Jessica's sermon well received

Jessica was warmly received as she gave the sermon Sunday morning at Christ United Methodist Church. She told of her desire to do mission work in Israel and related how various obstacles have been overcome.

Jessica attended the opening of the annual Louisiana conference of  the Methodist Church Sunday evening and will be attending as a voting delegate Monday and Tuesday.  She will return to North Carolina Tuesday to take up her duties as  a chaplain trainee at a hospital there.

D-Day Normandy

Early on the morning of June 6, 1944, soldiers, sailors and airmen began the largest amphibious operation at that time to free Europe.  The next 24 hours began what was to be a major turning point in World War II. More than 10,000 were killed or wounded in the fight.

While remembering those who  participated, let's not forget there were other D-Days before the victory over Japan ended the war.

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

Immortal words from one of our greatest presidents.  Ronald Reagan died ten years ago today. He was 93 years old.  Mrs. Reagan put flowers on his grave.  How much this country misses and needs him!

Jessica arrives Friday

Looking forward to Jessica arriving Friday night from North Carolina where she is devoting the summer to serving as a chaplain trainee in a hospital there.

While at home Jessica will preach this Sunday, serve as a delegate to the Louisiana annual conference of the United Methodist Church, and celebrate her birthday, which falls on Father's Day.

About mayhaws and other things

An article in the newspaper about mayhaws got me remembering how fortunate we were to have access to so many wild fruits, not only mayhaws and the queen of jelly it supplied, but blackberries from spring to fall, two kinds of plums, and muscadine grapes.

We had a wild cherry tree but the fruit was too sour to eat, except for birds who would eat the cherries, get drunk, and fall to the ground.

Cultivated fruits began to ripen in June and July -- first figs and then watermelons and cantaloupes.

Life wasn't without its good things when i was a kid on the farm.

A dirty, evil action for political gain

Surely, not even Obama would make a deal to free five Taliban commanders to enable them to wreak more havoc on the world, all h in exchange for an American soldier held by the Taliban for five years. 

The United States does not negotiate with terrorists and does nt free terrorists for promises the enemy will  free our people who are captured.  To give in would lead to the taking of more of our citizens. Yes, that's what we thought.  Obama, though, flouts the constitution, laws and morality.  He made the deal to free the Taliban leaders and likely some Americans will pay the price. 

What about this guy we got in exchange.  It is noble to say we will leave no one behind, and we can not but be happy an American is free.  However, there are questions about whether Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was a captive.  An article in 2010 says Bergdahl walked away from  his post in Afghanistan leaving a note criticizing the American forces.  The army searched for the sergeant for two months, six men losing their lives.

Something about this stinks worse than rotting fish.  More information is needed, but at present it appears that Obama should be impeached.

Shellback initiation

The battle in Okinawa would continue until June 21 when the Japs surrendered, but the USS Pickens had left the battle area weeks before and was at Saipan when we got orders to leave  June 3, 1945, for the Solomon Islands.  If T knew the purpose then, I have forgotten it.

We would cross the equator on our way, and that inspired the Shellbacks on board (sailors who had crossed the equator before) to plan initiation for the Pollywogs (us that would be crossing for the first time).
Pollywog flags began to appear throughout the  ship, one even flying from a topmast.  The admiral raised hell about this and ordered the flag taken down.

As we crossed the equator initiation began. John  White has supplied pictures taken by his father Mike White, who was a Shellback and ship photographer. Copies of those pictures are on my blog dated June  11, 2014.