About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
Page 6A,The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 31, 2019 Veteran Of The Month - Robert (Bob) Usry Lieutenant Colonel Rob ert Usry attended the Lee County School system from the first through twelfth grades. After graduation he attended Georgia Southwestern College and received an Associate’s Degree in Nursing in May of 1966. On graduating he imme diately received his greet ings from Uncle Sam. He volunteered to join the army and received his Commission as a Second Lieutenant in July of 1966 He attended Basic Training at Fort Sam Houston, TX, and ironi cally ran into his old Lee County High School friend, Dr. Ray Williams. After basic it was off to Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. After 12 short weeks it was off to Vietnam, where he was stationed at the 67th Evacuation Hospital. The hospital took all types of trauma, medical conditions and “Killed in action” be cause the hospital had a morgue. It wasn’t unusual to get 100 minor wound ed soldiers at one time via air evacuation. After Vietnam, Lt Usry was stationed at Fort Benning, GA. He left the army in November 1968 to go back to school. In January of 1970 he Lee Pride mums 261 Walnut Avs. Downtown Leesburg 759-6200 joined the Air Force. He was stationed at Wilford Hall Hospital where he worked in the Orthope dic Unit until December of 1971 and was then transferred to Elmendorf, Alaska. He spent three years in the land of the Midnight sun. The next move, he was stationed at Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah where he also attained his Degree in History (1977) from Weber State College, and then back to Wilford Hall in January of 1978. He again left active duty in November 1978, and returned to Alaska as a civilian. Two years later, he came back to his home in Georgia in 1981, joined the Army Reserves in 1982 and transferred to the Geor gia National Guard in 1983. He worked at the Navy Branch Clinic from 1984 until 1990. He gave immunizations, ran the blood pressure clinic and estate Farm Auto • Home • Renters • Life • Bank • Business BOOSTER LEE cou NTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Michele Bates, Agent Steve Perrine, Agent (tymmCtted fo Ace 229.888.0813 www.StevePerrine.com FOR SALE: 2007 COACHMEN CROSS COUNTRY MOTOR HOME MODEL #354MBS, $60,000 ONE OWNER, DIESEL PUSHER, 300HP, TURBO CHARGED, ALLISON TRANSMISSION, AIR RIDE SUSPENSION, AUTOMATIC LEVELER, LARGE SLIDE OUT, NEW TIRES & BATTERIES, SHELTERED AND PLUGGED IN 24/7! WAY TOO MANY FEATURES TO DESCRIBE! IMMACULATELY MAINTAINED! CALL KEN JONES, 229-364-9906. managed the medical unit. In 1985 he returned to Georgia Southwestern and received his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education thanks to the GI Bill. In August of 1987, he accompanied an Army Reserve unit from Puerto Rico, to Archaeon, Ecuador where the US Reserves were building a bridge over a tributary of the Amazon. It was an interesting location as you could see a smoking volcano from the medical tent and it was interesting to watch the reaction of people who had never felt an earthquake before. Most of Lt Col Usry’s time was spent on the Guards immunization team which was responsi ble for keeping the troops’ shots up to date in case of mobilization and assur ing that shot records were also up to date. In 1991 Lt. Col. Usry was called to active duty during Operation Desert Storm. He served for 60 days at Fort Gordon’s Eisenhower Hospital in Augusta. He had orders to go to Saudi Arabia but thanks to our Armed Forces the war came to a quick conclusion. He inspected nursing homes for federal and state compliance from 1994 until 2004. After retiring from the state, he worked for the King Fam ily Nursing Homes for three years helping them with compliance issues. In 1994 during the Flood in Albany and surrounding areas, then Coroner of Lee County, Lt Col Usry headed up the immunization team to ensure the health of the troops and also super vised the detail charged with the duty of casket recovery at Riverside Cemetery. In 1997, he accompa nied a Georgia National Guard Engineer Battalion to Tbilisi. Georgia, where the Unit built a Neo-Natal Nursery for a pediatric hospital, and installed a generator as well. Dur ing the second half of the mission the unit replaced the plumbing, installed heaters and wired the orphanage for the new generator installed. Lt Col Usry retired in 2000 with 30 years of service. During his Guard Service he served as Lee County’s Coroner, served on the Utility Authority for 30 years, and recently served a term on the Lee c 360° VIEW Albany,s Exdusive Dealer COMMERCIAL BUILT QUALITY, PRICED FOR THE HOMEOWNER! LOW APR FINANCING With Approved Credit I 5 * Offer wbpa ® credit apefwH. 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The military has been good to the Usry family and they wish to salute all who are still serving their Country and the thousands of veterans who have passed away. Thanks for your service. Bob presently is honored to be a member of the American Legion Post 182 in Leesburg and serves on their Honor Guard. The University of Georgia • Cooperative Extension Service Pecan Recovery Doug Collins, Lee County Extension Coordinator Putting Knowledge toWorU) Although this year’s pecan crop has been adversely affected by last year’s Hurricane Michael, there is optimism for next year’s crop. Pecan Recovery Everyone knows that pecans took an awful hit from Hurricane Mi chael last year. Trees were uprooted. The harvest was delayed, or in many cases, prevent ed. Trees that survived sustained damaged trunks, roots, branches, and shoots. As a result of this damage, the nut set is reduced this year. There is good news, however. Dr. Lenny Wells, the University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, re cently told a group of county agents that he had spoken with pecan experts in other states that had experienced devastating hurricanes. In the year following the hurricane, pecan production was off, as we are seeing this year. According to Dr. Wells, the second year after the hurricane, trees tended to put on a good crop. A good crop will certainly be welcomed by growers. For more information, call the Lee County Extension Office at 759-6025 or email me at collinsd@uga.edu Tell Your Doctor... You Choose Limbcare! FREE Pediatric and Adult Prosthetic Orthotic Diabetic Footwear Evaluations John P. Rodman, Sr., C.P.O., FAAOP, LPO U.S. Army (Retired) Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist Practice Manager LimBcaRe. 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