Good Morning All & Happy Thursday!
Happy Birthday today to friends Suzy, of “Apollo Spas” fame in Spokane (now Las Vegas) and Mark, East Spokane Kiwanis friend, fellow member of People For Effective Government (PEG) and financial planner extraordinaire who celebrates is 59th birthday! Here’s to both of you on your special day of celebration! And Happy Birthday wishes go to Spokane friend and electrician extraordinaire, Frank, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow, May 21st!
Suzy & Mark share birthdays with singer/actor Cher, of “I’ve Got You Babe” fame, who is 75 today; to singer Jane Wiedlin of “The Go-Go’s” fame, who turns 63 today; and to actor Timothy Olyphant of “Justified” and “Live Free or Die Hard” movie fame, who is 53 today. Happy Birthday to all of you, too!
There was a terrific article in a recent edition of “The Hungry Horse News” entitled “Skills For The Future.” It featured 10 Columbia High School students who will be the inaugural class of graduates from the school’s Welding Technology CTS program. This innovative program is a collaborative project between the high school and the Running Start Program at Flathead Valley Community College. It aims to provide high schoolers with an employable skill set upon graduation. Ben Schaeffer, the welding and fabrication instructor for Columbia High School’s industrial arts department, has long been enthusiastic about rebuilding what has become a diminishing skilled labor force in the trades: “We have a problem with our skilled labor force going away, so we need to bridge that gap in developing skill-based tradesmen.” The newspaper included a half-page, full color photo of the students who will be graduating from the program in June. How about that? It seems as though Columbia Falls High School in Montana is “leading the way” for other schools to follow their leadership in this area. Wouldn’t it be grand if every high school offered such a program? It wouldn’t be long before we didn’t have a skilled trades labor shortage, don’t you think? After all, with the cost of high education being so high, not every high school graduate will go to college and many can have rewarding careers without a four year college degree. A skilled trade person can earn high wages and great benefits and make a huge contribution to the welfare of our country. A win-win, for sure!
—Teresa Byrd, “Skills for the Future: Columbia Falls graduates first class in Welding Technology,” “Hungry Horse News,” Wednesday, May 12, 2021, page B1.
Here’s another passage from my Dad’s oral interview he gave as part of the Washington State World War II Memorial Oral History Project:
“…And then we finally went to Iwo. That was—that was very interesting. And all of the stories that they tell—and this is not to—this is not to, I mean I’m sure there are other small battles, incidents that happened, in the war from the time we got into it, prior to that, the British were in and what not. I know nothing about the Russian front the Germans fought. Or North Africa or even—but I do know that—that Iwo Jima was probably one of our toughest battles, of the major battles. We had that many troops involved. I’ve looked up the numbers and it doesn’t—you never know cause numbers are always changing on you, even after 50 years, but our casualties there were about the same as Gettysburg. And I think comparable to Antietam. Those two of the—were some of the most severe battles of the World War—or Civil War. But in World War II I know that—I just read again, and again I cannot verify, about personally chased down the figures, but about 47% of my—my division (5th Division), which approximated 20,000 infantry or 20,000 men, artillery and infantry is normal composite group. About 47% were casualties. And I can remember, yeah, I had—killed right beside me. I mean torn all to hell in—he caught—it was mortar, I think. Could have been artillery. We were under a mortar and artillery attack and they were just pouring it in. They hit—they hit our commander, Tom Trotti, he was the—colonel, and they killed him and Major Day, who was his adjutant. Andy they killed our first sergeant. That command post was only about—couldn’t have been 15 to 20 yards behind us. We were just moved by them at that time to set up in, I think was one of these volcanic sand holes, I think dug by maybe one of our 14 or 16 inchers because it was all kind of round and dug out. But they decapitated Tom Trotti who was—it blew the major all to hell. And then the guy next to me, when this hit, it must have broken, as can happen with a shell or mortar or anything, occasionally they will break one way. So there’ll be more shrapnel going one way and not the other. And not common, but he must have got it. he was just torn all to pieces. And my reaction, I was knocked out at that—on that particular thing. And I don’t know how long. I was buried half in the sand. And I had this radio out, I was trying to set up and get a communication for the ship. But anyhow, I got myself roused, and I don’t know how long. I looked over and here he is, and I ripped off my—we used to carry sulfa packets on your cartridge belt along with your hand grenades and every other thing, canteen. And I remember jerking that off, tearing it open, running it over, spreading it on him. It was like chaff in the wind, I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to do anything and, but you do things like that. Knee jerk reaction, I guess. But he had—and this guy had two kids at home. And I just—and then there’s other things happening. And I’m not…”
(To be continued in a future “Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a”)…Maybe if every American read these accounts like my Dad gave, they would do everything possible to help make our country a better place to honor the memories of people like Lt. Col. Tom Trotti, Major Day and the young Marine that was near my Dad when the mortar/artillery round hit their position. “All gave some…some gave all.” Can’t we all do better?
The trivia question for the day answers a question that is on everyone’s mind…how should toilet paper be hung?
Question: An 1891 patent for the toilet paper roll indicates the paper should be hung which way…overhand or underhand?
Answer: Few of life’s questions have been as polarizing as “over or under?” The correct orientation of the end of a toilet paper roll in a bathroom dispenser has sparked decades of debates. The answer of how the toilet paper is supposed to hang lies with New York businessman Seth Wheeler, who filed an 1891 patent for the toilet paper roll. The image included in Wheeler’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing, indicates the answer is “over.” While the image included in Wheeler’s filing shows the edge of the toilet paper is hanging over the roll, the description in his patent doesn’t specify exactly why.” (Now you know…and I’m pleased to say that this vindicates me in my ongoing back and forth with my wife, Judy, on the proper way to hang the toilet paper in our bathrooms…so there!)
Here’s the word definition for the day:
“Refection”: An early 14th century Middle English word meaning “Refreshment by food or drink”…”A meal, especially a light one.” I sure like my “refections” when I’m on a long hike!
Here are the thoughts for the day:
The first one comes from my friend and heart transplant recipient, Jeff Hastings, who shared this old adage with me yesterday:
“Youth is wasted on young people.”
This one comes from one of my very favorite singer/songwriters, Mary Chapin Carpenter…it’s entitled “Where The Beauty Is”:
“The crooked line beneath the paint, from faraway it looks straight
Where practiced hands betray a shake, that’s where the beauty is…
The mark upon your skin revealed, where injury and pain were sealed
But a scar’s the place where you were healed…that’s where the beauty is…
Walk with me and hold my hand, there’s so much we don’t understand.
The shattered pieces of a bowl…filled and fused with dust and gold
In brokenness we are whole, that’s where the beauty is…
Walk with me and hold my hand, there’s so much won’t understand.
All that’s buried in your heart, the cold and lonely…hopeless part,
Dig down deeper and find the spark…that’s where the beauty is.”
Mary Chapin Carpenter & Mark Knopfler, “Where The Beauty Is,” from the album “The Dirt And The Stars” (2020)
Here’s to a great Thursday lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)