By Margo Rutledge Kissell
| Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 10:20 AM
The day I knew was coming has finally arrived.
On the way into work today I pumped more than $50 worth of regular gas into the tank of my four-door sedan. That was a big deal for me, knowing my tank wasn’t even on empty. Ugh.
And I’m the LUCKY one in my family because I only have to drive 10 miles to work. My husband has a 100-mile daily round trip commute to his job.
I’m already wondering if at some point we’ll have to move because of gasoline. If it keeps rising, who knows?
It’s no joke and I know we’re not alone.
A wire story in today’s Dayton Daily News headlined, “Poll: 9 in 10 hit hard by gas prices” talks about how people across the country are being impacted.
Of course, this all comes on the heels of the price of crude oil hitting yet another record high on Monday, June 30 — $143 a barrel.
I spent yesterday afternoon writing a story about two inventors from Cincinnati who will be in Dayton Wednesday, July 3, to talk about their idea for MonoMobile.
It’s a concept electric car that drives on roads using battery power, then could hook to an overhead track for longer travel. That would allow the battery to recharge while the driver relaxes or works. As inventor Jay Andress points out, they have a lot of challenges getting the idea off the ground, including getting $10 million to build a one-mile test track in Clermont County and construct two prototype vehicles. But, in their view, it would help free the country from its dependence on oil.
Personally, I think we do need to start thinking outside the pump to find ways to do just that — somehow — so that our country remains strong in the future.
That’s what I think. Tell us what YOU think about all of this.
Are gas prices making you scream? How are you coping with them and what do you think the country needs to do in the short- and long-term to deal with this growing problem?
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By Margo Rutledge Kissell
| Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 11:41 AM
When I wrote about Honor Flight recently, I asked people who have taken one of the flights to tell us about it here on the blog.
Bob Lamb, 84, wrote about his experience for a memoirs class at St. Leonard Retirement Center.
It’s beautifully written and Bob does a wonderful job capturing why this trip to Washington, D.C., to see the National World War II Memorial is so special for these veterans.
I’ll let him tell you about it in his own words.
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About fifty years ago I had a business trip to San Diego and stayed at the Town and Country Inn. I don’t even know if it still exists; but there are things about it I still remember. It provided outstanding guest services, a special ambiance and great hospitality; and they had a slogan - “Prepare to be pampered”. In my opinion, that same slogan can be used to describe the Honor Flight program.
This program is designed to recognize all veterans of World War II in a very special way. It provides a method to allow veterans the opportunity to visit “their” Memorial in Washington D.C., at no expense, and to appreciate the magnitude and grandeur of this magnificent structure.
In our case, a group of eight of us from St. Leonard Retirement Center was bused, using St. Leonard transportation, to the Columbus Airport to meet other veterans and our “guardians” before boarding a Boeing 737 for the Baltimore Washington Airport.
During our “adventure” with Security, we were to experience our first contacts with our guardians. They were most helpful in providing assistance in the form of wheelchairs, guidance, encouragement and old-fashioned congeniality, but more about them later. The first of many “treats” we were to receive during the day was “Breakfast at Starbucks”, a beverage and muffin or Danish.
We were allowed on the plane first to get seated in the first several rows before the rest of the passengers were boarded. Our party consisted of 39 veterans and 17 guardians, while the balance of the 135 or so seats were occupied by traditional passengers.
This whole operation would have been impractical without our guardians. To use a cliche, “our wish was their command.” Patience, empathy and good cheer were qualities they all possessed. There was a mother and her teen-aged son, two young firefighters/
medics, and a schoolteacher couple, among others - a classic cross section of society from the Columbus area.
Our first truly heart warming experience occurred as we were embarking from the plane at BWA. We were last to get off, and several wheel chairs were waiting in the passageway to the terminal for our use. As we appeared, the public who was waiting to board, stood and applauded, shook our hands, expressed gratitude for our service and gave us an unforgettable welcome to the area. And that was not the last time such an emotion was experienced.
With assistance from our guardians, we were shepherded through the terminal to board a Spirit Tours bus, which would be our headquarters for the next several hours. A few of the veterans did not have cameras, but many of those regretted their decision not to bring one. Those second thoughts were quickly erased by the fact that the guardians had a supply of disposable cameras to give away. The guardians also had an unlimited supply of cold bottled water to help quench thirst and prevent dehydration. Incidentally, the temperature around the Memorial was 90 degrees. There were a few vets who had the foresight to wear shorts.
Saturdays are the days scheduled for Honor Flights for many reasons - guardians are usually available and the D.C. streets are much more navigable. On our day, September 8, 2007, many other Honor Flights had scheduled their trip. As a result, 550 to 600 veterans were expected to visit the Memorial. It would be the largest assembly of veterans at the Memorial since its dedication in 2004.
Present at that dedication with thousands of others veterans was Senator Bob Dole, who was also one of those who “led the charge” for the construction of this Memorial. He was also present during our visit, to be available for visiting and picture taking. In fact, out of his loyalty to the fraternity of veterans, of which he is a member, he returns to this site whenever an Honor Flight is scheduled to appear.
Our guardian, Dean, made sure we didn’t miss anything, even the appearance of Kilroy who was there, albeit in a more insignificant location. Any veteran knows about Kilroy; but to elaborate would make a separate story. Dean’s enthusiasm and desire to keep the seven of us together for pictures and verbal descriptions of details was highly commendable. Most shutterbugs utilize digital cameras these days; but there are still some of us geezers who can’t get weaned from Kodak’s roll film contraption.
We were stopped occasionally by total strangers at the Memorial to visit briefly and shake our hands and add their appreciation for our service to our country over sixty years ago. Those incidents were very humbling.
Our bus received extra special attention in the form of a camera crew who interviewed us all to provide background for a human-interest story. One of the wheel-chaired veterans had been a prisoner of war in Germany for two and a half years and had become close friends with another POW during that period. They had kept in touch with one another for over sixty years but had never been able to get together — until now. It would be a total surprise to our friend on the plane, but the rest of their families were in on the event which was to take place this day.
Time was scheduled to provide an opportunity to visit the Korean and Viet Nam Memorials. Since I had seen them, I chose to stay on the bus for a brief sight seeing tour of some of the other sights. This included a stop at the U.S.Navy Memorial. Fortunately, we were able to witness an impressive flag ceremony there.
Our driver’s name was Campbell, a Viet Nam veteran, whose nickname was Soup. He said it was because he was “m-m-m good”. He was loquacious and humorous in his description of sights and points of interest. But his most impressive talent was the way he could maneuver his tour bus. He parallel parked it in a space only 3-4 feet longer than the bus.
Our hosts also provided us with a box lunch to eat on the bus. We ended our tour with a trip to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Unfortunately, time did not allow us to park and view it on foot. Nevertheless we were impressed with its size and, of course, its significance.
One of our guardians, Bill, teaches American History to Middle School students. One of his assignments is to have each student write a letter to a veteran to thank him for his service. Two of these letters were given to each of us together with other parting gifts. They were very touching and reflected the kind of emphasis their teacher had placed on World War II. Bill also stated that he and his wife, also a guardian, “live for the opportunity to participate in these Honor Flights”.
In addition to the letters we were given a Certificate of Recognition, a copy of an original poem, entitled “Yesterday”, a VFW pin shaped like the state of Ohio, a picture of the Memorial on a magnet, and a beautiful pictorial book, “World War II Memorial, Jewel of the Mall”.
Indicative of the type of persons our guardians are is the fact that each of them paid for their own airfare for the privilege of spending half of a weekend to be of service to a group of old geezers. This particular flight cost $200.00.
Upon our return to Columbus, we received the same ovation and recognition from passengers and others that we did earlier in the day as we deplaned. It was then that we began our return to St. Leonard’s in their bus. Fourteen and a half hours after pulling out of the circular drive in front of Chaminade Hall we completed our journey.
The memories of this day will be everlasting, but equally everlasting will be the teary eyes, the lumps in our throats and heart-warming emotions we experienced from the adulation of total strangers.
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By Margo Rutledge Kissell
| Friday, June 6, 2008, 11:32 AM
The news magazine show Dateline will dedicate an hour of tonight’s two-hour program to what happened to slain Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia.
The show runs from 9-11 p.m. on NBC.
“It’s a story of what happened, essentially,” Dateline producer Susan Simpson said Friday, June 6. Dateline had access into FBI files on the manhunt and April 10 capture of fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean in Mexico.
The program will feature an interview with Lauterbach’s mother, Mary Lauterbach of Vandalia.
Laurean, suspected in the slaying of the pregnant Lauterbach, had been sought by authorities since he fled his Jacksonville, N.C., home on Jan. 11, the day Lauterbach’s charred remains and those of her unborn son were found in a shallow grave in his backyard.
In an autopsy report released in March, the Office of the State Medical Examiner said Lauterbach likely died of blunt force trauma to the head.
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By Margo Rutledge Kissell
| Thursday, June 5, 2008, 10:14 AM
A Marine intelligence officer from Springboro accused of trying to cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis has been acquitted, according to the Associated Press.
1st Lt. Andrew Grayson had been accused of ordering the destruction of evidence in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths to come out of the war — the Nov. 19, 2005, killings in Haditha.
A military jury on Wednesday found Grayson not guilty of ordering a sergeant to delete photos of the bodies from a digital camera and laptop computer.
Tell us: What do you think of the verdict?
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I would agree that greater sunshine to who is speculating and perhaps even regulation is a good thing;