Ohio Valley Veterans celebrate Marine Corps Birthday
November 11, 2009 at 8:49 pm | Posted in People in the Ville | Leave a commentTags: 4th Marine Division, Kilo Company 25th Marines, Moundsville, ohio, Ohio Valley veterans, steubenville, West Virginia
The birthday of the United States Marine Corps is celebrated on November 10th, and this year a special band of brothers celebrated together as they ate birthday cake and toasted with Jarhead Red wine.
Seven years ago, what began with four Marine Corps veterans getting together every Wednesday morning for breakfast has turned into quite a large group.
Marine Corps Veterans
I had the honor to meet some of our Ohio Valley Marine Corps Veterans at Lancelot’s Restaurant in Wintersville, Ohio as they celebrated the 234th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps.
Happy 234th Birthday as Sgt. Martin Cervantes cuts the cake as George Wilson watches
Traditionally, Marines celebrate the birthday of the Corps by attending formal birthday pageants or a simple cake cutting ceremony.
L-R Leonard Ellis, Ray Simmons, Fred Rogers, WWII veterans, Battle of Iwo Jima
L- R Sgt. Martin Cervantes, Jim McClain, & Cpl. Andrew Marrari
The first piece of cake is always served to the oldest Marine present and Leonard Ellis, a decorated Marine veteran of WWII had the honors
The second piece of cake was served to the youngest member present, Cpl. Andrew Marrari, a member of Kilo Company 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, Moundsville, West Virginia. Jim McClain was the guest of honor at the Marine Corps ball in Moundsville last Saturday where he was presented a plaque by Sgt. Cervantes and Cpl. Marrari who honored him for his service in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
A third piece of cake, though not tradition, was presented to Navy Lt. Commander Ryan Starkey, who accepted it on behalf of his grandfather, WWII Iwo Jima veteran Howard Clutter, who passed away this past June.
Veteran George Wilson, who organized the birthday celebration, proposed a toast with Jarhead Red, a wine made by Marines for Marines.
The owners of Lancelot’s Restaurant graciously covered the cost of the breakfast for all in attendance.
May we always remember the sacrifice of our heroic veterans and thank them for their service to our country. Semper Fi…(Always Faithful) to you civilians.
The Civil War Canon
September 10, 2009 at 5:50 pm | Posted in People in the Ville | Leave a commentTags: Civil War Canon, Valley Grove, West Virginia
When Chip Railing says he likes to have fun, he really means it and he added a big bang to our Labor Day Picnic at my cousin Judy’s house in Valley Grove, West Virginia.
Rabbit and Chip bringing the canon in his truck
Chip arrived at the barbeque with his good friend, Robert (Rabbit) Lewicki, and a three-quarter replica of a Union Civil War Ordinance Rifle Canon used by the Northern Army during the Civil War.
My cousins, Dennis and Ron Marini, were visiting from out of state and helped Chip unload the canon as the neighbors gathered around to see what all the fuss was about.
L-R Dennis, Ron, and Chip unloading the canon
Chip makes his own ammunition out of gunpowder and he loaded the canon as each of us took turns setting it off. He even loaded the canon with a few corncobs.
Rabbit watches as Chip loads the canon
Soon we had more neighbors and friends arriving to take their turn to set it off.
Dennis setting it off between his legs
The noise was so loud it shook the windows of the surrounding houses, (my ears are still ringing…but it was great fun)!
Everyone had a good time at the Labor Day Picnic and I’m sure it will be one we will never forget.
The Koffee Klatch
March 24, 2009 at 6:37 am | Posted in Events in the Ville, People in the Ville | Leave a commentTags: steubenville seniors
If its Saturday morning you’ll find Junnelle Brown in the kitchen of the John F. Kennedy Senior Center making biscuits and gravy for the Koffee Klatch that meets from 9 a.m. until noon.
Brown, who lives in the JFK apartments, came up with the idea in 2002 as a way to socialize because she said many seniors live alone and do not get out much.
Koffee Klatch members
To spike interest in new members, Brown said she made the mistake of making homemade biscuits and gravy for the first meeting. The dish was so popular she has continued making around five dozen biscuits and five quarts of gravy every Saturday morning since then.
Junnelle Brown and Walter Mallory in the JFK kitchen
But Brown has lots of help, and Walter Mallory has been helping her since the first meeting.
Some people bring food to share, others donate money, and to pay for the weekly paper supplies the club has a 50/50 raffle.
Not only do they socialize and have breakfast together, they also stop whatever they are doing at 10:00 a.m. and pray. Brown said after she woke up one night she was impressed with these words … Saturday, 10 o’clock, Lord’s Prayer. At the next meeting, she discussed what had happened to her and the Koffee Klatch members liked the idea. They use the time to pray for others and if she gets busy and forgets, someone will always remind her it is time to pray.
Around three years ago, Brown also began the resident JFK monthly Tuesday night covered dish dinner as another way to socialize with friends and neighbors.
Sam and Charles
Residents look forward to dinners that celebrate holidays and other dinners that celebrate their birthdays. No matter what, thanks to Brown, the seniors at the JFK apartments enjoy good food and good company.
Salute to Our Seniors
February 9, 2009 at 11:37 pm | Posted in People in the Ville | Leave a comment
Sometimes events happen in our lives to point us in a new direction. This past weekend I experienced one of those events while I was chatting with a lady in the laundry room where I live. Sarah, an 83 year old widow, spoke of the difficulty she faced raising four children alone while her husband was in the Air Force serving in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Throughout her marriage she worked managing military PX post office exchanges all around the world.
While her husband was away in World War II, Sarah lost her only 21 year-old sister and her new husband in a tragic car accident. She would also lose two infant sons in childbirth at different times while he was away. Her three sons all served in the military and one of them now suffers from Agent Orange that he was exposed to in Vietnam.
Sarah’s story is typical of the World War II generation that sacrificed so much for this country and suffered so much through the Great Depression. Our parents and grandparents lived through dark days and yet most of them never spoke of it or complained because they wanted their children and grandchildren to have a better life.
Today the economy is bad and there are a lot of people suffering, but we as a country have not yet had to go through what our grandparents and our parents did.
After talking to Sarah, I was pointed in a new direction and decided to add another category to my website called a “Salute to Our Seniors.” We owe a debt of gratitude to that generation for the opportunities we have today. Their stories need to be told because soon they won’t be around to tell them.
I was recently reminded of that a few weeks ago when my dad’s cousin Ernie, who was such a delight to be around, went home to be with the Lord.
May we be reminded that even though times may be tough, and we don’t know what the future holds, we can with God’s help persevere and look for opportunities for better days ahead.
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