Not long ago, while traveling through the town of Senoia, Ga., I decided to stop at the Senoia Area Historical Society Museum. I had passed by the place many times and had always thought, “Hmmm. I should stop in there sometime,” but I was always in a hurry. This time, even though I didn’t have a great deal of time, I decided to stop anyway. I was glad I did.

Senoia, Ga., is a town with more than a 150-year history. When my family moved to Georgia in 1983, Senoia appeared to be a tiny, sleepy village with, in essence, a Main Street with a few businesses. Read More»

When I was growing up in northeast Tennessee I never heard the term “forest.” Our term was “the woods.” In the vacant lot near my home, the neighborhood boys and I would play “in the woods.” In Tennessee, there are lots of opportunities to be in the woods.

Across from Ross N. Robinson Junior High School, there were woods too. Back in those days, students, even junior high students, could leave the campus and go to a local restaurant for lunch. Just across the highway was Gary’s Restaurant. Behind Gary’s were the woods. Read More»

When I started driving at the age of 16, my father imposed a curfew. On date nights, that curfew began at 10 p.m. and was later extended to 11 p.m. Only once was the curfew ever extended beyond the 11 p.m. deadline and that was for prom night. Failure to abide by the curfew would result in the loss of the car and suspension of driving privileges.

Like most teenagers, I fussed, fumed, argued, and whined. “Everybody else gets to stay out later,” I proclaimed. “It’s not fair!” I argued. All to no avail. The curfew was as firm as concrete. Read More»

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? The popular notion of an introvert is that of a shy person, one who keeps to one’s self, a person who shuns the limelight and so on.
An extrovert, it is thought, is that Type A personality who is gregarious, always the center of attention, one who mixes easily with others, the obvious leader, and is the life of the party. Read More»

The town of Middleborough, Mass., is “fed up with public swearing” and thinks “forcing the potty-mouthed to pay up might be the right antidote,” according to a report by the Associated Press. The town’s police chief offered a proposal that would allow for the imposition of a $20 fine for “public swearing.” Read More»

William R. Charette, age 79, died on March 18, 2012, in Lake Wales, Fla. It is likely that very few outside his own circles have ever heard of him and that is a shame. In 1951, Charette enlisted in the United States Navy and was trained as a hospital corpsman, or medic.

On March 27, 1953 he was a hospital corpsman third class with Company F, 2nd Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment when Chinese Communist forces attacked the Marines at Outpost Vegas in western Korea. The attack escalated into an hour and a half brutal hand-to-hand fight. Read More»

Father Mark Miller is the pastor at the Resurrection Charismatic Episcopal Church in San Jacinto, Calif. Father Miller recently penned an article and in it he wrote, “One’s life is formed and moves to substantiate what one believes, or not. I find that many people, who struggle with belief in God, don’t have a theology (study of God) as much as a ‘hurtology.’ Life has kicked them in the rear and things have not made sense. All belief has consequence and leads to conformity to that belief. Read More»

When I was graduating from high school, I was told that I would look back on those days as “the best days of your life.” Later, as I was married, the father of two small sons, and trying to put myself through college, I was told, “You’ll look back on these days as the best days of your life.” Well, I don’t.

I suspect that all across America, well-meaning graduation speakers and older people of influence in the graduates’ lives are saying something similar. For most of the high school and college grads, it simply isn’t true. Their better days lie ahead. Read More»

The Marines have landed ... this time not in Tripoli, Iwo Jima, or in a thousand other hot spots throughout the world and American history. This time the Marines have landed in Peachtree City, Ga.

From across the state they come and from other locations, too. Some of them are of the Greatest Generation and saw combat in World War II. Some did their duty in Korea and others fought their way through the jungles of Vietnam. Still others did their part in Desert Storm and some were in the most recent sandbox conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More»

On Friday, April 24, 1970, I graduated from boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. For three months, I had been a member of Platoon 223, Second Recruit Training Battalion. For much of that time I looked forward to having my family present and watching me graduate.

It wasn’t to be. Shortly before the graduation date I received a letter from home informing me that my folks would not be able to make the journey. Read More»