Newspaper Page Text
ImeSrialDay
is a time to honor.
reflect, and
remember those
who Ve made the
ultimate sacrifice
WAYNESBORO, GEORGIA
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Vol. 142, No. 14 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 - $1.00
DABC Director reports potential sale of Fiamm Building
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Fiamm Building, located
along Burke Veterans Parkway, east
of the intersection of Burke Veterans
Parkway and Liberty Street, is under
contract pending a 180-day due
diligence. The interested buyer is a
furniture manufacturing company
looking to use the Burke County
location for their logistic and ware
house operations.
“They supply to stores like Lowes
and Flome Depot and some of the big
stores,” said Development Authority
Director Jonathan Lupo. “They will
be boxing everything, warehousing
it there and shipping it out.”
The approximate 154,500 Sq. Ft.
building is contained on a 30-acre
parcel, and includes 24-foot clear
ceilings, eight dock-high doors, one
drive-in bay, and three rail service
bays. It is listed for a price of $2.6
million, according to multiple web
sites.
Lupo updated the Development
Authority panel on seven active proj
ects he has discussed since they hired
him in March. Three business inqui
ries centered around the Raymond
Tract property in the Burke Business
Park, four more centered around the
General Electric building, located
on Burke Veterans Parkway, he said.
However, the DABC rejected two of
the companies who expressed inter
est in the Raymond Tract.
“One was a heavy industry that
would put off a lot of emissions and
with where the Raymond Tract is, a
residential area, I just didn’t think
it was a very good fit,” Lupo said.
“The second one, we had
to withdraw because we
did not have the capacity
for water with the city.”
SEE
DABC,
13
Development Authority of Burke County Director Jonathan Lupo and
Chairwoman Lindsai Gentry.
A portrait of Jeffrey Stokes hangs on his brother’s office wall.
Remembering
Jeffrey
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Waynesboro High School graduate Lance Cpl.
Jeffrey Stokes’ homecoming from Beirut was
marked with the dignity of a military ceremony
and the grief of an entire county.
Jeffrey’s body arrived at Augusta’s Bush Field
Airport on board a jet plane accompanied by a Ma
rine escort .Waiting in the terminal were his father,
mother, sisters and brothers.
U .S. Marines went on a peacekeeping mission to
Lebanon in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan.
According to Jeffrey’s brother, Rev. Robert Stokes,
Jeffrey had two weeks left in Lebanon when he
returned to Beirut after a short leave.
While Jeffrey was sleeping on October 23,1983,
a truck filled with 2,000 pounds of explosives drove
Stokes
into the U.S. military compound and detonated,
killing 241 service members, including Jeffrey and
219 of his fellow Marines. It was the deadliest day
in the history of the Marine Corps.
The Hezbollah, an extremist Shiite Muslim
group, was believed to be responsible for the deadly
attack, with the support of the Iranian government.
Nineteen-year-old Jeffrey was buried with full
military honors November 5,1983 at Daniel Grove
Baptist Church, the same day he was expected to
return from the mission alive. Hundreds of friends
and relatives attended his closed-casket funeral. As
a community, Burke County mourned the loss of
one of their own.
“Jeff was free-spirited,” Robert
recalled fondly. “He played football
J 1 J STOKES
and he was the class clown. He was ’
also a great writer.” 13
Quick response saves
school employee’s life
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Due to the quick response of a
school’s Cardiac Emergency Re
sponse Team (CERT) to deliver
lifesaving CPR and defibrillation, a
Burke County Middle School staff
member is doing well and resting
at home.
Burke County Public Schools
installed Automated External Defi
brillators (AEDs) several years ago
and many staff members have been
trained in CPR and AED use over
the years.
A staff member at the middle
school collapsed in the hallway
Thursday, May 19, around 2:40 p.m.
Personnel in classrooms down the
hall heard "a loud noise in the hall
way" and went to investigate. The
staff member was found lying on the
floor and was unresponsive. Immedi
ately 911 was dialed and the BCMS
Cardiac Emergency Response Team
was alerted.
Onsite, members of the CERT
team responded immediately and ac
cording to their role, performed CPR,
and used an AED. After the second
shock, the staff member started to
respond and became alert. Within
minutes, EMS arrived, evaluated
and transported the staff person to
the hospital.
CERT was initiated at each school
in 2017 in coordination with guide
lines from Project S.A.V.E. through
CHOA and Georgia Association of
School Nurses. The CERT at each
school consists of the school nurse
as the lead and several other staff
members that have been trained
in CPR Cardiopulmonary Resus
citation, which consists of chest
compressions, breaths and AED
use. The team meets at the begin
ning of each school year to go over
any updates and/or changes and to
review the role of each individual
during an actual event/emergency.
Cardiac Emergency Response Drills
are conducted twice a year during the
school day, once in the fall and once
in the spring to simulate what to do
in the event of a cardiac emergency.
BCMS completed their second
Cardiac Emergency Response Drill
Tuesday, May 17, just two days prior
to the emergency situation.
Final election results for local and area races
were not available at press time. Please check
The True Citizen Facebook page or website for
the latest vote tallies.
Understanding the effects of combat
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Rev. Robert Stokes, pastor of Ca
naan Galilee Baptist Church, served
in the U.S. Army. His brother Jeffrey
served in the Marines and was killed
during a peacekeeping mission in
Beirut. Robert’s uncle served in the
Army and was killed in WWI. Two
nephews serve in the U.S. Navy. An
other nephew joined the U .S. Army.
“I do whatever I can to help veter
ans, because I understand,” he said.
“You were not in a normal situation
in a war.”
The conditions combat soldiers
learn to accept and persevere through
are circumstances that people might
normally run from, he said. Soldiers
are trained not to show emotion or
feelings even during rough condi
tions.
“You don’t disobey an order,” he
said. “You know you are going into
battle and you know you may lose
your life but you don’t desert, you
go. That is a powerful tool if you
think about it. It’s a whole different
world than civilian life.”
Fellow veterans understand the
process that takes place after joining
the military, which is why they may
find comfort in associating with each
other in groups. Robert and Jeffrey
bonded over the fact
that they both served SEE
in the military. A lot of COMBAT,
people don’t understand 3
Rev. Robert Stokes looks through a scrapbook that contains
letters Jeffrey Stokes wrote to family members, photos and
newspaper clippings.