Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 10A
^Reporter
November 19, 2008
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Have something pithy, wise
and/or funny to say about life in
Monroe County? Let 'er rip in
the Reporter's new on-line MCR
vent. Find it at www.mymcr.net
and click on Vent
Ms. Andrews should send
Obama a thank you card for
her election. Ms. Baswell
should have won that race!
rank: 250
I am sorry that the Beau
and Blackjack came to an un
timely end. But I do have to
ask, Were they on their own
property? If not, would the
owner had been as mad if
they had become hit by a car
or even caused an accident
due to being aloowed to
roam, rank: 106
Monroe County should be
proud of Will and the
changes he has made to the
content of The Reporter. Tak
ing a position is critical to the
success of any business.
Thanks Will for a job very
well done. We are proud you
are here! rank: 38
Can someone make Bilder-
back pay attention at the
commission meetings in
stead of signing checks all
through the meeting? We
need change when he runs
again - change him out of of
fice! It can't happen soon
enough, rank: 33
What about sending the
other Bilderback on a
"change" from the school
board next time? Monroe
County doesn't need the em
barrassment they cause.
rank: 11
Why can't the American
people look past the two ma
jor political parties and vote
third party? The third party
candidates were really the
only ones who made any
sense! I am also glad that
Monroe County hasn't found
it's Messiah in the form of
Barack Obama!
rank: 7
To all Republicans and De
mocrats: Face it, you are the
same party running on the
same platform and nitpicking
the details, rank: 5
Thank you for the article
about Kylie Seitz. Please
pray for this very precious
child, rank: 4
Why do people in Monroe
County think it is okay to
shoot and kill stray dogs
while hunting? Has anyone
ever thought these dogs are
loose because some worth
less human abandoned
them? I have seen two cars
put dogs out this week. Too
bad we can't abandon Mon
roe County's worthless politi
cians. rank: 3
I am sure Cousin Clete
Sanders feels left out since
he was not mentioned in “The
Order of Ham” story, rank: 2
You should change this to
show how many "like it" and
how many "hate it." rank: 1
Monroe County should be
very proud of their school
system! Way to go! rank: -3
To the worthless mean spir
ited hunter(s) who killed pre
cious Beau and Blackjack,
you will get what you de
serve. You are despicable,
rank: -4
I believe that Mrs.
Baswell’s supporters should
get over their loss to Mrs. An
drews...it's over, rank: -12
On their honor
Local veteran Jack Fletcher savors Honor Flight to see World War II memorial
BY WILL DAVIS
The Greatest Generation is passing from
the scene. An estimated 1,800 World War II
veterans die every day in the U.S.
That’s the reason a non-profit organization
called Honor Flight is flying as many veter
ans as it can to Washington, D.C. to see the
World War II memorial before it’s too late.
And they do it for free.
On Nov. 12, Jack Fletcher of Forsyth was
one of 70 World War II veterans from Georgia
to make an Honor Flight up to the nation’s
capital.
“I’ve never been on a more enjoyable trip,”
said Fletcher. “It was wonderful.”
Fletcher was a flight engineer with the
317th troop carrier serving in New Guinea,
Okianawa and the Philippines from 1943-46.
He was awarded the Purple Heart after being
wounded during a German air raid in Italy.
Fletcher was joined on the trip by a fellow
veteran and friend from his days at Mary
Persons, Curtis Waites. Along with the veter
ans, the trip included 32 volunteer atten
dants who made sure the veterans had what
they needed. The veterans ranged in age
from 80-93.
A doctor and four EMTs even went along in
case of a medical emergency. “They looked
after me royally,” said Fletcher. “It was per
fect.”
The veterans were seeing the World War II
memorial, dedicated in 2004, for the first
time.
Especially heartening, said Fletcher, was
the reception the vets received at the airport.
As they got off the plane at the airport, said
Fletcher, about 75-100 people stopped what
they were doing and started clapping and
hugging their necks.
“You talk about a chill up your spine,” said
Fletcher.
Fletcher said the trip was all the more
poignant because, by his guess, about half of
the 70 men
will have
passed
away by
next year.
“It’s shorter
than we
think,” said
Fletcher.
“People
don’t real
ize how fast
things are
going.”
The group
that made
the trip
possible,
Honor
Flight, is a
non profit
organiza
tion that
operates
solely on donations. Pilot and physician’s
assistant Earl Morse of Ohio started in May
2005 by taking six small planes of 12 WW II
veterans to Washington from Springfield,
Ohio. In 2006, with a growing waiting list of
veterans, they moved to commercial airlines
to accommodate more vets. Partnering with
Honor Air in Hendersonville, N.C. and Hero
Flight in Provo, Utah, they formed the
Honor Flight Network. Together, they are
still aggressively expanding and take plane
loads of veterans from all over the U.S. to
Washington.
Fletcher’s trip started last Tuesday,
Veterans Day, when he drove to Fayetteville
to spend the night at a hotel. The next morn
ing the veterans were treated to breakfast at
the Fayetteville United Methodist Church.
Then they loaded a bus that was escorted by
six motorcycles and six police cars to the
Atlanta airport.
As crowds cheered and
hugged their necks, the old
veterans made their way,
many in wheelchairs, onto
the AirTran flight to
Reagan National Airport. A
Newnan high school
teacher and Honor Flight
volunteer, Steve
Quissenberry, tended to
Fletcher and pushed his
wheelchair.
Once in D.C., the vets
were escorted to the World
War II memorial on the
National Mall. Fletcher
said it’s a very impressive
memorial, one that includes
no small amount of Georgia
granite from Elberton. The
memorial honors the 16
JACK FLETCHER, above, was a flight engineer in during
World War II, earning a Purple Heart during a German air
raid.
million who served in the U.S. armed forces
during World War II, the more than 400,000
who died, and the millions who supported the
war effort from home.
There, Fletcher and the Honor Flight veter
ans enjoyed a visit from former Senator Bob
Dole, who helped secure funding for the
memorial. After more than three hours at the
memorial, the veterans headed to Arlington
National Cemetery where they observed the
changing of the guard at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier.
From there, the men were taken back the
airport where they had dinner before flying
back to Atlanta.
Fletcher said the Honor Flight was a
tremendous experience. He applied in May so
it took him about six months to get a slot.
There is a waiting list.
For those veterans interested in taking an
Honor Flight, call 937-521-2400, email
info@honorflight.org or see its website at
www.honorflight.org.
The group welcomes donations as well.
Local veteran Jack Fletcher snapped this photo of former Sen. Bob Dole, right,
greeting the Georgia delegation at the memorial.
JACK FLETCHER, right, was able to see
the World War II memorial last week
with an old Forsyth friend, Curtis Wait
es, left.
Monroe juries award
$34,000 in two disputes
The scene of a fiery tractor trailer wreck on 1-75 in May 2006 that led
to a lawsuit settled at trial Nov. 10. (File photo)
Monroe County juries
awarded more than
$34,000 to two different
plaintiffs last week, most
of it in attorney fees. One
award was to a trucking
company for damage to a
tractor trailer during a
2006 wreck on 1-75 and
another in a dispute over a
home between a buyer and
seller, also from two years
ago.
On Nov. 11, a jury
ordered home seller
Regina Weathers Cash to
pay her home buyer
Jefferson Pressley $3,242, plus $4,562 in
attorney fees, due to alleged wrongdoing
on Cash’s part. Cash sold Pressley the
home and land at 227 Towaliga Trail in
Forsyth on July 26, 2006. But Pressley
sued Cash in 2007, claiming that Cash
misled him. When he bought the home,
Pressley said Cash represented to him that
two small sheds and a large metal shop in
the back yard came with the property. But
two days after buying the home, said
Pressley, someone named Larry Tenney
informed him that the metal shop wasn’t
sitting on Pressley’s property.
Furthermore, Pressley claimed that Cash
didn’t follow through on promises to repair
the deck of the home and a drain in the
shower.
Cash responded that she thought all the
sheds in the yard belonged to the home
and noted they could be moved if neces
sary. Further, she said she did have several
boards on the deck replaced and that the
shower was draining, however slowly, when
she sold it.
Pressley was represented by attorney
Kevin Wangerin, while Cash represented
herself.
Earlier last week, on Nov. 10, a Monroe
County jury ordered defendant Atlas Cold
Storage USA of Atlanta to pay JJM
Trucking Company $4,688 plus $22,650 in
attorney fees for damages from a 2006
wreck.
JJM Trucking had filed suit over dam
ages one of its truck suffered in a fiery
crash with another 18-wheeler on 1-75 on
May 19, 2006.
JJM driver Willie Lee Burney was head
ing north on 1-75 near Pate Road when his
JJM logging truck was struck from behind
by an Atlas Cold Storage tractor trailer
driven by Cary Slaton. The collision caused
both trucks to catch fire and an explosion
resulted. An accident report said Slaton
was following too closely.
JJM Trucking was represented by J.
Shane Hudson of Tifton and Atlas Cold
Storage was represented by attorney Marc
Aragon.
Listen Up, Pilgrims!
To Celebrate My Mother's 85th Birthday
I'm Inviting You to a Pick the Bones Clean
Pre-Thanksgiving Super Sale.That's No Turkey.
I'm Stuffing the Store With a Big New Spread,
So Be an Early Bird and Gobble Up the Bargains.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER
Free Gift to Anyone Bringing in This Ad.
Thurs., Nov. 20 - Sat., Nov. 22
Noon Until 6 PM
Closed Thanksgiving Week
100 Bennett Street • Forsyth, GA
(Next Door to Farmers Furniture)
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday • Noon - 6 pm