109 Year Old Talks About WWI Memorial

In today's Parade magazine, 109-year-old Frank Buckles talks about the need to create a National World War I Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Buckles, who lied about his age to enter the U.S. Army in 1917, is the last living American veteran of WWI, known as Doughboys. He was 16 years old when he went to war in France.

"I know that I am a representative of all those who have gone before me. Those veterans, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice, should be remembered," said Buckles in the May 30, 2010, edition of Parade.

Actually, according to the magazine, there already is a memorial for fallen soldiers of WWI from the District of Columbia as well as the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., site of the National WWI Museum.

Read Richard Rubin's article about Frank Buckles and his efforts for a national WWI memorial.

Frank Woodruff Buckles (born February 1, 1901) is, at age 109, the last living American veteran of World War I and the oldest verified military veteran in the world.^[1] He currently lives at Gap View Farm, near Charles Town, West Virginia and is the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. During World War II, Buckles was taken prisoner by the Japanese as a civilian.

Giving Away Buddy Poppies

PASCAGOULA -- Today, outside of Wayne Lee's there was a group of young girls and their sponsor giving away Buddy Poppies.

Although the woman who was passing out the souvenirs did not ask for a donation, residents dropped in a dollar for the effort and the memorial it represents to veterans across South Mississippi and the country.

It hit me that $1 bills were about all there were in the donation box. They seemed inadequate. It just didn't seem enough for these times. You can hardly buy a brand-name soda with a dollar, especially if you add tax. And our soldiers certainly deserve all the help they can get for their service and lives.

Anyway, the woman and children gladly shoved the souvenirs into people's hands, as if having the poppies was better than any money that could be gained from their endeavor. Their sign said something about remembering vets.

This is the weekend for remembering. Officially, Memorial Day will be May 31, always the last Monday in May. Numerous programs and services will be held today and the next three days, which makes for a four-day weekend.

Enjoy.

Say hi to a soldier -- former, present, future.

Pascagoula Offers Memorial Day Fun

By JENNIFER FLANAGAN

Public Relations Coordinator

PASCAGOULA -- Get in the mood for summer at Pascagoula’s new beach and Beach Park over this Memorial Day weekend. Following tradition, Pascagoula’s “Sounds by the Sea” outdoor concert will be held at Beach Park at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 30. In preparation for this event the park will not open until 2 p.m. that Sunday allowing for the set-up of the concert stage and other activities.

For added convenience the new concession facility at the park will be open during the “Sounds by the Sea” concert. D’Vine Soul Food will be serving everything from hot dogs to pork and rib lunches from the new facility located on the west end of the park from noon to 9 p.m. Regular concession hours will be Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

In order to insure a safe and fun experience within Beach Park visitors are asked to follow these rules and regulations: no pets allowed, no alcoholic beverage or glass containers, no profanity or disruptive behavior, and please put trash in receptacles.

City officials have not forgotten about our furry friends this Memorial Day weekend. Owners and their dogs can play on the beach between Hague and Pascagoula streets. However, dogs must be kept under control at all times and owners must pick-up after their animals.

For additional fun, the beach pier will remain open from 7 a.m. until dusk daily.

For those interested in a beach bonfire you must obtain a fire permit through the Pascagoula Fire Department and be prepared to display the permit throughout the weekend. Contact Pascagoula’s Central Fire Station at 228-762-1901 for more information.

Parking for the beach is located at The Point on the west end of Beach Boulevard or at Beach Park. No parking is allowed along either side of Beach Boulevard. Violators will be towed at the expense of the vehicle owner.

Memorial Day weekend always brings music, fun and fireworks to Pascagoula. To insure a fun and safe experience all visitors and residents are encouraged to following the rules and regulation set forth for the City’s public spaces.

Park ordinance for the City of Pascagoula reads:

1. No person shall cut, break, trample, injure or take any plants, flowers, shrubbery, trees or vegetation or remove any benches, seats or other appurtenances of such parks or enclosures.

2. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle upon a publicly owned beach except as necessary in its maintenance and care by a person authorized to do so.

3. It shall be unlawful to sell, drink or possess any alcoholic beverage on a municipal park, playground, ballfield, recreational area, or any public beach including those leased by private parties.

4. Glass beverage containers are banned from municipal parks, playgrounds, ballfields, or other recreation areas and public beaches.

5. It shall be unlawful for any dog to be in or upon any public park, beach or other public recreational areas (except the north portion of IG Levy Memorial Park & on the beach betweenHague Street and Pascagoula Street.)

Dog ordinance for the City of Pascagoula reads:

(a) It shall be unlawful for any owner of any animal, whether under control or not, to allow it to be in or upon any public park, beach, or other public recreational area within the City, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(b) Dogs may be allowed on the north portion of I.G. Levy Park under the following conditions:

(1) A dog shall be under the immediate control of a responsible person.

(2) Any feces produced by a dog while on such park shall be immediately collected and removed in a sanitary manner by the person having it under control.

(3) No dog shall be permitted upon the pavilion located on the park.

(4) No dog shall attack any other dog or human.

(5) No dog involved in a violation of this subsection pertaining to I.G. Levy Park shall again be permitted on such park.

(c) Dogs may be allowed on the public beach only in the area between Pascagoula Streetand Hague Street under the following conditions:

(1) A dog shall be under the immediate control of a responsible person.

(2) Any feces produced by a dog while on such beach shall be immediately collected and removed in a sanitary manner by the person having it under control.

(3) No dog shall attack any other dog or human.

(4) No dog shall be allowed to run free in the designated beach area.

(5) No dog involved in a violation of this subsection pertaining to the Pascagoula beach shall again be permitted on such beach.

(d) Owner as used herein means any person owning, keeping, harboring, or in possession of an animal.

Old Soldiers -- April 2010

Dorian Lee "Chic" Anderson, 79, passed away April 21 at his home in Ocean Springs. He was born April 28, 1930.
Anderson was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1954 with the rank of aviation electronics technician first class. He flew in missions off the USS Boxer CVA 21 and USS Oriskany CVA 34 during the Korean Crisis.

Specialist Aquaneldo Maurice Johnson

GULFPORT -- Specialist Aquaneldo Maurice Johnson was born to the late Jackson and Jean Johnson.

Johnson is survived by wife Karen Johnson and daughters Janae and Makia Johnson; mother Jean Johnson, sisters Jacqueline Glenn Moody, Marilyn Yvette Exum and Bonnie Stewart; a very special cousin, Precious Ann Thomas; god-brother Sedric Casey; grandchildren Kynnedi and Kassidy Johnson; nieces Talia Glenn and Bryanni Exurn; a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.

Funeral services will be Friday, April 23, 2010, with visitation at 8:30 a.m. and commemoration at 9:30 a.m. at First Missionary Baptist Church of Hansboro, 1100 E. Pass Road in Gulfport. Burial will follow at 11 a.m. at Biloxi National Cemetery.

Read a complete obituary and sign his guestbook at http://www.marshallfh.com/.

Sheriff Honors Emergency Personnel for Rescue

PASCAGOULA -- Sheriff Mike Byrd has honored emergency personnel who helped rescue an infant from a house fire Feb. 18 in Gulf Park Estates, according to local news reports.

See Photos of Presentation at sunherald.com

The 5-month-old boy, Madden Graham Gunn, died Feb. 19 of burns and smoke inhalation at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala.

Officers, Firefighter Honored for Bravery

www.sunherald.com, Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The honorees included Chief Michael Belton with the Fontainebleau Volunteer Fire Department, Mike Hurring, a deputy with Jackson County Sheriff's Department, and Ocean Springs police officers Jason Byrd and Steven Dye.

Sheriff Byrd made the presentation during a supervisors meeting on Monday, March 1.

Sheriff Honors Four Men for Rescue Work During House Fire

www.themississippipress.com, Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Grandmother Kathy V. Bradley, 57, was able to get out of the burning two-story home with 2-year-old Benjamin Gunn, but was unable to reach her grandson Madden.

Moss Point, Lucedale Firefighters Receive $335 in FEMA Funds

This article appeared in the Feb. 20, 2010, issue of The Mississippi Press

By APRIL M. HAVENS

Three local fire departments have received more than $335,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency Firefighter Assistant Grant funds for training and equipment.

The Moss Point Fire Department received $107,735, and the Benndale and Central volunteer fire departments, both in Lucedale, received $121,600 and $107,550, respectively.

The grants are part of a $1.66 million program to help 17 fire departments around the state buy new equipment and vehicles.

Loraine Howell, George County's fire coordinator, said the Benndale and Central stations will use their grants for turnout gear (jackets and other personal protection equipment) and training upgrade courses.

"It's a big asset to us because it's going to equip them to have better response and in general make things better for the volunteer firefighters," Howell said. "We're happy to get any amount we can, and we have greatly improved through the AFG grants."

Howell said the grants also help the departments recruit more firefighters.

"Better equipment means more people are willing to volunteer," she said.

Tommy Posey, shift captain and grant writer at the Moss Point Fire Department, said their grant will fund safety vests, 20 new air packs and send 35 firefighters to driver training.

"In the last two years, I've gotten close to $486,000 in grants for the fire department," Posey said. "These grants are amazing, and they really help us out, especially since all the cities are in a bind financially."

Those grants have bought new radios, turnout gear and training, he said.

"We don't just sit here and depend on tax dollars," Posey said. "We go out looking for grants."

Posey still awaits word on two other 2009 grants that would help the department buy a new truck and remodel two of its older fire stations, he said.

Larger vehicle acquisition grants were awarded to East Covington Volunteer Fire Department in Collins, the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department in Corinth, and Silver Run Volunteer Fire Department in Perkinston, while 11 smaller grants went to departments for operations and safety.

The funds are in addition to 20 similar grants awarded in January and are awarded on a competitive basis by FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration.

"The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is useful to many rural and volunteer forces that might not otherwise have the resources to obtain the equipment they need to serve the public," Sen. Thad Cochran said in a news release. "I am pleased that FEMA has accepted grant applications from more fire departments in Mississippi."

In January, FEMA awarded $1.47 million in AFG grants to 20 local fire departments in Mississippi. Congress funded the program through the 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.

MDEQ Accepts NCBC into enHance Program

JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

(MDEQ) recently accepted the Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) in

Gulfport as a leader in its enHance program.

enHance is a voluntary

stewardship program that recognizes committed environmental leaders who

accomplish goals beyond their legal requirements. enHance is open to

facilities, cities, counties, and other entities who are interested in the

program, and applicants can choose from three tiers: associate, steward,

or leader.

“We are pleased that the Naval Construction Battalion Center has joined the

enHance program, and they should be commended for their commitment to doing

good work and their leadership in achieving standards beyond their

environmental permit requirements,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ executive

director.

“This is great news," said Captain Ed Brown, commanding officer of Naval

Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. "Being part of this program will

help us be better environmental stewards and at the same time assist our

neighbors in Mississippi. The "Can Do" spirit of our personnel on base when

it comes to environmental excellence contributes every day to making the

Seabee Base and Mississippi an even better place to work and live.”

The enHance 2010 class includes three leaders: Caterpillar High

Performance Extrusions (Oxford), Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC)

(Gulfport), and Southern Natural Gas - Pickens Station (Pickens).

Five stewards were selected: Columbus Brick (Columbus), Leaf River Cellulose,

LLC (New Augusta), Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (Gulfport), Northrop

Grumman Electronic Systems (Ocean Springs), and Northrop Grumman

Shipbuilding (Pascagoula).

The three associate members are: Choctaw Gas

Generation (Ackerman), GDF SUEZ Red Hills Power Plant (Ackerman), and Gulf

States Manufacturers - a Nucor Company (Starkville).

Information about the program is available at:

http://www.deq.state.ms.us/enhance.

Public Safety Complex step closer in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS -- A public safety complex that will house police officers, firefighters and court facilities is a step closer to reality.

The Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen on Dec. 01 awarded bids totaling $6.5 million to two construction companies, according to reporter April Havens in The Mississippi Press.

Whose on the Board of Aldermen?

She said the complex -- 38,500 square feet -- consists of two buildings on east U.S. 90. GM&R Construction Co. of Waveland was awarded a $2.7 million contract to construct a fire station and emergency operations building.

Get information on the Ocean Springs Fire Department

and the new chief, Jeffrey Ponson.

Gulf Construction Co. of Gulfport was awarded a $3.9 million contract to build the housing for a police station, jail and court facilities.

Find out about Chief Lionel Cothern

and the Ocean Springs Police Department.

Mayor Connie Moran said the complex is being paid for with $800,000 in city funds, $4.5 million from a food and beverage tax, and a Community Development Block Grant, according to the Mississippi Press at www.gulflive.com .

What happens during

emergency operations in Ocean Springs?

The reporter said land clearing and groundwork have been done and construction could start this month. The complex should be completed in about a year.

Military Gunman Kills 12 at Fort Hood

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been identified as the gunman who shot and killed 12 military personnel and civilian police officer today at Fort Hood.

Civilian police shot and wounded Hasan, who reportedly was upset about leaving for another deployment to Iraq. The shooting occurred at the soldier readiness facility as personnel were preparing for deployment.

Details of the tragic loss of life at the largest military installation in the U.S. has been breaking news since the shooting occurred just after midday. At least 31 people also were wounded.

The Army base was put on lock down following the shooting, which occurred about 1:30 p.m., just prior to a graduation ceremony.

Fort Hood is home to the First Army Division West.

Fort Hood is a United States Army post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (100 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The main cantonment of Fort Hood is a census-designated place(CDP) in Bell County, Texas that as of the 2000 U.S. Census had a total population of 33,711. Some portions of the base lie in Coryell County. -- www.wikipedia.org

Read news reports at wlox.com, www.sunherald.com, abcnews.com, cnn.com, foxnews.com, etc.

Photo found at abcnews.com

Chance Anniversay on Nov. 6

Spc. James A. Chance III is remembered as the first fatality for the Mississippi National Guard during the war with Iraq.

Chance was killed Nov. 6, 2003, by a land mine near the Syrian border.

Funeral services were held Nov. 15 at the Kokomo United Methodist Church.

Oneto-Sikorski -- Fourth Year Memorial

BAY ST. LOUIS -- While the end of October is party time for most Americans, unfortunately many people know the pain of tragedy that comes with traditional holidays.

While American military personnel usually have their own version of the celebrations, danger in Iraq and Afghanistan, like untimely violence and death at home, does not take off on holidays.

So was the case Oct. 31, 2005, when 1st Lt. Robert C. Oneto-Sikorski was killed in Iraq during a combat mission. He was leader of the Army's 155th Infantry Battalion.

He was a 33-year-old native of Bay St. Louis.

During May, Oneto-Sikorski was the first soldier added to a Veterans Memorial Garden built by students on school grounds at Bay High. His name is etched into a brick of the memorial that honors fallen military personnel.

The students held dedication ceremonies May 22, 2009.