August 20, 2010 —
Today marks the end of my first week as publisher and this is the first of many weekly columns I hope to write in this space.
My original plan was to spend most of my space today on recollections of “The Publisher’s Pen,” the personal column written for decades by the late W. E. Crutcher, legendary owner and publisher of this community newspaper and others in Carter and Greenup counties.
Rather than resurrect the title long used by Mr. Crutcher, I have opted instead to apply a title that is tied both to newspapering and to the digital age. Like the columns of Mr. Crutcher, I am hopeful that what I write will amuse some readers, annoy others and generate public and private conversations about our neighborhoods, community, state, nation and world.
But those reflections on “The Publisher’s Pen” will have to wait for another column. My plan was scuttled early Thursday morning when one of my daughters called with the terrible news of the death of Collin Thomas, a young man I have known since he was a fifth grader.
Yes, I had been looking forward to getting back into reporting mode and writing news stories but I did not want my first article to be about the death of a courageous young warrior who told me as a high school freshman that he was going to be a Navy Seal.
Like you, I often pause in respect when I learn of the death of a man or woman in uniform. During my years in the military, I participated in several funerals and I always dreaded being the ranking officer who had to present the folded flag to the next of kin at the graveside. Most often, those being honored were strangers and it was a job that had to be done.
But the news of this combat death was not just the name of a KIA from somewhere else, this was someone I knew and respected as a member of what many believe is the best fighting force in the world, the Navy Seals. This was a superb athlete from RCSHS who endured nearly two years of the most arduous training imaginable before he even could go on his first mission.
One of the toughest assignments for any journalist is to contact the next of kin of those who have died. You are torn between getting the facts and feeling like an insensitive lout intruding into a family’s grief. Four calls after I started looking for information, I finally dialed the number of his parents in North Carolina. His father is a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and, if I had the authority, I would give him another medal for having the courage to talk with his heart still breaking.
But like the good soldier he taught his son to be, he collected himself and told me what he could while respecting the security restrictions on those in special operations.
His grief was compounded by earlier memories of his exposure to the savagery of terrorism. Lt. Col. Clayton Thomas recalled that he lost his best friend and 19 young Marines under his command when a Marine barracks complex was bombed in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1984.
And those emotional wounds were reopened on 9-11-01 when his nephew, Eddie Earhart, became the first U. S. serviceman to die in the war on terror when a hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon where he was working as a Navy weatherman.
As Thursday wore on, I had two more contacts with Lt. Col. Thomas and I knew he was fully focused on what had to be done for his only son and for his grieving family members.
He arranged for us to get a recent photo of Collin on duty in Afghanistan. And he gave our phone number and e-mail address to the Navy public affairs office so we could be notified of the grim details of shipping his remains, the Navy’s memorial service and the day of the final homecoming in Morehead of a brave young warrior who regularly put his life on the line.
The photo we received of this handsome Navy Seal clearly shows the embroidered U.S. flag he proudly wore on his chest…and in his heart.
May he rest in peace.
Friday's Post
Friday's Post: Freedom has a high price
- Friday's Post
-
-
Beware the dangers of digital diarrhea!
At the risk of offending the sensibilities of my readers, I intentionally chose the last “d” word in the headline because I want to shock you into reading what I have to say.
-
How a poet remains undiscovered
It started innocently enough with some high school guys joking about teachers. As I walked away, I had a brainstorm. Why not write an anonymous poem making fun of those folks?
-
A clash of ideologies with lives at stake
As I sat listening to the discussion of personal privacy versus the public’s right to know, I couldn’t help but remember my mother, gone for more than 25 years but very near during that hour in a hotel meeting room last week in Lexington.
-
Beating up the messenger never goes out of style
Last week’s mail brought us a scathing letter from a highly respected person who took us to the woodshed over the recent content of our newspaper. He roundly criticized us for the epidemic of crime stories which have dominated our front pages for weeks, including the holidays.
-
A pool hall education is not easily forgotten
The classic 1961 movie, “The Hustler,” is about two pool sharks portrayed by Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. Watching that movie always brings back memories of my misspent youth and the many hours I hung out in the pool hall in my hometown.
-
The publisher’s prognostications for 2012
In case you haven’t noticed, the year of 2011 departed last weekend and now we are six days into the new year. To help ease the transition, I’ve prepared some predictions that could or should but might not happen in 2012.
-
Putting a human face on immigration
His name is not really important but we’ll call him “Miguel” for convenience. I believe that translates to “Michael” in Spanish. He came to the United States from Mexico at the age of 14.
-
Like Christmas, the song comes back each year
We sang “Silent Night” in church last Sunday and I had the same flashback I have each year when that beautiful hymn first signals the Christmas season.
-
Live football in December…who needs it?
Paul Brown Stadium has sat since 2000 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. It is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. The stadium has 65,535 seats but not all of them have been filled on game day for several years. As promised here weeks ago, I led part of my clan to Cincinnati last Sunday to watch the Bengals take on the Houston Texans and to have a three-generation bonding experience.
-
A new perspective on ‘The Santa Train’
For years, I was among those who didn’t appreciate all of the hoopla about the so-called Santa Train which has made its annual trip through Appalachia since 1943.
- More Friday's Post Headlines
-
Beware the dangers of digital diarrhea!
