asked me.

I spent most of the day at one particular music venue.  They had jazz, the Westwinds Brass Band, mariachi music (two different groups played, and one played twice), ballet folklorica dancing, the women's barbshop chorus, and an easy listening ensemble.  During the ballet folkorica, I took a break, and got a drink and lunch.  The rest of the time, I sat under the tent, listened and enjoyed the music, and knitted.

I also got to spend some time with a dear friend, which was a bonus.  We were going to go kayaking, but the wind was gusting up 27 MPH, and when it gets above 20 MPH, I try to stay off the lake.

I have already blogged about the fireworks and the cats. The fireworks have calmed down, which is a blessing.

D-Day Memorial

The Silent Wings Museum http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/ in Lubbock, Texas had a D-Day Memorial on 6-6-2012, and extended activities this weekend. I missed the speeches and the fly in of the C47, but got to tour the plane and listen to the stories the WWII re-enactors told. It was fun to hear the questions of the children in the audience, because they spark the speakers to be more animated. I know a lot of what the speakers share, but I enjoy hearing the oral history.

There was a film about D-Day, using actual historical footage.  One of my favorite movies is The Longest Day, which is about D-Day. While there is a lot of theatrical license in the movie, there is a lot of historical correctness in it too, and the historical film I viewed today confirmed that.

In conjunction with the Texas Tech Museum http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/exhsch11.html, there will be many WWII commemoratives and events this summer in Lubbock. One of the nice things about being in conservative Lubbock, Texas is that the community appreciates and commemorates military heroes.  This is in part due to the ongoing legacy of Reese Air Force Base that was closed in 1997 (which was a WWII Army Airfield), the legacy of the glider pilots training in Lubbock at the South Plains Army Air Field, and the 3000 or more veterans buried in the City of Lubbock Cemetery.  But mostly because the Bible-belters are unabashed flag-wavers.  And, what is wrong with unabashed flag wavers.  We can love our country even if we do not love our countries politics.  

Last year on Memorial Day, I was at a commemorative event at the Lubbock Area Veterans War Memorial.  http://www.playlubbock.com/pk/specialParks.aspx and walked over to the the Willie McCool Memorial Statue http://www.playlubbock.com/pk/willieMcCool.aspx.  I met Commander McCool's father and thanked him for the service of his son to our country.  That was SO awesome.

Someone asked me, just recently, if I was ex-military or a  veteran.  I am not. I have just decided that I need to appreciate anyone and everyone who has put their life on the line for my life: police officer; fireman, security guard, military, EMT.  Thank you.

Chasing Flies

So, Taki is chasing flies tonight.  She has actually been running around trying new jumps and new experiences today, and did so yesterday.  Tonight, she is chasing flies.  She is very active and seems to be having a good time at it.

Sometimes, I think I chase flies.  I flit from thing to thing, trying to get things accomplished, but not really finishing anything, rather aimlessly.   My vacation has been like that, since I returned from New England. Well, not totally.  I did accomplish some things. But a large portion of my time was spent flitting, doing things I like: reading, playing on the computer, sitting in the back yard, but not actually accomplishing any one thing concretely. But moving, whether or not, aimlessly.  Enjoying the aimlessness of it. With only a twinge of guilt at not being more productive or accomplishing more.

That is okay.  My big goal for the next couple of days is to attend at least one Memorial Day ceremony.  Years ago, it would not have mattered. But my reverence for those who protect us, whether in the military, the police, the fire department, the jails and prisons, has escalated exponentially in the last 4 or 5 years.  I was slow to grow the appreciation, but it is there above and beyond, now. Honoring those who serve is nothing like chasing flies.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It is a beautiful day today, but cool and windy. I could have been outside, but I was able to access the Boston vs. Tampa Bay game, played at Fenway Park.  This is the Fentennial, the 100th anniversary of the opening of the park http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20577587&c_id=mlb

Fenway has lots of traditions, including the singing of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" http://www.bostonspastime.com/sweetcaroline.html. When there is national coverage for the Red Sox, they most often show the fans singing in the middle of the 8th inning.

Today is Jackie Robinson Day.  Today the breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball, by Jackie Robinson is acknowledged and celebrated http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/jrd/.  He is heralded as helping so much to make this happen, and happen well.  It took a great deal of courage by him, and an understanding that he had to behave with the dignity and respect he was not going to be accorded by so many, many people.

I heard an old timer today talk about him, and about how especially the players raised in the South did not know any better than to behave the way they did.  True but sad.  Very sad for the minority players who still, sometimes, have to deal with inappropriate racial barriers.

But baseball is integrated. And it is integrated with players from the Caribbean countries, Mexico, Central and South America. Andi it is integrated with players from Asia.

A friend of mine wrote me about hearing about Margaret Mitchell. One of the comments she had about Gone With the Wind was how blacks reacted to her treatment of slaves in the book.  I cannot imagine how much suffering so many people have endured in our country, including in the sport of baseball. It makes me feel good that America's Pastime acknowledges the heritage of Jackie Robinson.

Tonight, I get to watch the Yankees and the Angels play at Yankee Stadium. So, this is a day when I have had the chance to be at the old ball game.