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♦ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
4A
OPINION
Yes, there were lots of heroes
Yes, there were heroes. Lots of
'em. Some you would think of,
and many who might not come
readily to mind. Let’s talk about some
of them.
There were the firefighters. First,
and foremost, they were heroes. Oh,
when it comes to firefighters in New
York or Atlanta, you think of fire
men (women) as heroes. But, here
in Houston County? Let me tell you,
these brave women and men were
heroes.
Once, I saw elephants parade coun
ter-traffic wise right down Carroll
Street. Never thought I would see that
in Perry, Georgia.
This past Saturday afternoon, I saw a
man or woman in a bucket on a crane,
high above Carroll Street, about in
front of Two Friends or Impressions,
pouring water on Snyder’s building.
For a while, actually a long while,
you couldn’t even see the fire fight
ing equipment, much less the hero in
the bucket on top of the crane. I saw
a huge stream of water coming from
somewhere. It looked like it was com
ing from heaven, and maybe it was.
Eventually, the smoke cleared,
enough, that you could see our fire
person hero. I wish I knew the person’s
name engulfed in the black heart-pine
smoke.
There were other firemen.
Everywhere. On the ground, in the air,
on the buildings. Doing their jobs like
they were trained to do. Just like at the
Twin Towers in New York - only small
er scale. These men and women were
heroes. Or, should I say, are heroes.
You can’t write too much positive
about the firefighters, and I probably
haven’t given them justice.
But, I must move on, and I want to
write of other heroes. People who you
Playing flit rattlesnake trick, guardin' the gardens
If I don’t win city council, I’m
gon’ try to get me a job with
Chief Gray or Chief Potter. We all
feelin’ bad ‘bout that fire downtown.
Them firemen and police done real
good keepin’ it from bein’ worser.
But talkin’ bout Sattidy, I reckon I
ain’t seed that much rain come down
that fast at one time since the flood of
‘94. Me and the boys was at our hide
out and we ‘bout got washed into Big
Indian Creek. Course we got cleaned
up some.
Aunt Porky Lou had to look after
Piggette who was havin’ one of her
panic attacks an’ screechin’ like a sireen
ever time the lightnin’ struck. Aunt
Porky Lou said Piggette is still havin’
her nervous breakdown about havin’
to move outta the Muse Theatre.
It’s lucky for Piggette me an the boys
wudden out there, cause we know how
to shut her up.
One time when we was little and she
pitched one of them screechin’ fits,
an’ we did the rattlesnake trick on her,
which you oughta know about in case
you got somebody you want to make
'em behave.
You get a mason jar an’ fill it with
dried chinaberries an’ put it in a cro
ker sack, an’ then you shake the cro-
“Summer vacation plans? ...We can't even
afford gas for the drive to the travel agency!"
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com HHKr
probably won’t think of as heroes, but,
to my mind, they were and are.
There’s Snyder Chapman and his
mother and father, Jane and Ed. They
were on the scene seeing Snyder’s
building and his life’s work going up
in flames. They had to be emotional
wrecks. But, they were outwardly calm
and collected. True champs. Made out
of good stuff. True heroes. I would like
to think I could act as well under simi
lar circumstances. Yes, heroes.
Then, there were the elected offi
cials. Those who are often referred to
derisively as “politicians”. Some pres
ent, and some from many years past.
Oh, you say, what did they do? Let me
tell you.
The little City of Perry had great
water pressure, and the fire hydrants
were in place. We had plenty of water.
They tell me that over 1 million gallons
were poured on the flames.
The little City of Perry had great
fire fighting equipment. The little City
of Perry had an adequate number of
well-trained firefighters. Somewhere
along the line, and probably subject to
criticisms, elected officials voted to tax
citizens to raise the funds to have all of
this adequacy.
So, for those who served for all the
years, I salute Mayor Jim Worrall
and our present City Council on your
behalf. True heroes.
Porky’s
Panderings T t/L
porky@evansnewspapers.com SjOn
ker sack an’ say, “I got a rattlesnake
in here, an’ I gon’ put this croker
sack righ over you head if you don’t
behave.”
It sure worked with Piggette way
back then and she done shut up real
good for ‘bout a week. Course we all
got whuppins when the growed-ups
foun’ out, but it was worth it.
Me and the boys got a new bidness.
We was goin’ to the Farmers Market
ever Sattidy till we figgered out that
some of them folks what’s sellin’ things
has got gardens and they ain’t home to
keep an eye on things.
So we been providin’ security for they
gardens while they’s at the Farmer’s
Market, makin’ sure ain’t no deer an’
no rabbits cornin’ ‘roun.
Ain’t no deer an’ no rabbits dared
come aroun’ so we mostly sit aroun’
Then, there were the mutual assis
tance contracts among the govern
mental entities in the county that
allowed and required help from aft to
help one. What an impressive array of
equipment from Warner Robins and
Houston County and others - there in
Perry’s hour of need. Heroes.
Those who came and those who had
the wisdom to require the coming.
Bobby Tuggle brought bottled water
to the firemen. Neal Rearden and his
Georgia Power crews did their thing.
Chief George Potter’s Perry Policemen
were on the scene keeping absolute
order. All heroes.
There will be clean-up. There will be
hardships. There will be decisions to
re-build and go forward. There will be
new beginnings. There will be heroes.
Anna Pritchett asked me at the fire
scene, “Larry, when was the last time
we had a big fire in Perry”? Well, I
responded, “I remember when Mr. and
Mrs. Tucker’s house on Swift Street
burned, but that must have been at
least 50 years ago”.
I know we have had some big fires
since then, but not many. We’ve had
heroes taking care of us. And, for this,
thanks to Chief Joel Gray and the
Perry Fire Department, as well as our
neighbors and friends from Warner
Robins and all over our county, and to
all the “politicians” who helped put a
great system in place.
My grandson, Walker Cook Way, is 6
years old. He was one of the hundreds
of people on the fire scene. I’ll bet
when he’s my age, he will remember
June 14, 2008. It might be one of his
earliest memories.
If so, I hope he’ll be able to say to an
Anna Pritchett, “It’s been a long time
since we’ve had a big fire in Perry”.
talkin’ an’ now and then we might eat
a couple dozen zookeeny an’ squawsh
an’ unjuns and materses and taterses
they missed when they was pickin’
things and pullin’ things up.
Any of y’all want two, three hogs
guardin’ your garden, you jus’ let me
knovy.
We real good at guardin’ watermelon
if anybody got some.
Big news from the campaign. We
thinkin’ we gone get Bobby Tuggle’s
endorsement, plus I done got my bum
per stickers. We gon’ go out one night
and jus’ put ‘em on cars, so don’t be
sprized if you got five or six on your
back bumper.
They just say “Porky for Council”
cause we wanted it big ‘nuff to read,
an we can’t put my whole motto on it
it, which is “Vote for Porky to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote
the general Welfare, and secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, plus have less ordnances
an’ pay all them firefighters and Police
more an’ save the taxpayers an’ don’t
have no barbecue.”
"One voice can make a difference "
Sounding your own horn ,
patting a few of the many backs
It appears citizens of Houston County - specif
ically Warner Robins, Centerville and the county
itself, but maybe Perry joining in later - you are
your own severe weather alert system.
To be ignored would be a stormy day for your
council members and commissioners.
And they have come to know it all too well.
They’ve heard it and heard it from you until
now the consensus is: “This is going to happen
(that siren system, maybe even the phone sup
plement). It’s just a matter of how.” More than
one has said that on more than one occasion
and at more than one venue.
In fact, it’s a sentiment we’ve heard echoed
at the Warner Robins City Council the past two
meetings, the Centerville City Council and at the
County Commissioners' meeting - also twice.
“What are we going to do if there’s a tie,”
asked one Vision 2020 member last week dur
ing its meeting and in regard to what happens
if two vote “for” and two vote “against” once the
results of an even further study are in. (With the
Board of Education not voting due to the fact it
already has a form of telephone alert system
and the siren aspect is really non-applicable).
Then (if there’s a tie) it’s shot down, one board
member replied.
Oh no, countered Vision 2020 Chairman Ned
Sanders emphatically, with a head nod of con
currences following - including the one who
made the statement to begin with.
“The people break the tie. The people want
this!”
And so, we say, you have been heard loud and
clear.
But, we would caution, like those sirens some
times seem to go on forever, you need to keep
on wailing, whooping, or making whatever sound
you’ve been making to keep their attention.
Twice now, once at Perry City Council and
once at Vision 2020, we’ve heard somebody say
something to the effect of: “Why, you've been
talking about putting up a siren system for 14
years. And you still haven’t done it.”
So apparently this falls under the heading of: A
done deal isn’t a done deal until it’s a done deal
... or something like that.
In other words, you’ve got them ducking for
cover, but it’s way to soon in the game to give
them the “all clear” just yet.
It’s always amazing to see a community spring
into action and help out during a crisis.
Such was the case with Perry’s big fire Saturday
(and we obviously can’t say enough about the
men and women, the emergency personnel,
who put their lives on the line each and every
time they go out to something like this).
We don’t know everybody - but if you’ll tell
us who you are we will gladly sing your praises
- but a few have come to our attention. To
that end, thank you Wendy’s, Audrey Evans of
Evans Newspaper Inc., and Leta’s. These three
organizations/people provided food and drink for
the firefighters and the city owes them a debt of
gratitude.
Pmtston Pom* iournal
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