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Alumni Sandstorm Op-Ed Page for 11/09/04
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From: Donna Fredette ('65)
Subject: Iraq
Dear fellow Bombers, I am tonight extremely sad about the
state of the world. Pray for our men and women in harms
way tonight. They are in an extremely dangerous
situation. They have been for some time. I am concerned
about how when you try to get news tonight that it is
being screened. I had to go to French news to get what
was happening over there. If we all pray all over the
world maybe something good will happen even though odds
are against it. Pray anyway as much and as often as you
can. God Bless us all even though we know not what we
do. I never thought we would let another Vietnam happen.
Little did we know as we ran from shade tree to shade
tree in our childish innocence what would happen when we
grew up. I wish we could go back to those childhood days
of our youth! Little did we know as children what a
wonderful upbringing we had. I remember lovely starlit
nights sleeping outside, chasing mosquito trucks down the
street (even though I got nosebleeds and had to go inside
to watch Gunsmoke on TV with my Dad) running home on
scalding hot sidewalks from the Big pool where I spent
hours jumping off the highdive, running outside with my
dime for an icecream when I heard the ice cream truck
coming down the street, playing Monopoly for hours with
Barb and Kathy Berkeley and jumping rope and hopping up
and down on their pogostick, driving around Zips and
ordering chocolate cokes, cherry cokes and vanilla cokes
and fries, making out at the park, going to endless
drive-in movies, running around trick or treating in
sheets and pretending to be short!, riding my bike that
my Dad won up Carmichael hill, sledding down Carmichael
hill, watching the boys drive their cars out on the
frozen lake, going to church every Sunday with Chip
Abrams and churchcamp, going to many many free movies and
going out back afterwards because I thought the stars
would be out back!, running down to the spudnut shop for
free donut holes after the movie, sitting on the side of
road with Linda McKnight eating fries and hamburgers from
Arctic Circle, ordering whipping cream in a bowl with
Terry Shearer, walking around UpTown thinking we were
cool (Linda and I) in black boots and clucking like
chickens! haha, dancing down the street after seeing
movies at the Downtown theatre, going to slumber parties,
watching my Dad take care of his beautiful lawn on
Chestnut Street, rollerskating around the block for hours
(wish I still had my rollerskates with the key) riding
down Cedar Hill with no hands on my bike, climbing fruit
trees in DeGraw's backyard and eating green plums, you
get the idea, we had the most wonderful childhood in the
world. Even our children don't get the kind of childhood
we had, even though we do our best to give it to them. I
want my Granddaughters to grow up! Grow up! Please
God pray for our boys and our girls in a foreign land
that is so alien to them. Keep them safe as they try to
keep us safe. Pray for our leaders to do the right thing
even though they don't know what they are doing. God
Bless you all on this most sobering of nights. Bomber
Cheers, Donna Fredette 1965
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From: Linda McKnight Hoban ('65)
To: Lora Homme Page ('60)
In yesterday's Sandstorm, you said to Helen Cross Kirk:
"In your post from yesterday you suggest in your point
number 4 that the Sandstorm keep politics out, then in
point number 5 you state that it should include "being
Americans" and supporting our troops. The definition of
"American" and the war in Iraq are two of the most
volatile political points that are being debated.
Although I agree with you in theory, regrettably, we
can't have it both ways."
In response to that statement, I would like to suggest to
all Americans who are also Bombers, whether you are
politically for or against the results of the recent
election, that you put aside your political bickering and
support our troops. Personally, I do not want us to be
at war in Iraq, or at war with anyone else in the whole
wide world. That being said, I decided to find a way to
express my anger, frustration, and sadness in a positive
way. Therefore, I found this website:
<http://www.anysoldier.com/index.cfm>
I chose three names under the Where to Send tab and
mailed three boxes of stuff that the Soldiers needed or
requested to three different Soldiers. In turn, those
three Soldiers will distribute the goods to others who
they represent. It took me some time to choose the
items, which required shopping, which further helped with
the above anger, frustration, and sadness that some
Bombers and Bomberettes will probably understand, but
moreover it gave me a really good feeling that I was
doing something to help the men and women who are
fighting for our freedom. I wrote personal letters to
the Soliders the boxes were mailed to, because they have
to be addressed to a name. I also included Christmas
cards in one box with stamps on the envelopes so some
Soldiers could send a Christmas card to a loved one. You
would not believe how many men and women over there don't
get mail. The things they need and want are so basic:
Shampoo, conditioner, hot chocolate, coffee, candy,
games, socks, mousetraps (the mice are moving in because
it is cold out), toilet paper, deodorant. One letter
requested babywipes for a hospital to help keep the
nationals who are hospitalized there clean.
Please, lets not spend any more time griping and sniping
at each other about what we have no control over. Check
out this website. If you don't have the time to organize
a box, check out the "Help Donate" section where you can
make a contribution. Here in Oregon, there is a campaign
to send a box to every Oregon National Guard Member for
Christmas.
Let's all band together and Support our Soldiers.
Bomber hugs,
Linda McKnight Hoban (65)
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