Paulding County Veterans WWII
By: Stan Jordan
I received the obituary for Russell Long of Paulding. He was 97 years old and was a veteran of the United States Air Force, being a chief mechanic on B-29’s, B-17’s and B-24’s.
He was a member of the 297 American Legion Post and a life member of the The John Paulding Historical Society.
Of the WWII veterans who left from Paulding County to serve their county, as near as I know, there are 16 that are still alive.
Army: Robert Baumle, Donald Beamer, George Forrest, Fred Grindstaff, Robert Johnson (Antwerp), Robert Johnson (Latty), Stan Jordan, Orval Mullen and James Smalley.
Navy: Alfred Daeger, Keaton Endsley, Robert Franklin, Gerald Grindstaff, Richard Harris, Gene Scarbrough and Elmer Woodcox.
See ya!
My New Bird Book
By: Stan Jordan
For Christmas my co-worker, Crystal, gave me a new bird book. It shows colored pictures of over one thousand birds of all over the world.
My other book only covered the birds that are here in America. For instance, it didn’t cover the snowy owl, as I guess it is more native to Canada than the United States.
I am very interested in that owl because we have seen them around the area for over the last 50 years and I know some of them stay and build their nest here, but I don’t know whether they migrate south in the winter or not.
My new book list about a half dozen eagles, but around this area we only have the Bald Eagle and occasionally I get a report of a Golden Eagle sighting.
This book tells of a strong relationship between the male and the female for many years and I have thought that was true for a long time. I think they are compatible with their offspring for a couple of years or so. Their diet mostly is of birds, small animals, rodents and especially fish. Neither of my books mention road kill, but around here they eat a lot of dead deer, sort of like scavengers.
See ya!
Our Language
By: Stan Jordan
Over in Columbia City, Indiana, a man flies a flag on his flag pole that reads, “If you live here, speak english”. As I understand, some of his neighbors do not agree with his flag. Well, I do agree with him. No ifs, ands or butts. Yes, give them a few months, but they should be making moves toward being a United States citizen.
Now I can also see the neighbors side, a little care and courtesy, but that only lasts so long.
It is a little disturbing when you are in a store and you hear some people talking in another language. I am with that man. Learn the english, learn to read and write it, you can’t drive a vehicle until you do. If you want to live here in America, adopt our ways.
See ya!
Me and Firearms
By: Stan Jordan
When I was eighteen, I bought a .22 caliber Winchester, 15 shot, semi-automatic and I had a 3 power scope put on it. Whenever we had time, we would do some target shooting because a box of 50 Kleenbore 22 long rifles was only 22 cents. Of course, that was a half hour wages, but that didn’t make any difference.
That sure was a good squirrel rifle. We enjoyed being in the woods and try to outsmart those rascals. My wife would use her dad’s rifle, it was just like mine. We done a lot of shooting rats out around an outside corn crib.
When I went into the army I was familiar with firearms. I can hold my own with anyone with the 1903 .30 caliber Springfield.
With the Colt 45 army automatic, at first I couldn’t hit the barn if I was inside even. I never got to practice much with it to do any better. I still have my Winchester .22. I bought a new .17 caliber with scope and all, it is a beautiful piece, but with my old arms, I just couldn’t handle that gun right, it was just too heavy, so I gave it to Gale and Mook for target shooting or any type of rodent.
Out at the Antwerp Conservation Club, they give lectures, training, care and use of firearms to any and all teenagers who are interested. I very much approve of that. Nothing is better than down right experience.
Years ago my brother, Jim, secured a used M1 from the army and we fired it quite a bit. He was in the South Pacific with “A” Company of the 37th Division during WWII, but he was a leader of the heavy weapons platoon. I think they were in 5 major engagements, nearly a year on Guada canal. All the boys from Paulding County who went with “A” Company of the Ohio National Guard back in 1940 are all gone now, but not forgotten.
See ya!
Three surgeons are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on. The first surgeon said, “Electricians are the best, everything inside is color coded.”
The second surgeon says, “No, I think librarians are, everything inside them is in alphabetical order.”
The third surgeon shut them up when he said, “You’re all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There’s no guts, no heart, no brains and no spine. Plus, the head and the butt are interchangeable…”
See ya!
A Tall Tale
By: Stan Jordan
I imagine that over the last few years you have wondered how I traveled back and forth to Boston to see my friend Ben Franklin back in the 1775 era.
Well, if you remember that Ben had a number of patents and a good scientific head.
Ben had made me a three person drone that he did not have a patent on, fact is, I think he copied it off a young Chinese boy who was an understudy to Ben. This drone was big enough, and strong enough to carry me and my friend, Juan Valdez, and his mule, Conchita.
This drone had six propellers that lifted the drone and carried us along at about 45 miles per hour. Now when we flew around Boston, we didn’t excite the townspeople much, because they all thought that Ben was a little loose any how. We would land in Ben’s back yard, the same place he flew the kite. The neighbors still shake their heads over that deal.
These six motors on the drone were powered by solid carbon dioxide or commonly called “dry ice”. A small block of dry ice would last for many hours if you didn’t fly it too fast.
What this trip was for, I had a little extra cash, so I bought some war bonds for the American Revolutionary Army. That army was so hard up, the soldiers had to furnish their own ball and powder and musket.
That whole trip turned out to be a fiasco, enough to make you go home to mother.
As we were coming back to Ohio in our drone about 45 miles per hour, really enjoying a nice sunshiny day, about over what would become Youngstown, Ohio. We made a left and stopped on a big white cloud. An Ohio Highway Patrolman pulled up on his one man, state owned drone and he arrested us for not using a turn signal. He confiscated our drone for security, beings that we didn’t have that much cash after we bought the war bonds and we had to walk from there.
See ya!
