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Perry Elementary students exchange letters with servicemen
From Staff Reports
The following is a compilation
of some of the letters recently
received by Perry Elementary stu
dents from servicemen overseas.
The students shipped goodies
to the servicemen during the holi
days and are now reading how
much they appreciated the
thoughtfulness of the kids.
Dear Kovi Howard,
My name is Mr. Arquimedes
Fleitas. I am in Germany with the
Air Force, supporting the Joint
STARS aircraft that is stationed at
Robins AFB. Our job here is to
support the Army troops that are
in Bosnia. Like your dad I was in
the service also but I got out after
twelve years, now I work for the
company that made the J-STARS
air plane for the Air Force. I hope
I have your name right because I
could not make it out. If you have
a hard time with my first name, it
was used in the movie The Sword
and the Stone and it was Merlin’s
owl. I just received your letter
today, 28 Dec. 96, and I am sched
uled to go home on the 30th of
December so by the time you get
this letter I will be at home in
Florida with my wife and four
kids. Germany is very beautiful
but it is too cold for me, there are
a lot of trees and the roads are
very skinny so you have to watch
out when you drive a car here.
There are some very pretty castles
here. It is hard to believe that they
have survived two world wars. I
make several trips to Robins AFB
Georgia every year, and I have a
cousin that lives in Perry on
Houston Lake Road.
Please tell all of your friends
that every one here loved their let
ters, but the problem is that not all
will write back because some of
the guys have already gone back
to the States, so not all the letters
will get answered. Well I must go
now. I hope you have a happy new
year.
Your pen pal,
Tribble
said, ‘Yes, pastor, your name is
written down and we’ve been
expecting you. However, pastor,
there is a rule in Heaven that does
n’t allow animals so you will have
to leave your Donkey outside!’
I feel that in a humorous sort of
way this story illustrates the point
I’m trying to make. Just as the pas
tor in his dream couldn’t take Tom
with him, neither can we always
take our past into the future.
Yes, in every life there are
accomplishments we label as suc
cesses, but I am just as sure there
are many things called failure in
every life. No matter the person, if
you look hard enough into his life,
you’ll find some failures.
Herein lies the gist of what I’m
trying to say today. What do you
want to take into 1997? The shouts
of victory or the thoughts of fail
ure?
I like this little poem:
To each is given a hag of tools;
Schrenko
century.
The Statewide Report Card
shows Georgia schools are headed
in the right direction; SAT and
most curriculum scores have
increased, but much remains to be
done. By emphasizing classroom
safety, academic basics, fiscal and
Admissions Testing
Westfield
Schools
invites all applicants for grades 1-12
for admissions testing
for the 97 t 9B school year
Saturday, February 1, 1997
9:00 a m.
Middle School Library
For more information
or an applicatjpn please call
Dr. Michael Drake. 9H7-05-47
Arquimedes Fleitas
29 December 1996
93RD Operations Group
700 Joint STARS St.
Robins AFB, Ga 31098
Dear Daniel,
Happy Holidays to you and
your family. I got your letter today
and was delighted to know that
someone back home was thinking
about all of us here in Germany.
That makes us feel really good,
because we are almost 3,000 miles
away from our friends and fami
lies during this special time of
year.
My name is Kirk Boschert and
I work in the 93d Air Control
Wing as a Colonel and a pilot on
the Joint STARS aircraft. It is one
of the new planes on the far side
of the base. It has four jet engines
and a very special radar built into
the belly of the plane. I say it’s
special because it can look at the
ground and tell if a car or tank is
moving and then we can take a
radar picture of it so that our sol
diers on the ground can see where
the “bad guys” are going, will
know if they are in danger of get
ting attacked by the enemy. So far,
we’ve been very successful in
keeping the “bad guys” from
attacking any of our soldiers on
the ground.
Because our plane and radar is
so. important, we were asked to fly
over here to Germany to support
the NATO forces who are sta
tioned in the country of Bosnia
Herzegovina. While I don’t like
being away from my family, espe
cially at Christmas and New Year,
I feel like we have been doing an
n important job. Right now we fly
out of Rhein Main Air Base
Germany and it is really cold the
last few days. It’s about 10
degrees right now and there is
about an inch of snow on the
ground too.
Like I said, I’m a pilot and have
flown all kinds of aircraft, includ
(Continued from page 4)
a shapeless mass and a book of
rules;
And each must make e 'er life has
flown;
a stumbling block or a stepping
stone.
This poem tells me that we are
all equipped with different levels
of talent and ability. Some use
these talents as stepping stones to
success while others let the same
talents waste and become stum
bling blocks. The type of goals we
set in life depends on the person
we are and the tools in our tool
bag.
Yes, 1997 lies ahead of us. It is
as of yet unspoiled with no disap
pointments, failures or mistakes.
The year 1997 waits on us and it
will be what we make it, nothing
more, nothing less! But we must
leave 1996 outside the gates.
(Bob Tribble is president of
Houston Publications.)
(Continued from page 4A)
academic accountability, local
control and reduced bureaucracy,
the improvement trends we have
witnessed recently not only will
continue, but will accelerate.
(Linda C. Schrenko is the
Georgia Superintendent of
Schools.)
fJiii
ing B-52 and B-l Bombers, the E
-8C Joint STARS, the T-37 and T
-38. All were fun, but a challenge
to learn to fly. I don't know if you
considered being a pilot or
navigator for the Air Force, but it
is a very exciting life. You do have
to do well in school to be qualified
to fly, but I’ll bet you are a pretty
good student too. I always had to
struggle. You know, study hard.
But I did it and now I’m glad
because I couldn’t have learned to
fly without the studying I did
when I was your age.
I have a family back in
Georgia. My wife is a nurse and
my daughter is in the Bth grade.
We also have a son, who’s in
Annapolis—the Naval Academy.
He wants tp be a pilot too when he
graduates from college. He’s
smart, so he’ll probably get the
chance to do just that. He also gets
to sail occasionally, when the
weather is good. I saw that you
had a cousin, Ben Clay, who is in
the navy and is stationed at Navy
Jax (Jacksonville, Fla.). That is
exciting because my brother was
in the Navy too and was stationed
at Navy Jax. He flew helicopters
and was assigned to an old aircraft
carrier called the Coral Sea. What
squadron is Ben in and what does
he do in the navy?
Well, I’m going to go. I want to
thank you again for thinking of me
and the other soldiers over here. It
is nice to know that you and your
friends are thinking of us, because
it can get lonely over here.
Bye for now. If you want, you
can write back to the address that
was at the top of this letter. So
long.
Sincerely,
Kirk Boschert
29 Dec 96
Hi Maurice, .
Thanks for taking the time to
write me a letter. I’m a 14 1/2 year
Master Sergeant in the Air Force.
I’ve been here in Germany since
I Read hometown
news every
Wednesday In ..
the Houston
Times-Journal.
Houston
County’s Oldest
business, since
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Timas-Joumal Photo by Emily Johnstone
KEEPING IN TOUCH Students at Perry Elementary are beginning to receive letters
from servicemen they sent holiday greetings and goodies to during the holiday season.
Pictured are: Maurice Jones, Michael Phillips, Daniel Clay and Kovi Howard.
23 Oct. but will be leaving on 5
January. I enjoy the service but
there are times when the hours are
long. I’ve visited Germany, Italy.
France, Austria, Switzerland,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and England.
I was stationed at Tinker Air Force
Base, Oklahoma for 13 years
working on AWACS aircraft. Now
I’m working with the JSTARS air
craft at Robins Air Force Base,
Georgia.
Germany has some beautiful
scenery but the weather is snowy
and cold. The food is really good
especially if you like bratwurst.
Northrop
Taft said the cost of maintain
ing the operation in Perry was
greater than the company wanted.
The plant includes 750,000 square
feet, and while the company is
now using about 400,000 feet to
manufacture and assemble com
ponent parts for Boeing 747 air
craft, “We only need about
200,000 square feet,” Taft said.
He repeatedly said that the jobs
now in Perry would be preserved
if the company is successful in
bidding for additional commercial
aircraft assembly work. He said
Northrop Grumman would know
by the second week of April 1997
whether the contracts would
materialize.
The move to Macon would
take place within the next 18-24
months if the contract material
izes, he said.
1 Some of those attending the
meeting Jan. 17 said there was
discussion of possibly building a
new facility in Houston County.
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Germans celebrate Christmas in
the same tradition as we do. I’m
from Ohio originally so really like
the Ohio State Buckeyes football
team. I have 3 boys ages 8, 11 and
13 so they keep me real busy.
What kind of activities do you like
to do in school? How do you like
living in Georgia? Well, I need to
close for now. Take care.
Your friend.
Dennis Earl,
Warner Robins.
Dear Michael,
I want to thank you for your let-
One source said Northrop officials
had not apparently strongly con
sidered such an option but were
open to presentations from
Houston County officials.
The Perry plant, for which
ground was broken April 6, 1987,
was designed for the manufacture
of missiles. The contract for the
Tri-Service Standoff Attack
Missile project was canceled
before the plant was ready for pro
duction. The contract for a second
missile, which could have been
manufactured in Perry, was
dropped by mid-1995, Taft said.
He said the local plant is too
large and too costly to use for
other company projects because
of unique features including
Department of Defense security
measures.
Taft said of the workers at
Perry that the company hopes “to
keep this outstanding work force
in tact.”
Taft said it was conceivable
Wed. Jan. 22, 1997, Houston Times-Journal
ter. I am civilian that works with
the Air Force. I retired from the
Air Force in August of this year.
The Air Force was a lot of fun
sometimes. Then there were times
that you work a lot of hours. If you
like airplanes, it makes you feel
good about making the airplane
fly. It is cold over here and there is
a little snow on the ground. I hope
you had a good Christmas and got
what you wanted. I want to thank
you again for the letter.
Your pal.
Larry Adams
(Continued from page 1A)
that a few of the local jobholders
could be offered employment at
the Northrop Grumman plant in
Milledgeville. Some 200 jobs will
be added to that facility, most of
them transferring from Stuart,
Fla., where another aircraft assem
bly plant will be closed.
Also attending the Jan. 17
meeting were members of the
Houston County Development
Authority, Perry Mayor Jim
Worrall, Ga. Sen. Sonny Perdue,
D-Bonaire, and Ga. Rep. Larry
Walker, D-Perry.
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PAGE 5A