San Patricio County News (Sinton, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 8, 2004 Page: 1 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: San Patricio County Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Taft Public Library.
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215
WEATHER &
COTTON effects of recent heavy rains
PAGE?
POUCE
BLOTTER
PAGE 5
The San Patricio County News has
added a police blotter with daily
reports of activity.
niATATrD The Texas Commissioner of
DlN N ER Insurance spoke at the EDC dinner
PAGE 8 *asl Thursday-
TA “
sioa
Copyright 2004 • San Patricio Publishing Co., Inc. • Founded 1906
| THURSDAY-JULY 8, 2004
VOLUME 97 • NO. 27- 12 PAGES
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ~|
Fool
Lieutenant
Decorated war
hero, Robert Edlin,
shares many stories
By Beki Hall
County News editor
Sometimes people do not get the recog-
nition that they deserve. Robert Edlin,
known as the Fool Lieutenant, deserves to
be recognized by the United States gov-
ernment. He almost was.*
Now, Edlin hasn’t gone without being
recognized for his spectacular feats as a
Ranger in WWI1. He has three Purple
Hearts. He earned the Distinguished
Service Cross, a Silver Star, Combat
Infantry Badge and the Presidential
Citation given to the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
In 1995, he was inducted into the Ranger
Hall of Faroe,-- v
A book, “The Fool Lieutenant: A
Personal Account of D-Day and WWII” is
about the actions of Edlin and the 2nd
Ranger Battalion.
There is, however, one medal missing'-
the Medal of Honor, commonly referred to
as the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“Personally, I think it should go to Len
Lomell (2nd Ranger), Bill Klaus (2nd
Ranger) or 50 or 60 dthers that I could
name. They deserve it as m«eh or more
than I do,” Edlin said.
HE NEVER RECEIVED IT
No Rangers from WWII were awarded
the Medal of Honor. One, Edlin, Was nom-
inated. He turned it down - not out of pride
and not for showmanship. He refused the
medal to stay and light with the men that
helped him earn the award in the first
place. He said that he never even consid-
ered accepting it.
If he had accepted the medal, he would
have to return to the United States. No war
hero would be allowed to stay and fight.
1
tlx. ,
■ r
* 1
i.
Robert Mosely and Robert “The Fool Lieutenant" Edlin share stories at
Sinton Manor. Both served in WWII. (Emily Messer photo)
He would have been too great a risk. *
As his commander, Colonel James Earl
Rudder said, “We can’t take the risk of a
Medal of Honor winner being-ctfptured.
They could use it as a propaganda thing. If
they caught one of the great Rangers that
had -been-deeeratc-d -with Hre highest award,
they could then drag him through the
streets.”'
To this day, Edlin stands by his decision.
How he was nominated for the award is a
story all its own.
Sept. 9,1944
Robert Edlin leads a four-man patrol to
take over an entire German battalion with
more than 800 men surrendering and seiz-
ing control of four 280-mm guns, support-
ing small afirts arttf large pillboxes/ All
that the men were supposed to do was look
and report back.
They looked; then they took the situation
into their own hands.
Edlin, Warfen “Half-track”-Burmaster,
William Courtney and William Dreher
were the men of the day.
Orders were for a reconnaissance combat
patrol as near to the fort as possible.
“We were to spot pillboxes, snipers,
whatever we could identify, apd chart a
way through the minefield. If we had the
opportunity, we were to capture some pris-
oners. We. wanted to find out the state of
minds of the Germans in the fort,” Edlin
said/
Early in the morning of Sept. 9, the four
men moved forward and came to within
200 yards of a German pillbox, eventually
moving Tight under the guns.
The men could see the fort. It looked
huge. Edlin later found out that the build-
ing was five stories above ground and nine
stories into the ground. The men moved in
to get a closer look, all the while sitting in
a minefield.
Courtney spots a way through the field
and no sooner is running through. The
other three quickly follow. The men ended
up at the mouth of a pillbox. The door was
open and the “fearless” four could hear
German men talkingInside.
A German soldier hangs by his neck as a
reminder to the others .not to desert.
Edlin, Courtney, Dreher and Burmaster
decided, without words, to take the pillbox.
Burmaster held back his position. He
would be able to aiefTthe battalion should
this endeavor go wrong.
The remaining three would enter, with
force, and demand that approximately 20
German soldiers “Hande Hoch” or put
their hands up. They complied.
See FOOL Page 6
Tax exemption for
65, older increased
By Beki Hall
County News editor
San Patricio County Commissioners
approved an additional $10,000 property tax
exemption for homeowners age 65 and
older. This will save taxpayers $53 on their
next tax bill, based on the current combined
rate of $0.53 per $100 of assessed value.
The commissioners met on Tuesday
because the courthouse was closed Monday
in observance of Independence Day.
Based on current estimates, the exemption
will cost the county approximately $220,000
in revenue. More than 4,000 county taxpay-
ers are 65 or older:
The additional exemption was a good faith
gesture by the court in hopes of avoiding the
possibility of a tax freeze. A tax freeze is one
possibility that the commissioners are look-
ing at to relieve some of the financial burden
on those 65 and older and/or disabled.
Commissioners Jim Price, Fred Nardini
and Pete Rodriguez voted in favor of the
additional exemption. Price pushed for the
additional exemption. County Judge Terry
Simpson and Commissioner Nina Trevino
voted against the increase.
Simpson was not against providing tax
relief for the elderly. However, he said that
he did not want to approve an exemption
without seeing the actual numbers for the
tax appraisal for the upcoming fiscal year.
“We are going to do something for the tax-
payers of this county,” Simpson said. “Right
now, we are in such a flux about what the
actual tax appraisals are going to be. People
need to give us an opportunity to treat them
fairly.”
The county is waiting for confirmation the
tax appraisals for annexed land such as a
shipyard and Bay Harbor.
“We eventually would like to do some-
See EXEMPTION Page 6
Weather slows street
widening projects
By Johnnie Sue Littleton
County News reporter
The Sinton City Council heard a report
Tuesday from City Manager Jackie Knox on
the city's street widening project, now con-
centrated in the west end of town.
Knox gave the Council copies of a letter
from Ben Gonzales, president of Benco
Contracting Inc., of Victoria, the company
in charge of the project.
Gonzales noted that an unusually active
weather pattern has kept his crews from
working in recent months, citing 28 days of
rain, 24 days that were too wet and two hol-
idays in the contract period beginning Nov.
27, 2003. Gonzales’ record shows 240 days
on the contract and 221 days charged to
date: July 4.
Knox noted that the projects on Avenues A,
B, C and Second and Third streets were
completed in a timely manner and that with
more manpower on Bcnco's part, the rest of
the project on Fulton Market, Chiltipin and
O'Neal streets should be completed soon,
weather permitting.
Gonzales said in a letter to Knox dated July
6, that sub-grade and base work on Chiltipin
and O'Neal is now being prepared and that
base and asphalt work is scheduled in the
next few weeks.
Knox, speaking to the Westside water plant
project, said that although that project is 99
percent complete, there has been a delay in
closing, out the contract because of incorrect
electrical wiring and switdiesv^ensors, system,
operational control adjustments, utility pole
bleeding at master control and operational
anomalies associated with booster pumps.
Knox said these problems are being
addressed.
DETAILS Main Street manager asks for council’s support
Public Meeting
The Coastal Plain Local Emergency
Planning Committee Corporation will hold
an executive meeting on Thursday July 15
at 1p.m. and a general meeting at 2 p.m. in
the San Patricio County Sheriff’s
Department Training Room on 300 N.
Rachal St., Sinton. For more information,
call 364-6144.--
By Johnnie Sue Littleton
County News reporter
Melanie Thomas, Sinton's Main Street manager, present-
ed city council members with a revised sketch of the pro-
posed central business district for submission to the Texas
Historical Commission at their meeting Tuesday night.
Thomas asked that the council members each write a letter
of support to be submitted wtth the Main Street application
which is due the end of July.
house and most of the city's old business district.
Thomas is requesting that, local merchants, civic and his-
torical organizations and private citizens write letters to the
Commission describing the changes, whether positive or
negative, that they have seen in the downtown area, and how
they have noticed a change in economic tenor of Sinton, for
better or worse through the years they have lived here.
Letters should also detail how the Main Street Program
will benefit Sinton and relate how the writer, as a business
The revised sketch shuws a slightly smaller area of the city—owner, civic organization member or citizen can support the
4
Back to School Dance
The Sinton Police Officer’s Association
will hold a Back to School Dance at the
County Show Bam on Harvill Road on July
24 from 7 p.m. through 11 p.m. Admission
is $3 at the door. A DJ and refreshments
will be provided. For additional informa-
tion, call Eric J. Blanchard at 364-4400.
that will be presented in an effort to win Sinton a Main Street
designation. The area submitted in last year's application was
deemed to be too large and was pared down to include an
area from the Union Pacific RR crossing across Sinton
Street, north to include part of West Main and west to Odem
Street and south to George, which includes the county court-
Thomas said in a letter that she presented to the council
that "this program is crucial to the vitality of Sinton, espe-
cially given the plan for the new bypass."
. She also said that the Main Street designation is vital to
Sinton's economic well-being, will preserve the historical
integrity of Sinton and provide an alluring business district
that will attract passing tourists.
was unsuccessful and this year's application must be in by
the end of July.
Program.
When Sinton receives the Main Street designation,
resources that are necessary to the revitalization of the busi-
ness district will be forthcoming in grant funding, technical
assistance and expertise in developing and implementing a
revitalization program.
aff:
nm
Inside the
County News
Blotter .
Pages
Church Listings .
Page 8
Classified Ads
Page II
County
Pages 5,7-8
Obituaries
Page 8
Viewpoints
Page 2
fcr
HOME PROJECT __________ ________________
This house on Rachal Street Is one of the last three of nine built for local residents In the HOME project. Debris from omy. With Realtors’ assistance, he said, the
the old home waits to be hauled off as work continues on the interior of the new house. (Johnnie Sue Littleton photo) $gg SUMMIT Page 8
Anyone who wants to write a letter of support is invited to
do so and mail it to Thomas at P. O. Box 1395 in Sinton.
The letters will be forwarded with the formal application to
the Texas Historical Commission.
Questions about the program may be directed to Thomas at
364-4040 or Dr. Walker Fletcher at 364-0775.
Affordable
homes topic
of summit
i
Creating affordable housing for low-
income families begins with education and
..^awareness of programs available to those
seeking the American Drearmr~said R«*n.
Ruben Hinojosa.
Hinojosa was the keynote speaker June 29,
durihg at 2004 Rural Housing Summit host-
ed by Northshore Country Club1 in Portland.
The event was sponsored by the San Patricio
Cqunty Association of Realtors and the
Sinton Chamber of Commerce.
“It is important that we hold housing sum-
mits such as this one to help educate our-
selves, and subsequently our communities,
about the grants and programs available to
help them improve rural housing conditions,
housing infrastructure and financial litera-
cy,” Hinojosa said.
More homes were bought and sold last year
than any previous year, generating millions
of jobs and contributing to the nation’s eccn-
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Hall, Beki. San Patricio County News (Sinton, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 8, 2004, newspaper, July 8, 2004; Sinton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1124175/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Taft Public Library.