Loveland Mag.
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A U.S. Navy sailor holds his child for the first time as he returns to
Naval Base San Diego, Calif., following a deployment aboard the USS
Halsey (DDG 97) on Dec. 24, 2006. Halsey, an Arleigh Burke class
guided-missile destroyer, conducted sustained maritime interdiction
operations in the Sulu and Celebes Seas during its maiden deployment.
DoD photo by Cmdr. Jane Campbell, U.S. Navy. (Released)
Christmas morning. A gentle fog has settled in on the base here outside of the village of Terin Kowt. With it comes the dew, covering the gravel floor that stretches from wall to wall, as well as memories of an Oregon morning. As I walked over to check on the bread I had left to cook over night in the coal heated Dutch oven, the world back home and the world here seemed not quite so far apart. The bread had cooked to perfection. We would share it in a bit for our Christmas morning get together.
I have now been with the members of Task Force Phoenix- V for nearly 10 months. A mission composed primarily of Army National Guard men and women, supplemented by members of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine soldiers, both regular and reserve. It's a mission that finds its roots in the attacks of 9-11; a memory that sits strong with ever person here. I came here without an agenda, other than the desire to tell the story through the eyes of the soldiers as they live each day. One of the most impressionable pieces to date has nothing to do with duty, or heroism, or sacrifice, but that these soldiers are just people, just like every one of us back home. A melting pot of personalities, races and beliefs unified around the fundamental precepts of our country... the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Back home the news is overrun with a multitude of discussions on Iraq, the ongoing debate of our purpose there, our role now and in the future. Tied to these discussions like a dog to a truck's bumper, is the forgotten war of Afghanistan. The war that had the world's support, that had just cause and reason, the war that was
fought and won in days, and the efforts now to establish a foundation here that will allow a country to evolve. Sadly, Afghanistan feels as if we have lost sight of our purpose, and in so doing, we have lost touch with the soldiers that are here.
The sense of things here on Christmas day was quiet. We have all come to know each other, and consider each other like family. Yet we all share the same feelings of distance and separation from our lives back home. We laugh, and we smile, but it's the smiles that friends share, without having to speak the words we all feel deep inside. The feelings of satisfaction to be here doing what each of us does so well, yet knowing that a part of us sits State side carrying on with an empty place setting at the table and the many memories of years past. While duty reveals hidden valor, it does not deny the silent tears that well in the heart.
Life here is best defined by adaptation. Very little is predictable, always subject to change and the differences imposed by a culture that is both ancient and unfamiliar to our own. Yet, after 10 months it is the abnormality that itself becomes normal. All us here are all passengers on a convoy of change knowing that we cannot go back to the way things were. In so many ways, the greatest challenge to this deployment begins when these soldiers are finally returned home and released to their civilian roles.
Holidays like Christmas remind us of the greater values we hold dear.
We seek to appreciate difference, and accept temperance for other's
ways. Those aspirations are put to the test daily, for Afghanistan, as
I stated above, it not simply 
modernizing, it is evolving. Within the
span of five years, daily life that was rooted in the traditions of
ancient ways, has been thrust into the the twenty-first century. The
simple and often harsh ways of living from the land, in settings
reminiscent of biblical times, now face integration with the common
features of modern culture... iPods, computers, and the Internet. It is
a mix that has no precedence, no history of it own, other than the
sudden rise of open markets and commerce. The challenges it brings will
not be settled in years, but in generations yet to come.
There are no easy answers here. There are no quick fixes. The process of nation building has no set manual. Yet the root of all of this rests not with those that observe from afar but from those that are actually working for a solution. A true assessment as one of the Colonels here frequently states, requires "ground truth." The soldiers here offer that, and they continue to support and believe in this mission with all of its challenges that still lie ahead. What they know, that I observe every day, is that they are making a difference.
We sat together in the morning around the tree in the main office. Under the tree were dozens of packages, all donated by citizens back home. We shared a few stories, broke bread, and sipped Colombian coffee sent by one of the soldier's wives. Then the Major spoke up... "You all need to contact you families this morning. They are part of this deployment too. They need to hear from you." No one disagreed. It was a reminder of the deeper things that hold us together, beyond the gravel, and barbed wired walls that have become home to us all her in Afghanistan.
SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO - When Loveland Magazine wanted a special Christmas present delivered to the head referee at the recent home game against Harrison, Miami Township resident Art Wilkinson was asked if he had any pull at the North Pole. Sure enough he did as Santa and his three elves, Angie Wilkinson, Amberly Ellis, and Meggie Holland eagerly delivered the friendly gift. Click here to watch a short Download santa_ref. mov of the ref opening his gift.
SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO - William W. Brayshaw, the Hamilton County Engineer, has announced that Camp Road, between Kugler Mill Road and Jackson in Symmes Township has reopened to through traffic.
by David Miller
LOVELAND, MAGAZINE - This is utterly the most important story Loveland Magazine has, or possibly ever will report.
We have all read a book, or an essay, or a documentary and said to ourselves, “Everyone should be forced to watch this.” Of course, living in the United States, you can't be forced to watch or read something
you do not want to, or not read or watch something you do. However, if your young children or grandchildren had the intellectual capacity to understand, and if they could, they would hold their breath until you watched the BBC documentary Global Dimming.
It is about the decline of Pan Evaporation and the increase of global dimming.
Is global dimming poised to strike again?
Do our children face a biblical famine; the closest thing to hell we have ever faced?
Are we arsonists that have struck the match - and watching as the planet burns?
Have you witnessed that it is almost January and low growing plants in the Loveland area are still green and putting on new growth? Have you noticed that lack of migrating birds so far this winter? When was the last time you saw a frog? Have you noticed the radiating streams of clouds emanating from the horizon? Do you need more proof than what your own eyes are telling you?
“We are all seeing rather less of the Sun. Scientists looking at five decades of sunlight measurements have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling. Paradoxically, the decline in sunlight may mean that global warming is a far greater threat to society than previously thought.” - producer David Sington
If your children are old enough, sit down with them and watch this documentary. If they are too young, watch it FOR them.
Loveland residents can bring trees to the Public Works Department for disposal, or call 683-0150 ext. 1439, or e-mail for pick-up. Trees will be accepted from December 26 through January 10.
Miami Township residents can bring Christmas trees cleared of all decorations to either Paxton Ramsey Park or Miami Meadows for chipping. Trees can be dropped off seven days a week during daylight hours from December 26 through January 31. Call (513) 248-3728 with questions.
Milford Christmas tree collection will be held every Wednesday in January, 2007. Please rid the tree of all lights, tinsel, and decorations, and place it at the curb. Trees not meeting the above requirements will be left at the curb and not collected. If you have any questions, please call Michael Haight at (513) 831-7018.
Symmes Township residents can place their Christmas trees in the designated area behind the Township Administration building at 9323 Union Cemetery Road for recycling Tuesday, December 26 through Tuesday, January 16. The trees will then be mulched so all ornaments, tinsel and plastic wrapping must be removed. For more information, please contact the Township office at 683-664
The New York Times is reporting a growing feud over President Bush's pick of Warren Bell to the board of Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Read the story by Times Staff Writer, Matea Gold.
Continue reading "CRITICISM OF CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING APPOINTEE" »
By Joe Uecker, State Representative
This General Assembly closed and started The Ohio Core
The 126th General Assembly officially closed this past week and with it many good pieces of legislation that simply did not have enough time to get through. A couple of those now dead bills I had sponsored but two very important pieces of legislation did get through that I initiated. The first of my bills to make it all the way through both Houses was HB 251, the State’s Energy Efficiency Policy. This bill sets the official policy of energy conservation for the State of Ohio. It starts by requiring all public buildings funded in whole or in part with state dollars to follow certain energy efficiency guidelines. The entire process for this bill required the cooperation and patience of several state departments and bureaucracies that did come together in a rather unprecedented way. This bill awaits the Governor’s signature sometime next week.
Washington, DC - I have often said that Southern Ohio is home to some
of the most charitable, good-hearted people on earth. Having spent my
entire life in this area, I've experienced it firsthand -- and as I've
traveled into communities throughout the Second District, I've
witnessed it time and time again.
Whether it's our schoolchildren or senior citizens, our corporations or non-profit organizations, we all have a way of looking out for one another through various outreach efforts. From donating our time and money, to buying toys and serving food to those less fortunate, most of us find a way to lend a hand. It's the fabric of our community, and one of the many things that makes Southern Ohio special.
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