Friday Freebies

“Teach us to give and not to count the cost” — St. Ignatius Loyola

• Can't make the trip to Midlothian this Saturday? Catch the Terrell Tiger game on the radio with the golden tones of Casey Wiley doing play-by-play and the wit-and-wisdom of Terrell Tribune sports editor Cliff Gibson on color commentary. Tune into KPYK 1570-AM, which will broadcast the game live beginning with the pre-game show at 1:30 p.m. Also log online to get real-time scoring updates as well as game analysis on Cliff's blog at http://thefullcount2.wordpress.com. Of course, complete game analysis will follow online at terrelltribune.com.

• While I'm sure folks in Post Oak Bend are relieved to hear this, there are still a lot of unanswered questions with the case. As those answers come to light, we'll do our best to keep you updated.

• Christina pointed this out yesterday, and I agree that it does sound interesting.

• Thanks to Matt Forte, my fantasy football team is off to a great start this week.

• Rick Perry has given his critics some more ammunition. I'll adhere to the "time-and-place" rule when it comes to any outrage over this. That being said, the same speech is being made in plenty of coffee shop talks around Texas.

• I'm sure no one is really that surprised by this.

• Lake Worth just completed a perfect 6-0 sweep through District 11-3A. My hot sports opinion: their winning streak comes to an end tonight in Duncanville. Go Lions!

Thursday Thoughts

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the huge chasm between good intentions and actually getting off the couch and doing something. Somewhat a hopeless romantic, I have to admit I'm one of those idealists who got into journalism because I wanted to help people. Writing stories about others was the one way I thought I could make a positive impact. Ultimately, I like to think that over the years I may have done just that a few times.

As 21 slides further and further away and 40 creeps ever closer to reality, I've found myself on more than one occasion taking stock of my life. Have I succeeded? Will I leave the world a better place than how I found it?

Yeah, I know...deep thoughts for a Thursday. And, to be honest, what got me traveling down this path was not melancholy mid-life musing, but rather proud inspiration. In my life, I've always been blessed by having amazing friends. By that, I mean the kind of folks that you read about and go, "wow!"

Over the past year, two of my friends — one old and one new — have embarked on journeys that I believe will definitely allow, as Ralph W. eloquently put, at least "one life to breathe easier."

• Too bad no Kaufman County entities are on this list or I'd buy that app.

• I'm all for social media, but I'd have to draw the line here.

• Obama wants his war options changed. Link.

• I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind KISD's new policy to let kids have extra days off around Thanksgiving and in May. Sounds great on paper, but what are the parents supposed to do?

• Ten states from Arizona to Oregon now face a fiscal crisis, says a Pew report. Some economists say additional stimulus is needed to soften the economic impact of impending state budget cuts.

• I have mixed feelings about Terrell's playoff game on Saturday. On one hand, I'm excited about shooting football in the daylight. I'm hoping to get some great shots. On the other hand, a Saturday game sure puts a crimp in our Sunday Tribune coverage. Try to keep that in mind in the next round Coach Gilbert.

• On that note, though, whether you'll be traveling to Duncanville on Friday to support the Kaufman Lions or headed to Midlothian on Saturday to cheer for the Terrell Tigers, it's a great time to be a high school football fan right now!

Of This And That

• A new radio station took to the airways this week in Dallas. Got to admit, it's a bit off the beaten path...and I like that. Will it peel me away from my Pandora? We'll have to see.

• I know my good buddy Drew is excited about this. But what the heck is this all about?

• Need proof we live in a pinball world? Crazy story.

• Not to give any pub to that big ol' daily newspaper to the west, but thanks to the Trib's Cliff Gibson sending in an endorsement, one of our Tigers earned a DMN honor this week. By the way, the offensive player of the week is this guy. His coach — and a good friend of mine — Andy Gutierrez lives here in Kaufman where his wife, Jody, teaches at Phillips Elementary.

• Investigators said Monday that they had been tracking Nidal Malik Hasan's correspondence with someone abroad since last year. Reports suggest that person is radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. But its unclear whether investigators told the Army. Link.

A Day of Remembrance

Veteran's Day may still be a few days away, but Kaufman County took care of honoring its veterans on Saturday with the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial Wall of Texas in Kaufman. I'll have a story on the ceremony in this week's edition of The Kaufman Herald. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite shots from the day's activities.


Many veterans took the opportunity to look up former colleagues' names on the wall during the ceremony.


Meanwhile, family members looked up the names of their loved ones.


There was plenty of strong imagery to capture at the scene.


With a patriotic spirit, the day kicked off with a parade.


And everyone was getting into the patriotic spirit.


Including our county judge, Wayne Gent.


The Patriot Riders were on hand too. I liked this shot because of the many reflections.


Radio personality Jody Dean served as emcee.


It truly was a patriotic event, which seemed to be a theme for things this week in Kaufman County.


Of course, it ended with a bang.

Look for more photos in this week's Herald.

An American Hero

“And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.”

Lee Greenwood, 1985

Today, a hometown hero will be laid to rest.

A 2003 graduate of Terrell High School, Staff Sgt. Shawn McNabb, 24, died Oct. 26 while protecting our nation's freedom in Afghanistan.

Stationed at Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, Ga.; McNabb was a soldier in the 160th Special Operations Regiment “SOAR” serving in the Third Battalion as an Airborne Flight Medic. He has been awarded for his heroism, dedication, and meritorious service receiving the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor, and the Purple Heart posthumously.

The lyrics at the top of this piece are from the Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless The USA.” Greenwood won a song of the year award in 1985 for those words he penned above. Fittingly, it was the same year that McNabb was born.

Friends and family all recall McNabb as one of the good guys. Judging by the number of comments left online at terrelltribune.com and on Anderson-Clayton’s online guestbook, many share that opinion.

Shawn McNabb was nothing less than a true hero.

While our nation’s people can differ philosophically as to whether or not we should have troops in Afghanistan, the sudden loss of a young soldier like Shawn McNabb, should remind us that the names of the fallen that are published in newspapers across this nation every week are real people whose families will forever be diminished by their loss.

As we here in Kaufman County have experienced in the past week, the death of a soldier has a ripple effect throughout the entire community.

We, too, can never be truly whole again.

The bravery and unselfish willingness of these young people like McNabb to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our country should never be made a point of debate.

Instead, we should only hope to offer some comfort and support to their loved ones while resolving as a nation that we will never forget what these young heroes have given us.

God bless you SSGT Shawn McNabb.