Volume 4-200th Edition 10-19-11
Mile Stone
This week marks the 200th article that I’ve written for this newspaper on its opinion page. For this I am very thankful. So; “Thank You” Donna, Ruth Anne, Marian and Paulette for indulging me with an avenue to vent my passions. Some have ask, “How do you come up with so many different topics?” Well, I’m a man with many interests. I love to read about different stages of our history. I’ve watched the History Channel many times about WWII, our American Revolution, our industrial revolution and the advancement of projects like the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and our National Park system. Until we actual understand the sacrifices of time, capital investments as well as the human toll taken or given by the men whose lives were directly affected by the condition on the ground and in the air. Folks living today CAN-NOT fully understand and appreciate what they have sacrificed that we could have this better life we experience each and every day. For this I am truly “Thankful” to them and to our God for giving them the wisdom to follow through on a wild dream.
“How the Earth was Made” has always been a fascinating program on the History Channel. However, I don’t always agree with the so-called time lines as they portray. I find it very interesting how these so-called experts on any given subject can have such different opinions on “Global Warming” and what actually causes this phenomenon. One expert will directly blame us mere humans for this mess they think we’re in. While others will be more objective and point out that our Sun, and its solar flares actually has more to do with the jet stream, and most of the just plain weird weather patterns, that have become just normal routine. I say we should be very Thankful daily for each new day and the breathe that comes with waking up each morning. After all, how many among you want us to experience another ice age. The landscape give evidence of our last one 5-7 thousand (?) years ago.
We have always been an inquisitive people, some more than others. I wish that I would have been more questioning of the events around us, when I was in high school. It certainly would have made for interesting class room discussion. I look back and at the present at some of the crap they a teaching our children today. As a living historian and re-enactor of “The War of the Great Rebellion” I wish we were able or allowed to teach our children about local and state history. It’s sad to see our children and young adults enter the world and live around here their entire life and know absolutely nothing about where they live. You ask them something, anything about local history and they shrug their shoulders and say, “I doe no.” We can and should change this locally if at all possible. But regulations are the rule, and we must continue to raise ignorant generations, year after year. It’s more important to know Malcolm “X” pulled himself up by his boot straps and became a nearly brilliant writer in his time the 60’s -70’s. Kid’s today don’t need to know that he was a murderer and a thug. History changed what never was lost by omission.
We should remember the truth about our history and pass it on to the next generation. Don’t change it for political correctness. Half truths are never a cure for what ails us.
Rain Day Trip
A couple weeks ago Cath and I took a rain day field trip. We didn’t go all that far from home, just across the mountain to Carlisle. Our plan was to visit Meadowbrooke Gourds www.mbgourds.com
to treat ourselves to an end of summer holiday surprise. We brought a Halloween bowl to put candy in and a cat piece. This was a really cool stop. We also stopped at a couple different yard sales and an antique shop. Then we had dinner at some place that we’d never dined at. We settled on the North Hanover St. Grill. The food was wonderful and for the price too much to eat at one setting. We always carry an ice chest for our take home. So more often than not we get two meals for the price of one. We also visited Community Aid on the Carlisle Pike near Camp Hill. It’s something like our Abundant Blessing thrift shop, only much bigger. We always find something worth getting. Me, I found a couple more books to add to my library. They say you can tell a lot about a person when you look at the book he reads.
Virginia Battlefield Tour
This year, my close friend Sgt. Tom Good and Corp. Mark Bohn, from the 148th PA Volunteers Infantry went on our second annual battlefield motorcycle ride. We only logged about 700 miles this year, but we learned so much more about some of the places the 148th marched through and fought; it’s invaluable to us. Friday October 7th pre-dawn we’re on the road to Williamsport, Maryland then Harpers Ferry, Virginia as well as Antietam, Maryland and Balls Bluff Battle Virginia. We rode back and forth trying to hit these highlights of our first day’s journey. Ball’s Bluff on October 21st 1861, happens to be the next event to occur. It involved about 3,000 Confederate and about 1,000 Federals. It was important because of the town of Leesburg and the Potomac River crossing at Edward’s Ford. This would be used by both sides for troop movement. Colonel Edward Baker in command would get himself killed here. This year for the first time in 150 years, men from today will re-enact the events that were Ball’s Bluff Virginia and the Battle of Dranesville, Virginia where we will have our county’s first Juniatian killed in action of the war. Had I known sooner I would have passed on Cedar Creek and attended this event; two first year battles for the price of one. From here we rode through Tuscarora, Maryland also crossing the Tuscarora Creek and passing Pleasant View Road. Does that sound like close to home? We stayed a Fredrick, Maryland and the next morning October 8th we toured most of the Monocacy Battlefield. We traveled down the road next to the Wilderness Battlefield before settling for the night. The next morning October 9th, Frederickburg was on the agenda and finally finishing with Salem Baptist Church Battle and Chancellorsville for that bloody encounter. Overall we were pleased with the information NPS rangers provided. Around 2:30 we thought we should be heading back to good ole’ Pennsylvania. I arrived home about 9:45, tired but safe. We had another great ride without any incident. We got lost a couple times, but ended up looking at the map again for our bearings. Next spring we are planning another ride so the “fall season guys” can go along for this wonderful adventure. These battlefields are easily found on the internet, check them out. I could never take the full time they are worth to describe each event.
Donald E. Husler Jr. 968 Airport Drive Mifflintown, PA 17059-8414
(h) 436-8678 © 979-8678
Mile Stone
This week marks the 200th article that I’ve written for this newspaper on its opinion page. For this I am very thankful. So; “Thank You” Donna, Ruth Anne, Marian and Paulette for indulging me with an avenue to vent my passions. Some have ask, “How do you come up with so many different topics?” Well, I’m a man with many interests. I love to read about different stages of our history. I’ve watched the History Channel many times about WWII, our American Revolution, our industrial revolution and the advancement of projects like the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and our National Park system. Until we actual understand the sacrifices of time, capital investments as well as the human toll taken or given by the men whose lives were directly affected by the condition on the ground and in the air. Folks living today CAN-NOT fully understand and appreciate what they have sacrificed that we could have this better life we experience each and every day. For this I am truly “Thankful” to them and to our God for giving them the wisdom to follow through on a wild dream.
“How the Earth was Made” has always been a fascinating program on the History Channel. However, I don’t always agree with the so-called time lines as they portray. I find it very interesting how these so-called experts on any given subject can have such different opinions on “Global Warming” and what actually causes this phenomenon. One expert will directly blame us mere humans for this mess they think we’re in. While others will be more objective and point out that our Sun, and its solar flares actually has more to do with the jet stream, and most of the just plain weird weather patterns, that have become just normal routine. I say we should be very Thankful daily for each new day and the breathe that comes with waking up each morning. After all, how many among you want us to experience another ice age. The landscape give evidence of our last one 5-7 thousand (?) years ago.
We have always been an inquisitive people, some more than others. I wish that I would have been more questioning of the events around us, when I was in high school. It certainly would have made for interesting class room discussion. I look back and at the present at some of the crap they a teaching our children today. As a living historian and re-enactor of “The War of the Great Rebellion” I wish we were able or allowed to teach our children about local and state history. It’s sad to see our children and young adults enter the world and live around here their entire life and know absolutely nothing about where they live. You ask them something, anything about local history and they shrug their shoulders and say, “I doe no.” We can and should change this locally if at all possible. But regulations are the rule, and we must continue to raise ignorant generations, year after year. It’s more important to know Malcolm “X” pulled himself up by his boot straps and became a nearly brilliant writer in his time the 60’s -70’s. Kid’s today don’t need to know that he was a murderer and a thug. History changed what never was lost by omission.
We should remember the truth about our history and pass it on to the next generation. Don’t change it for political correctness. Half truths are never a cure for what ails us.
Rain Day Trip
A couple weeks ago Cath and I took a rain day field trip. We didn’t go all that far from home, just across the mountain to Carlisle. Our plan was to visit Meadowbrooke Gourds www.mbgourds.com
to treat ourselves to an end of summer holiday surprise. We brought a Halloween bowl to put candy in and a cat piece. This was a really cool stop. We also stopped at a couple different yard sales and an antique shop. Then we had dinner at some place that we’d never dined at. We settled on the North Hanover St. Grill. The food was wonderful and for the price too much to eat at one setting. We always carry an ice chest for our take home. So more often than not we get two meals for the price of one. We also visited Community Aid on the Carlisle Pike near Camp Hill. It’s something like our Abundant Blessing thrift shop, only much bigger. We always find something worth getting. Me, I found a couple more books to add to my library. They say you can tell a lot about a person when you look at the book he reads.
Virginia Battlefield Tour
This year, my close friend Sgt. Tom Good and Corp. Mark Bohn, from the 148th PA Volunteers Infantry went on our second annual battlefield motorcycle ride. We only logged about 700 miles this year, but we learned so much more about some of the places the 148th marched through and fought; it’s invaluable to us. Friday October 7th pre-dawn we’re on the road to Williamsport, Maryland then Harpers Ferry, Virginia as well as Antietam, Maryland and Balls Bluff Battle Virginia. We rode back and forth trying to hit these highlights of our first day’s journey. Ball’s Bluff on October 21st 1861, happens to be the next event to occur. It involved about 3,000 Confederate and about 1,000 Federals. It was important because of the town of Leesburg and the Potomac River crossing at Edward’s Ford. This would be used by both sides for troop movement. Colonel Edward Baker in command would get himself killed here. This year for the first time in 150 years, men from today will re-enact the events that were Ball’s Bluff Virginia and the Battle of Dranesville, Virginia where we will have our county’s first Juniatian killed in action of the war. Had I known sooner I would have passed on Cedar Creek and attended this event; two first year battles for the price of one. From here we rode through Tuscarora, Maryland also crossing the Tuscarora Creek and passing Pleasant View Road. Does that sound like close to home? We stayed a Fredrick, Maryland and the next morning October 8th we toured most of the Monocacy Battlefield. We traveled down the road next to the Wilderness Battlefield before settling for the night. The next morning October 9th, Frederickburg was on the agenda and finally finishing with Salem Baptist Church Battle and Chancellorsville for that bloody encounter. Overall we were pleased with the information NPS rangers provided. Around 2:30 we thought we should be heading back to good ole’ Pennsylvania. I arrived home about 9:45, tired but safe. We had another great ride without any incident. We got lost a couple times, but ended up looking at the map again for our bearings. Next spring we are planning another ride so the “fall season guys” can go along for this wonderful adventure. These battlefields are easily found on the internet, check them out. I could never take the full time they are worth to describe each event.
Donald E. Husler Jr. 968 Airport Drive Mifflintown, PA 17059-8414
(h) 436-8678 © 979-8678
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