Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010 Page: 18 of 24
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Page 18
HELLCAT NEWS
July 2010
awards earned, but it's never easy losing those we love!
On this Memorial Day - officially the day I'm writing
this column to you - we remember ALL who have served
and who are currently serving, we offer you our unending
gratitude for ALL of the sacrifices you have made to give us
the freedoms we have today, and we hope and pray that our
Nation will continue to be "One Nation, under God, with
Liberty and Justice for All" - our sentiments not just for
today, but for each and every day!
"THE FINAL INSPECTION"
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass,
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true? "
The soldier squared his shoulders and
Said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't,
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep . . .
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here,
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand. "
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod,
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell. "
Just in case you missed it - here are some of the upcoming
Reunion tidbits for Aug. 3-8 in Indianapolis: 1) Tours are
available both Tuesday and Wednesday of Lucas Oil
Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts; 2) Conner Prairie,
the 1880's Prairie Town interactive village, with the option
of a tethered hot air balloon ride up to 33 stories in the air,
are both available on Thursday; 3) Friday begins with our
morning Memorial Service taking place at the Indiana War
Memorial, which is a 15-minute bus ride (transportation
provided) to downtown;
4) the Ladies Luncheon and Past Presidents' Luncheon
will be catered at the Memorial; 5) a "Fashions through the
Decades" (accompanied by music of the corresponding time
periods) of clothes and fashions from the 1830's through
the 1960's) will be entertainment for all who would like to
attend in the 400+ seat auditorium at the War Memorial as
well; 6) A "Grounds Tour" is available at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway - narrated bus tours of the facility, with
options to also visit areas such as the Media Center, Victory
Podium, Timing and Scoring, "Yard of Bricks", Start/Finish
Line on the Track, and the Museum;
7) the Indiana State Fair will also be in full swing on the
northern side of the city on Saturday; 8) Almost limitless
other opportunities such as the museum in the basement of
the War Memorial, various other military monuments and
memorials; the NCAA National Headquarters and Hall of
Champions; Children's Museum; Indianapolis Zoo, White
River Botanical Gardens; the Eiteljorg Museum of American
Indians and Western Art, among other options (check out the
website, www.indydt.com for more info).
Friday night's unit suppers will be served "family style"
in each unit's individual hospitality room. Pastas will be
the menu and it is hoped that serving them family style will
eliminate the need of walking while carrying plates of food.
I don't know the cost yet but will find out by the time we
arrive in Indy, so if you are planning to attend, please contact
us by phone —605-654-2181, by mail —PO Box 238, Fairfax,
SD 57335, or by email - Koenig_mary@hotmail.com.
Saturday's Banquet speaker will be Mr. Donald Davidson,
who is the historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He
will be delivering quite a speech from the sounds of things,
so we'll want to be sure to be in attendance!
The registration table will have maps and info on
sightseeing available; our hotel does not have any restaurants
outside the hotel within walking distance, but there are many
downtown - less than a 10-mile freeway drive away; and a
convention of 30,000 people interested in electronic games
of all sorts will be going on downtown, so reservations would
be advisable.
As you can see, Barbara Campbell and crew, our reunion
planners for this year, are doing a phenomenal job lining up
what is going to be another very memorable get-together, so
hopes are that as many as possible will be able to attend!
One last item to note - had a phone call from George
Good to let us know that he'll plan on being "at the ready"
for the hospitality room once again - thank you, George!
He will also be attending a reunion event for the ship he
was stationed on soon after our Indianapolis Reunion, so I'm
sure many will be looking forward to seeing George at both
events soon!
We have no new updates to report on Jim Seay, so we're
hoping that no news is good news! More of George Moss's
and Doug Berlin's letters to home, and of Leon Russell's
story will be included in next month's column, along with
any other item(s) of interest that we receive. Hope to see as
many of you as possible next month in Indianapolis! Until
then . . . ! ★
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010, newspaper, July 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410312/m1/18/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.