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Bennie Adkins New Book Available

By
Curtis Plant
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0

 He’s a relative, a friend, a war hero, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, and now he’s a published author. 

Bennie Adkins, whose statue stands in Veterans Park as a reminder of the acts of valor on the battle field, has recently published A Tiger Among Us.

It’s a soldier’s story. It’s his account of the events that would one day lead to President Obama awarding him the Medal of Honor. It’s the story of bravery in Vietnam at a place called A Shau Valley. 

It’s a first person account of an atrocious battle that cost some of Adkins’ fellow soldiers their lives.

In the preface Adkins relates what the Medal of Honor means to him and why he wears it proudly.

He writes, “I was awarded the Medal of Honor for my actions during a battle in the Vietnam War, but I wear it in honor of others. I wear it for the more than fifty million men and women who have served our country in both times of war and peace. I wear it to remind us all of their sacrifices and how so few of them have worked so hard to keep so many of us safe throughout our nation’s history. [Today, our military represents just one percent of our nation’s entire population.] I also wear it to honor the 2.7 million Americans who fought in Vietnam, especially the more than fifty-eight thousand who died there, twelve hundred of which never came home.

“But most important of all, I tell them that I’m honored and humbled to wear the Medal of  Honor not for myself, but for the sixteen other men who fought with me during the Battle of A Shua in March 1966, five of whom paid the ultimate price.”

In the prologue he relates the story for which the book is named.  

They had found a place to rest for the night after he and his 11 special forces companions had spent 38 hours fighting against an enemy that outnumbered them 10 to 1. 

Out of the 17 Special Forces soldiers stationed at Camp A Shua these 11 were the only ones still alive. 

Their orders were to evacuate. The plan turned out to not be as simple 

as it sounds. The enemy was attempting to prevent their evacuation and plans had to be changed. Adkins was forced to improvise.

Finding a secure place on the high ground seemed like the best solution.

A rescue attempt was made, but one of the helicopters was shot down. 

They would be spending another night in enemy territory.

Waiting.

It would be the next day before another chance of being lifted out could be attempted.

It was during that long lonely night that they encountered an Indochinese tiger.

Not only were they being hunted by the enemy, they were being hunted by a predator that was at home in the jungle and had no fear of Adkins and his fellow soldiers.

The book relates a captivating story that readers will have a hard time putting down. 

A Dream Deferred?

By
Curtis Plant
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0

 Langston Hughes once asked, “What happens to a dream deferred?

We could ask, “What do we do when a dream is deferred?” Do we simply give up?

We all have dreams. At least we did in our younger years. 

Some of us wanted to be astronauts, writers, spies, doctors, lawyers, superheroes, etc. 

As time passed we adjusted these dreams to fit our skill sets and in some cases to fit reality. 

Sadly, some of us quit adjusting our dreams and instead quit dreaming altogether. 

Jon Waid said at Tuesday’s chamber meeting that many new year’s resolutions are discarded by Valentine’s Day. 

The reason for this, he  said, was because we don’t have a system in place to implement those resolutions. 

Perhaps the same can be said about dreams. 

Maybe we don’t see our dreams fulfilled because we failed to implement a system that would enable us to achieve them?

It’s fun to dream about climbing Mt. Everest.

However, if that really is a dream you want fulfilled, you will need to set some plans in motion to achieve it.

It’s healthy to dream.

Dreams can be inspiring. 

I encourage you to dream again. Create some goals. Aspire to achieve. Learn to live. 

It’s okay if you have failed over and over again. 

Revive the dream.

This time,  however, create or learn a system that will enable you to achieve it. 

The best way to do this is to start out small. 

Make baby steps toward you goal. 

I heard it once said, “the best way to eat an elephant is slowly, one bite at a time.”

Next, make your progress measurable. 

For instance, if you are going to climb Mt. Everest, obviously, you will need to be in good shape. 

Research, find out what kind of physical shape you would need to be in. How far would you need to be able to walk (climb)? 

Go to the gym. Build your muscles. Increase your endurance. 

Do this in stages.

Also, find out what kind of equipment you will need. How much will it cost? Adjust your budget to be able to afford it.

Finally, there will be times when you have to settle for climbing Mt. Scott instead of Everest. 

That’s okay. 

At least you will make it to the summit. 

At least you will be dreaming again. 

Go ahead, live a little.

Enjoy life. 

Dare to dream. 

Oklahoma Gold Album Turns 60

By
Curtis Plant
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0

Sixty years go, the sound track from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, “Oklahoma,” was the first album certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as gold. 

According to the Association’s website there was a special ceremony at the Oklahoma History Museum on July 10th commemorating the first ever gold album turning 60. 

Gov. Mary Fallin accepted the commemorative plaque on behalf of the state and issued a proclamation that celebrated the “major milestone in music history.”

It was on July 8, 1958 when the RIAA, the organization which administers the Gold and Platinum Awards Program, bestowed the prestigious honor on the album. 

The album featured  performances by Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and various cast members.

Songs recorded on the album included “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin” and “The Surrey With the Fringe On Top” as well as the timeless classic “Oklahoma”. 

Recently “Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution,” a book written by Todd S. Purdum was released. 

In it he talks about the partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and how they came together to write the musical that would become “Oklahoma.”

It was based on a musical from 1931 called “Green Grow the Lilacs.”

They had known each other for years so their official business partnership began with a simple handshake. 

They then did something radical for writers at the time. They formed their own music publishing company. 

Next, they were the first to mass produce the cast performance as an album in such a successful fashion. 

What set “Oklahoma” apart from other Broadway shows at the time was the way it opened. 

Most musicals opened with loud exciting music to catch the audiences attention. This also allowed late comers to enter the theater and settle into their seats without missing anything of the story line. 

“Oklahoma” opened with a simple scene with someone on the stage sitting quietly and unassuming.

 The whole production was more than just a musical, it was actually a well written story that conveyed the emotions and thoughts of the characters through songs and dance in a way that had never been done quite so well before. 

Another uniqueness of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s collaboration was that the writing of the lyrics was finished before the music was composed. 

Most writers of the time composed the music first then later wrote the lyrics. 

Hammerstein wrote the lyrics and Rodgers penned the music. 

Rodgers said that Hammerstein’s lyrics were beautifully written even without a tune. 

The two seldom worked in the same room.

The now famous Broadway hit opened on March 31, 1943 to a less that packed out crowd. 

“Oklahoma” ran for 2,212 performances and has been performed by music companies, colleges and high school students around the world. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize for the production in 1944.

The play wasn’t made into a film until 1955. The recording was made shortly thereafter thus beginning the album’s journey to gold status. 

Interestingly, “Oklahoma” was one the first albums that used the original cast members to sing the songs on the recording. 

It’s amazing that an album about a romance on the prairie  was one of the first to be certified gold. 

It’s also amazing that album is about our amazing home state Oklahoma—where the winds come sweeping down the plain.

You’re doing fine Oklahoma. 

Abraham Lincoln, an unlikely president

By
Curtis Plant
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0

Doris Kearns Goodwin in her book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, writes that Ralph Waldo Emerson found at that Abraham Lincoln had been elected, he said that “the ‘comparatively unknown name of Lincoln’ had been selected: ‘we heard the result coldly and sadly. It seemed too rash, on a purely local reputation, to build so grave a trust in such anxious times.’”

In other words, not everyone was happy to find out he had been elected.

Obviously, most of those living in the south were not happy about his election.

His appearance was not inspiring.

He didn’t come from a well known family, nor did he come from wealth.

What he did have going for him was his ability to communicate.

It is said that he could disarm a room filled with anger simply by telling one of his folksy homespun tales that usually made an understated point.

Once he was elected, states began leaving the union. Eventually 11 states would form what became the confederacy.

Many historians agree that Lincoln was the right man at the right time to lead the country through the civil war.

He brought the country back together, although he paid for it with his life.

That being said, if we were alive during time of the election of 1860 many of us would have grave doubts about him and many of us would probably not vote for him.

He had very little experience in politics.

Most of his work experience was as a country lawyer.

Lincoln came from humble beginnings and knew hardship and heartache through the early years of his life.

He was self taught and had almost no formal education.

The year he was elected president there were actually four men from four different parties in the race. Today his face is one of four on Mount Rushmore.

At the republican convention, the men who went to the event in Chicago to nominate him, knew that he would not win the first ballot. Their goal was to simply keep  his name alive until they could recruit enough delegates to get him nominated.

Today, his image is not only on Mt. Rushmore, but on the penny and the five dollar bill.

It could be argued that Lincoln’s life experience of overcoming obstacles to achieve his goals prepared  him for the obstacles he would face while living in the White House.

If his life had been ideal and easy, he may not have had the tenacity needed to become a student of war and lead the north to victory. It is said that during the civil war that he read every book on warfare he could find in the Library of Congress.

He had a determination not to ever give up. It made him the right man for the job of president at the right moment in history.

Mosquitos are not that smart

By
Curtis Plant
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1

The other day in a moment of exasperation, my daughter, Lauren, declared the mosquito should be the new state bird. 

These pest are annoying.

I discovered this for myself the other night as I was kicked back in my recliner enjoying some late night reading. 

Evidently, the lamp near the chair served as a magnet, however, it drew the blood suckers to me and not the lamp. 

What I found intriguing about my experience with the new state birds is their reaction after discovering that their presence was unwelcome and would be met with certain doom. 

I dispensed with the first mosquito with the swat of my hand, sending it into eternity. 

It wasn’t but a few seconds later that I was forced to preside over the funeral of another invader. 

Either mosquitos are blind, incredibly dumb or both.

You would have thought the second perpetrator would have learned from the example of the first. Landing on a human being’s skin is deadly for mosquitos. Unfortunately, they never caught on. 

Scientist will probably tell you that mosquitos are simply acting on instinct. It’s just in their DNA to attack a human being and they give no thought to the possible consequences. How sad for them. 

However, the more I think about it, we highly intelligent humans are really not that much different. 

We have all watched our friends (and enemies) do things that were incredibly stupid and then suffer dearly for it. 

You would think that we would learn from their example and not follow in their footsteps. 

Sadly, more often than not we don’t. 

I guess the incredibly stupid things our examples engaged in looked like so much fun we just couldn’t help ourselves. 

So, I have a suggestion.

If it is so very important that we simply follow the examples of others, why  not pick someone who is worth following. Someone worthy of imitating. 

Does anyone like that come to mind?

Gun control and what’s really going on

By
Curtis Plant
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0

Besides the NFL/National Anthem debate, there is little else on the news this week than the mass shooting in Las Vegas where 500 plus people were injured and at least 59 (possibly more) were killed by a lone gunman from his hotel room as he fired at those attending a country music concert some 400 feet away.

One of the arguments that his heard the loudest is the issue of gun control. It’s a controversial and heated topic, especially here in a part of the United States where owning a gun is considered a birth right.

The question that may need to be asked during this debate is “what was the mental state of the man who committed this heinous crime and could he have been helped or at least treated in a way that would have minimized his desire to do something so senseless?”

The methods he used to carry out this abominable act are noteworthy, but not the root of the problem.

Mental health is a topic that not many feel comfortable discussing.

I  heard someone say once, “You have to be crazy to want to go see a therapist or a psychologist.” The implication is obvious. Reaching out for help when struggling with mental issues has a stigma attached to it that causes many of those suffering and needing help to retreat in shame.

Others will argue that anyone using a mental illness as an excuse for bad behavior is simply a coward and attempting to avoid accountability.

Perhaps.

However, it is possible that some who find themselves acting out so irresponsibly against society really are in need of help and there is simply  nobody there who cares enough to attempt to address the issue.

Obviously, this is a complex issue. Especially for those raised in a  home where you just “man  up” and deal with your problems yourself.

Living here in Oklahoma it is even a bit worse.

Mental health in Oklahoma is like the stepchild of the medical establishment. Those of you who have loved ones who have ever wrestled with depression, PTSD, or any of the other life debilitating mental afflictions prevalent in our society know this to be true.

Mental health is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with in a serious manner.

Sure, we all know people who have feigned being crazy to avoid responsibility or self sustainment. That being said, there are just as many others who suffer in silence because they are genuinely hurting and won’t seek help for fear of being labeled as….(you can fill in the blank).

What was the reason for the tragedy that affected so many in Las Vegas? At this moment it is too early to say definitively.

It is, however, a chance to  open a dialogue. Ask the tough questions.

Why do people do what they do?

Are there deeper motives than what can be seen on the surface?

Most importantly, when we debate the reasons for acts of violence and mayhem, let’s at least be asking the right questions instead of simply giving pat answers or knee-jerk responses that play well on Twitter or Facebook.

We live in a complex society suffering with complex issues.

It would be nice to have an answer. A real one.

Not something that can be simply printed on a T-Shirt or sent out to the world in a 140 characters, but something that actually gives a solution to what we are all facing.

That’s right. This is something we all face. This isn’t just a problem that affects those who have suffered or those who have been injured, this affects all of us.

Perhaps its time we come together as a society and actually figure this out together regardless of political or ideological affiliation and without caring who gets the credit.

We claim to be “one” nation under God. Let’s act like it.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Moments in History

By
Curtis Plant
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0

This Thursday over 54 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends according to the AAA travel website. 

The preferred meal, obviously, will be turkey and dressing. Eighty-eight percent of us will indulge our appetite on the bird Benjamin Franklin wanted to be the symbol of America. All total, 46 million turkeys will be eaten this Thanksgiving. 

Stuffing is an important part of the traditional meal. Fifty-percent like their stuffing on the inside of the bird. How do you like yours?

The celebratory feast has its roots in the early days of American history. Names like Squanto, William Bradford along with the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth rock come to mind. 

It has been recorded that William Bradford was the first to organize a “Thanksgiving” feast that brought Native Americans and Pilgrims together. It lasted three days. 

Abraham Lincoln was the first president given credit for making the holiday a permanent annual event. However, the idea of making Thanksgiving a national holiday was the idea of Sarah Josepha Hale, author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. She worked tirelessly for 36 years to achieve her goal through editorials, letters to governors, senators and presidents. Lincoln heeded her request in 1863.

One of the traditions of the day is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first one took place in New York City in 1924. This week around 3.5 million people will attend the parade while another 50 million will watch it on television. This year’s parade will include 16 giant character balloons, 43 novelty balloons, 26 floats, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers, 1,000 clowns, and 12 marching bands. The parade should last around 3 hours. 

The song “Jingle Bells” was originally meant to be a Thanksgiving song. It was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont and published under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh”. The song became so popular that it became a part of Christmas.

During World War I the government printing office published cookbooks so members of the armed forces could cook their favorite Thanksgiving meals. 

A poster from WWI urging Americans to ration sugar.

Newspapers did their part during the Thanksgiving season during WWI. Newspapers published recipes and ideas to help families enjoy the holiday with limited resources due to rationing. 

Because sugar was in such short supply, cranberry sauces were discouraged in many of the newspaper articles. 

Of course, the best WWI Thanksgiving feast occurred on November 28, 1918, the Thanksgiving immediately after the war, which ended on November 11th at 11:00 am. That was a hundred years ago this year. 

How do you like to celebrate Thanksgiving? What family traditions do you enjoy? What memories bring you happiness during this festive time of the year?

We at the Waurika News Journal & The Ryan Leader wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Is that ‘Junk’ in Your Attic or Basement Worth a Fortune?

By
State Point
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0

(StatePoint) From baseball cards and sports equipment to postcards and toys, is that “junk” in your attic or basement dusty treasure or just dusty? We’ve all heard of families getting rich from the sale of rare memorabilia. So how can you tell if your stuff is valuable and how can you sell it, if it is?

“The general rule is that the older the item, the more valuable it is. 1980 is not old. 1960 is kind of old. 1910 is old,” says Al Crisafulli, Auction Director at Love of the Game Auctions, an internet sports auction house that has helped many families identify and sell valuable items.

In one instance, Crisafulli determined that a family’s baseball bat that spent decades beside their front door to protect from intruders, was actually used by Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig — and Love of the Game Auctions sold it for them for more than $430,000.

He is offering these tips to help determine if your items are valuable:

Baseball Cards

Cards from the 1960s and earlier are collectible, and those from before the 1940s can be extremely pricey. Do they have sharp corners, no creases and retain original gloss? Do they depict star players and Hall of Famers? A Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner or Mickey Mantle will sell for more than non-stars.

With particularly old cards from the 1880s and early 1900s, look for tobacco and candy brands, such as Old Judge, Piedmont, Sweet Caporal or American Caramel. Unopened packs from almost any era can be valuable.

Memorabilia & Equipment

Look for old advertising posters depicting sports stars and food, tobacco or sporting goods brands. This doesn’t mean ads torn from magazines, but those used as store displays and for other purposes. Tin signs are highly collectible from the 1900s into the 1960s, but low-quality reproductions aren’t. Pre-1950s catcher’s masks, baseball gloves and bats can be valuable, especially those endorsed by star players. Condition is important but used equipment can be valuable.

When you go to sell sports items, consider a specialty auction, such as Love of the Game, which has the expertise to properly research sports pieces, and maintains lists of bidders specializing in this area so it can get top dollar for these items. More information is available at loveofthegameauctions.com.

Postcards

Postcards of your vacation destinations likely are worthless. But those depicting famous people, such as movie star cards and vintage baseball postcards, can be valuable. Look for early “real photo” postcards from the 1900s through the 1940s, which are photographs printed on postcard backs. No matter the type, the older, the better, and the more famous, the better.

Old Halloween or Christmas postcards from the early 1900s can be expensive. The same goes for many intricate “hold-to-light” postcards, where portions of scenes light up when held to strong light.

Toys

Look for famous characters, such as early Walt Disney items, superheroes, Star Wars, etc. The most prized toys are those in original condition with no broken pieces and paint intact. And if you have original boxes, you might strike gold!

So, while you’re cleaning that attic, basement or garage, don’t rush to purge. Before throwing out old “junk,” determine if it’s valuable!

Learning to live in the moment.

By
Curtis Plant
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0

 Everyone has moments they look back on with fondness, moments perhaps which even define them as a person. 

Sadly for many of us, those moments are too few and far between. 

Sometimes it’s because life is too busy.

However, much of the time it’s because we simply fail to live in the moment. 

Thomas Carlyle once wrote, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

That statement had a profound impact on a man by the name of Sir William Osler. 

In a speech to students at Yale University, Osler related the truth of that statement in a short sentence, “live in day-tight compartments.”

Osler went on to explain. He said forget about yesterday, don’t focus on the future and simply focus on today. Put another way, live in the moment. 

Researches have accumulated DATA on what makes people unhappy. 

What they discovered is that one of the contributors to unhappiness is a habit that everyone engages in throughout the day. It’s called mind-wandering.

We as humans have the ability to let our minds wander to other things instead of focusing on the task directly in front of us. 

In other words, we are not doing what lies clearly at hand. 

Let’s face it. We live in a fast-paced demanding world. 

Everything was due yesterday. 

Because of that, we feel a constant need to be planning ahead, thinking about the tasks yet to be completed.

This causes chaos and confusion and yes, unhappiness.

Over the past few months, there have been a plethora of books on the market about mindfulness.  

Mindfulness is defined as achieving a state of mind where one focuses on the present moment. 

Some of these writers express this idea as if it is a new concept. 

They forget that the greatest teacher who ever lived taught this principle two-thousand years ago.

He said not to worry about tomorrow. He even went so far as to say not to even worry about what you would eat, drink or wear. 

What he was saying was to focus on the moment you are in. 

How many of us have missed out on life simply because we let our minds wander at the wrong times?

We are with our children playing a simple game but our minds are at work. 

Instead of enjoying time with our spouse we are thinking about other ways we could be making money. 

At other times we can’t enjoy our day off from work because we are worried about whatever is screaming at us the most in our minds. 

Moments are special. Sadly, if we don’t learn to live in those moments while they are happening there is a good chance we won’t even remember them. 

Life is short and is made up of moments. Let’s enjoy each and every one. 

What if?

By
Curtis Plant
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0

 I remember sitting in a sixth-grade social studies class with the other football players driving our teacher crazy with “What if” questions.

“What if Germany had won WWII?”

“What if China invaded us today?”

“What if?”

“What if?”

The questions went on and on.

He finally threw up his hands and …well you get the idea.

How many times have we talked ourselves out of doing something productive with “What if” questions?

What if nobody likes my idea?

What if nobody appreciates what I do?

What if people make fun of me?

What if others think I’m stupid?

I’ve asked that one many times myself and no  you don’t need to send me an email to confirm the answer. 

There’s nothing wrong with looking at ideas from all angles before implementing them. 

That’s actually quite commendable. 

But more often than not, we sabotage our own success by talking ourselves out of a good idea because we’ve asked one too many “What if” questions.

What if Columbus hadn’t sailed the ocean blue in 1492?

What if Marco Polo had stayed home?

What if George Washington had refused to serve as the first president?

What if Steve Jobs had given up after the first apple computer had failed to meet his expectations?

What if your parents had never met?

There are some things that we will never know the answer to.

However, what I can tell you is that you will never accomplish anything if you sit around asking “What if?”

Life is short. 

Yet there are so many things that still need to be accomplished.

Someone needs to cure cancer.

Someone needs to solve the deficit.

Someone needs to find the answer for baldness. 

Someone needs to invent the perfect zero calorie meal. 

Someone needs to find  a real alternative energy source. 

Someone needs….

This list could go on into infinity. 

Someone has to do it. 

Someone has to roll up their sleeves and come up with some solutions.

Someone needs to take a chance. 

Someone needs to dare to be the one. 

What if that someone is you?

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