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Show Page 14 NORTH COUNTY NEWSPAPERS Thursday, October 9, 2008 From ROTC to Berkeley (veterans1 chaplain during the Korean conflict. grew up in the south end of Ogden. Pearl Harbor was bombed when I was a 10th grader. As a junior in high school, I enrolled in ROTC; the war was on, and everybody was encouraged en-couraged to enroll. It was taught by army personnel at the high school. Some of us were officers I became a lieutenant. We wore a uniform once a week with a "Sam Brown Belt," a leather belt that went across the shoulders. I learned a lot about drilling, so when I later entered the service, I knew how to march. I liked ROTC; I liked being able to march with precision and I had a platoon that I could drill. Before I graduated from high school in 1944, 1 took the, qualifying examination for the Naval Officer Training School, the V-12 program. Three of us from the Ogden area passed. On April 17, my mother drove me down to Salt Lake City, and I was sworn into the Navy. Just before my 18th birthday, birth-day, I was sent to Colorado College, Colorado Springs, and started college the next day. It was regular schooling, school-ing, but it was also physically demanding. Our sergeant was a tough old Marine sergeant, and he had a big scar across his face. He always told us that fli'it events UVU Community Education preparedness classes offered UVU Community Education is offering four preparedness classes to help people cope with the unexpected. Classes are on Thursdays beginning Oct. 16. Those who register for all four of the preparedness pre-paredness classes get one class for free. Partners may attend at no extra cost. Preparedness for the Clueless is for those who aren't sure how to prepare for a disaster. This class teaches the basics of family preparedness and is offered of-fered Oct. 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. The class is held at American Fork Jr. High located at 20 W. 1120 North in American Fork. Water and Sanitation: This class focuses on how to find, store, purify, and conserve water. Class is held Oct. 23, We carry building materials, paint, cabinets, lighting fixtures, furniture and appliances. Donate all your surplus building materials, hardware, tools, and furniture to Habitat for Hu manity to help Utah County families cause. HZ. ftr Habitat for Humanity 626 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo e Qfr ffg CaU 3MSTOR for questions CIAi)i SC (373 7867) 10-6 Mon - Sat TV 4 Editor's note: This is the first in a series about Robert Parsons, Par-sons, a resident of Orem, who started his military career in high school when, as a junior in 1943, he enrolled in ROTC, After Af-ter a stint in the Navy's V-12 program, some college training in several places, discharge and an LDS mission, he became a somebody had shoved a rifle in his face because he wasn't holding it properly. I le was really mean. Having played high school sports, I thought I was in good shape, but I got worked over in the calisthenics program. The sergeant's attitude was such that if you raised a hand during drill, you got an hour's marching on the campus field, with a bucket of water in each hand. I saw boys doing that regularly. I was there only one semester, semes-ter, carrying 21 credit hours. We were subject to the whim of the navy, so after that semester se-mester we were sent to the College of the Pacific, in Stockton, Stock-ton, Calif. I was fortunate to get liberty the first weekend there, so I spent several hours on Saturday Satur-day walking around town and asking where the Mormons met. Someone said at the Odd Fellows Hall, but then I learned that that had been some time in the past. The next day, Sunday, I walked out to the highway and began hitchhiking into town. Not wanting to be conspicuous, I continued to walk slow, while praying. Just then, a California Highway patrol car stopped behind me. The officer rolled down his window and said, "Hey, sailor, where are you going?" from 7-8:30 p.m. The class is held at American Fork Jr. High, 20 W. 1120 North in American Fork. Students in How to Cook When the Lights go Out will be taught how to cook using alternative energy. This class is held Oct. 30 from 7-8:30 p.m. The class is at American Fork Jr. High, 20 W. 1120 North in American Fork. How Not to Freeze When the Power goes Out focuses on how to safely and efficiently warm your home when there is no power. The class will be Nov. 6 from 7- 8:30 p.m. The class is held at American Fork Jr. High located at 20 W. 1120 North in American Fork. Each class is only $29 which allows two people to attend for the price of one. Register for all four classes and pay for only three. For more information informa-tion or to register for classes, visit ce.uvsc.educommed or call Sally at (801) 803-8012. These courses are part of over 120 fall courses that'are part of the UVU nonprofit part iriilHki 1111 lit mn jxmiam jhu: "I'm looking for the Mormon church." "Oh, they've just built a new building. Hop in and I'll take you there." I arrived in time for meetings meet-ings and became very involved in my church there. After a year, orders for a transfer came down, "You'll either go to Stanford or the University of Utah." When the orders came, it was UC Berkley. Berk-ley. Berkeley was more rigorous rigor-ous than Stockton or Colorado Springs, but we goofed off sometimes, by skipping PE and drills and even going AWOL, slipping in and out to go to church functions when we were supposed to be in for bed check. (I believe a lot of that went on in the services.) If you came in late, you tapped on the door, and the guard would let you in without your having to go through the office downstairs. down-stairs. The war ended while I was at Berkeley. Next week: The chaplain's work Some veterans may wish, on their own, to tape or digitally record their memories of military service. These will be transcribed and archived. For instructions on how to do this, e-mail Don Norton at don.norton.byu.edu. nership with Alpine School District. New community ed. class UVU Community Education is offering a new community education course in addition to their 120-pIus courses already offered this semester as part of the non-profit partnership with Alpine School District. Constitutional and Original Intent Study will help students learn the original intent of the Founders, and learn to apply their wisdom in today's world. Upon leaving this class, students stu-dents will have a fundamental foundation on the proper role of government. This class is held each Thursday from 7-9 p.m. beginning Oct. 23 to Dec. 18. The course cost is $44 which includes a student manual man-ual and is held at Utah Valley University located at 800 South University Parkway in Orem. For details or to register for these and other community education ed-ucation courses, visit ce.uvsc. educommed or call Sally at (801) 863-8012. and further our fmh n n n - n NOTES FROM IRAQ No Matter How Small Staff Sgt. Brock Jones The last movie I saw with my wife and daughter hefore deploying last March was "Morton 1 lears a Who," based on the book of the same name. We had a great time and replayed all the funny parts in the car on the way home from the theater. Unlike my daughter, I think I enjoyed the movie less for the humor than for the philosophical philo-sophical undertones that I couldn't help but notice. The-odor The-odor Geisel, better known as the beloved Dr. Seuss, spent his life filling ridiculous and wonderful stories of tiny people peo-ple and talking cats, of green Grinches and loyal elephants with meaningful ideas about life and living. I lay down that night thinking think-ing about the words spoken by Morton, the cartoon elephant, ele-phant, and fell asleep wondering wonder-ing about my own tiny place in this massive universe. "A person's a person, no matter how small," he had said. Two days later, and feeling fairly small myself, I gave goodbye kisses to my wife and little girl and left Utah for another year away from home. That was almost seven Utah County's PREMIER local sports coverage www.heraldextraxom GOING ON vacation: DONATE YOUR PAPER . ( CAaTOIXNATTYlVRSFWArER I ' TO NEUPAI'tRS IN t! l .ATK3J .' 375-5103 2aUij&Hcrot6 www.heraldextra.com mm .11? H vv.i ,' , ' months ago. Last Wednesday, I saw an ant race from the cover of a power strip that the wheels of my chair had bumped, a tiny figure-eight zigzagging across the tile, heading for the shadows under my desk. Instinctively, I stomped on him and when I lifted my boot, he was still alive, poking pok-ing his feelers here and there, having apparently zigged at just the right moment to find lucky shelter in the hollow of my boot tread. I let fall my size 10 Vi Army- issue boot a second time. Luck was not on his side twice. He curled up, drawing his legs in like the fingers of a black fist and stopped moving, mov-ing, a spot on the floor to be swept up and tossed out with the trash and the dust. I couldn't take my eyes off the dead ant, a black period punctuating the wide expanse of the floor. I found myself wondering if ants have lungs and breathe like I do, and if they smell and feel and hear and see like I do. I wondered if this ant's presence would be missed, if it had a family. I wondered if ants felt pain. I had never felt worse for smashing a bug. It had been so easy for me to lift my foot and let it fall. I 11 II General Adoptions POSTAL JOBS $17.08-328 27hr, now hiring. For application and free government job info, call American Assoc of Labor 1-913-599-8042, 24hrs. emp. serv. WORK around your schedule $450 $15000 monthly PT or $2000 - $4500 FT aap-ply aap-ply online www wfhden-ver.com wfhden-ver.com or call 303-296-6497 ABORTION? Why? Consider Adoption Warm, secure loving home available for newborn baby. Please call 800-606-4411 A1 090 IT PAYS TO READ The Herald Classifieds utAh'j nr" Annual V w ftl W ill i KM ' r 1 ,-jv :-1 1 ' i i J reacted without thinking and with a tinge of fear that if left to roam, the ant might crawl up my leg and tear off a bite-sized bite-sized chunk from the back of my knee. Fear and thoughtlessness thought-lessness had gotten the best of me, ending in the death of the ant, reminding me that my understanding is far from complete. As I walked to my room that night, thinking about life in general and the physical and spiritual and emotional significance of even the tiniest tini-est life, a thought very similar to Morton's sentiment of "a person's a person, no matter how small," came to mind: A life is a life, no matter how small. That tiny black speck that had once been a living and moving ant became representative represen-tative of the millions of lives of every shape and size, plant and animal and insect and human hu-man lives that are snuffed out around the world due to the same fear and thoughtlessness thoughtless-ness that had caused me to stomp the ant. It is likely that this fear and a lack of thoughtful reasoning reason-ing have led to more shortened short-ened lives, both big and small, than we will ever be able to imagine. tafljjdHrralft J Garage Sales HUGE GARAGE SALE 2752 N 600 E Lehi Sat 101108 New 7 used books teacher books supplies school supplies sup-plies tools toys wedding wed-ding size 16-18 clothes plus sizes, lots of bargains. bar-gains. J Over 30 children's games, rocket launch, spider speedway, face painting, bounce houses, pony rides, junior haunted house, bounce trampoline, climbing walls, obstacle course, challenge games for teenagers, farm country, train ride, great food, entertainment and the County Craft Store for mom. All proceed i benefit the I young men and I women enrolled r at West Ridge I 1 Academy. Formerly the Utah Boys Ranch A. X mcnllpnnrifig Jj Pring in -this ad -To Name: . regis-fer -To win 200 MFT E Ma,,: CERTIFICATE! Phono: mm mm 1 |