The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 100, Ed. 1 Friday, May 23, 2014 Page: 4 of 10
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4 The Baytown Sun VlCWpO^tS
Friday
May 23, 2014
►FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK
Memorial Day
Never forget those who served
Today is the day we put aside to rem em ber fallen heroes
and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us
again. It is a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day
to rem em ber the splendor of Am erica and those of her
children who rest in this cemetery and others. It is a day
to be with the fam ily and remember.
- Ronald Reagan, Memorial Day 1986
Zeb Wilcox is a World War II hero.
I had the privilege of interviewing Zeb when I
was working on a Veterans Day column several
years back.
He served as sailor aboard the USS Indianapo-
lis and on July 30, 1945, two Japanese torpedoes
struck the ship.
Zeb was on deck when the explosion occurred.
He was able to get his life jacket on and jumped
into the water.
He swam about 50 yards out and
the ship sank. All of this occurred in
about 15 minutes.
The crew had to endure five days
in shark-infested waters with no
food or water.
On Aug. 2, the rescue air patrol
spotted the men in the water.
Three hundred and sixteen men
were rescued out of a crew of 1,199.
The sinking of the USS Indianapolis is one of the
worst naval disasters in U.S. history.
I first met Zeb when I was a member of the Lion’s
Club. He had been a longtime member.
That is when I learned he had served on the USS
Indianapolis.
He shared his memorabilia and we discussed the
USS Indianapolis reunion he had attended.
He was a gracious man and always made you feel
welcome.
Let us take a moment from our busy lives and
listen to a veteran’s story or remember one who is
no longer with us.
Those stories are part of our history.
I will always remember Zeb, not just because of
his service to his country but his service to his com-
munity.
Monday is Memorial Day. Fly your flag proudly
in remembrance.
I believe we should never forget those who served.
JANIE
GRAY
Janie Gray is the publisher of The Baytown Sun.
Contact her at janie.gray@baytownsun.com.
BPD joins other agencies
for ‘Click It or Ticket’
Baytown Police Department will be joining oth-
er law enforcement agencies across the country in
increasing enforcement of seat belt laws during the
Memorial Day mobilization period through June 1.
“Click It or Ticket” is the most successful seat belt
enforcement campaign ever, helping to increase the
national seat belt usage rate. Coast to coast, day or
night, the message is simple -Click It or get a Ticket.
For more information on the national “Click It Or
Ticket” program, visit http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driv-
ing+Safety/Occupant+Protection.
Where to write your lawmakers
Governor
Rick Perry (R)
P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas
78711-2428; 512-463-2000
U.S. Senate
John fiornyn (R-Texas)
517 Hart Senate Office Build-
ing, Washington, D.C., 20510
202-224-2934
Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
185 Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510; 202-224-5922
U.S. House of Representatives
Steve Stockman (R-Texas, Dist.
36)
326 Cannon House Office
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515; 202-225-1555
Texas Senate
Sylvia Garcia (D-Dist. 6)
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol
Station, Austin, TX 78711
512-463-0106
5425 Polk Street, Suite 125,
Houston TX 77023
713-923-7575
Texas House of
Representatives
Wayne Smith (R-Baytown)
P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX
78768; 512-463-0733
909 Decker Drive, Suite 104,
Baytown TX 77520; 832-556-
2002
SJMH salutes first responders
Houston Methodist San Jacin-
to Hospital recognized paramedics
from 16 local services during Na-
tional EMS Week, observed May
18-24, 2014.
Julie DeTorre, EMS Community
Liaison for the hospital, thanked the
EMS workers for their service to the
community and provided each with
a token of appreciation on behalf of
the hospital.
Paramedics provide a very im-
portant service to the community, as
they are typically the first to arrive
on the scene in emergency situations
and provide life-saving care to pa-
tients. National Emergency Medical
Services Week was started by the
American College of Emergency
Physicians to publicize safety, edu-
cate the public, and honor the dedi-
cation of EMS workers.
From left are Baytown EMS paramedics Daniel Calhoun, EMT-B, Miguel Guer-
rero, EMT-P, and Julie DeTorre, EMS Community Liaison for Houston Method-
ist San Jacinto Hospital.
Baby boomers, listen up!
I am a baby boomer and proud of
it. I won’t bore my readers with the
definition, as even homeless people
have access to the Internet thanks to
our current administration.
Not to be rude, but suffice it to say
I do not fit the usual mold of growing
up having everything handed to me,
in fact quite opposite.
I do not remember my Dad ever
fixing a flat tire on one of my three
bicycles I owned before I left home
at the old age of 18. The thrid bike I
owned, I bought with money I earned
when I was 16 and it was a Schwinn
Varsity and I was very proud of it.
Being bom in 1952, I was part of
the explosion of children following
World War II and the Korean police
action to stop the spread of Commu-
nism. My older sister and 3 younger
brothers never went without room
and board, but if we wanted anything
considered extravagant, it was up to
us to go earn it.
My first venture into Capitalism
that I remember was in 1960 living
on the Compton line in Long Beach,
California. It is also the first time I
ate what would later be known as a
Jack in the Box taco. My 8-year-old
blood brother David Bradshaw and
I started a door to door shoe shine
business. If I remember correctly,
we would shine a pair of shoes for 5
cents per shoe.
Ten cents would buy 2 Hollywood
candy bars, which looked like a mod-
em day Zero bar with delicious nou-
gat inside and caramel. I’d pay 5 dol-
lars to have just one more right now.
David and I had heard about blood
brothers and took a small knife and
cut our fingers to mix our blood. I
hope he’s still out there somewhere.
The title of this column is an alert
of sorts, as many of us have yet to
cross over into So-
cial Security benefits
or retirement. See-
ing I am throwing in
the towel in a month
or so, I am approach-
ing the whole thing
the same way I do
everything else - full
immersion. I wasn’t
a Marine, but I do
beach landings on
anything I tackle. What I’ve discov-
ered from my peers is, well, either
partial ignorance or full blown head
in the sand behavior. So much so,
that many are now filming to me to
give them what I’ve discovered and
this is frankly disturbing. We are
baby boomers for goodness sake; the
change the world generation. Maybe
peace, love, and dope took its toll?
A number of years ago, a very in-
telligent coworker retired after about
40 years of service and I saw him
when he visited us at the Texas A&M
Fire Field. He shocked me when he
confessed he had no idea what he
was worth at retirement. “If I would
have known how much money I had,
I would have retired years ago.” He
lived about 3 more years and passed
quietly on his farm.
Another bright fellow with 37
years service told me he was retiring
Aug. 1 of this year. I asked him why
Aug. 1? “Because it’s my birthday!”
he exclaimed with a toothy grin.
“If you leave on the first of the
month, you wifi forfeit an entire
month’s pension as working one day
in the month, counts for the entire
month. You won’t get a check for
August. Why not leave at the end of
July and draw your pension for Au-
gust and take your birthday off?” I
said dryly, but meant every word of
it.
My company offers free consulta-
tions with the financial wizards that
handle our 401k, but almost none of
my coworkers have taken advantage
of it, living in fear that inflation wifi
deplete what they have socked away
for 30 years. Note: Boomers, if you
do a small bit of homework, you wifi
know what your financial future is
rather than living in shaky ignorance
or fear. Do not let this time in your
life creep in front of you like some-
thing scary or spooky hiding along-
side the trail. Grab a stick of knowl-
edge and beat the bushes.
Finances are something most peo-
ple (read men) don’t usually discuss,
but as that retirement date stands like
a monolithic marker in front of you,
it’s high time to seek advice. No
one wants to end up like the starving
grasshopper who unlike the ant did
not put back provision for the harsh
winter. It is far better to know you
may not be ready to retire and get
out there and make emergency cor-
rections then wondering if you are
going to be living in a van down by
the river. Chances are you will find
peace instead of confusion.
I know men approaching 70 years
of age that apparently are so unsure
about retirement that they wifi most
likely only leave the job when their
health fails and all because they
won’t ask the right questions. Don’t
approach retirement this way boom-
ers. Don’t. You worked for it, now
take retirement by the horns and start
enjoying the fruit of your labor.
Bert Marshall is the owner of Our-
Baytown.com and a Baytown resi-
dent since 1974. Reach Marshall at
baytownbert@gmail. com.
BERT
MARSHALL
Today is Friday, May 23, the 143rd
day of 2014.There are 222 days left in
the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde
Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to
death in a police ambush in Bienville
Parish, Louisiana.
On this date:
TODAY IN HISTORY
In 1788, South Carolina became the
eighth state to ratify the Constitution.
In 1939, the Navy submarine USS
Squalus sank during a test dive off the
New England coast. Thirty-two crew
members and one civilian were rescued,
but 26 others died; the sub was salvaged
and recommissioned the USS Sailfish.
In 1944, during World War II, Allied
forces bogged down in Anzio began a
major breakout offensive.
In 1984, Surgeon General C. Everett
Koop issued a report saying there was
“very solid” evidence linking cigarette
smoke to lung disease in non-smokers.
One year ago: The Boy Scouts of
America threw open its ranks to gay
Scouts but not to gay Scout leaders.
Thought for Today: “We do not usu-
ally look for allies when we love. Indeed,
we often look on those who love with us
as rivals and trespassers. But we always
look for allies when we hate.”
— Eric Hoffer
U.S. author, philosopher (1902-1983)
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Bloom, David. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 100, Ed. 1 Friday, May 23, 2014, newspaper, May 23, 2014; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth745072/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.