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Show ITTMFS November 29, 2007 9 Sitting are Richard and Eugene Perkins. Standing are Frank Ferrante, Elaine Roberts and Harold Perkins. RUTH MALAN Standard-Examiner correspondent Kaysville clan keeOS 1 military 'family af air BY RUTH MALAN Standard-Examiner correspondent K AYSVILLE — The Perkins family is as American as apple pie. This family of nine children all confributed in service to their country through the military in some way. Seven of them spent years in the military, while the other two married military members. And there is one who would sign up again today, if she were young enough. Richard Perkins said he likes to call his family the <(Perkins clan" because there are six brothers and three sisters with muqh in common. Richard served in the Air Force during WWII and his brother Vaughn Perkins, who was too young to serve during World War II, also joined the Air Force Reserve. When asked why they all joined the military, Vaughn said, "Because we were invited to. It was a case of them needing us in the military." But they all went willingly/"1^ Elaine Perkins Roberts joined the Army, where she studied to become a nurse. She spent her time in California rather than abroad during WWII. She had a choice of serving in Utah, Colorado or California, and she chose the latter because, "I thought it would be nice to be out of the winter for a while." But the tradition of the siblings serving their country started when the oldest, Merrill Perkins, joined the Air Force. Then came Harold Perkins, who entered the Navy, followed by Richard, who also served in the Air Force. Then Elaine joined the Army, Dean Perkins and Eugene Perkins joined the Navy, Vaughn joined the Air Force, Beverly Perkins' husband Frank Ferrante served with the Marines in Vietnam and Marsha Perkins' husband Ken Rackham in the Air Force. All nine are still living in Utah, except one who moved out of state. Beverly Perkins Ferrante remembers the six stars on the flag in the window of her parents' home, letting everyone know they had so many members of their family serving their country. "Eugene served in Germany. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He is the only one I know that was actually wounded," Beverly said. Elaine, the oldest sister, continued working as a nurse in the Army after being released from the service. While in the Army she administered health care to the wounded. "I took care of paraplegics most of the time," she said, adding that she also cared for those with diseases and mental health problems. "I said if I was young I think I'd join again," Elaine said. Her husband Henry Roberts also served during WWII. Vaughn was serving in the Air Force Reserve when he was going to be drafted. "They tried to draft me during the Korean War, so I got hold of the Air Force and they called me to active duty," he said. Vaughn said his oldest brother was going to the ' university where he was in the' ROTC when he was drafted and put in an aircraft. "I spent most of my time in Texas in the headquarter's squadron, trying to keep 50,000 men lined up each day," Vaughn said. But Eugene was the one who came home with more than just memories of the war. He received a Purple Heart after being wounded twice. "We were approaching a town and started going through houses. The Germans started shooting small arms and grenades between the buildings. One of them came near us," explained Eugene. He was hit the first time then. The second time came when he was going through a forest. The enemy was shooting long-range 88s. "I got a few more wounds there," Eugene said. At the tail end of the Battle of the Bulge, east of the Bulge area, he was injured right after the Russians entered Berlin. "The Germans were coming across the river to get away from the Russians and we had to take as many prisoners as we could take to save their lives." Help requested for those in need for the holidays BY TOM BUSSELBERG Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau tbusselberg@standard.net H ILL AIR FORCE BASE — The Angel Tree program on base is meant to provide a Christmas for everyone in need. That's just what happened last year, when a fire wiped out the home of a family. "Not only did we take care of the family, but also their extended family," said Peggy Wasserlein, Catholic pastoral coordinator and one of two coordinators for the annual charity effort. "As we delivered the Christmas items to the family, we found out there were three extra Juds (from a divorce). We turned around, took care of them — brought back gifts for them that day," she said. The actual Angel Tree is due to be in place Dec. 1, at the base chapel foyer, Building 475. People attending services that day or Sunday, or weekdays during regular business hours, can take an angel with a "wish list." That should include the sex and age of the child, as well as desired gifts. Each child can receive a clothing item as well as a toy. Those picking up an angel fill out a beige tracking slip, dropping that inside a gift box in the chapel foyer. Gift packages should be returned no later than Dec. 16 with the angel placed on the wrapped package when returning it, said Andrea Mulert, who is helping coordinate the effort. There is no required money amount and the two gifts for a child could be split up; that is, one person could buy the clothing item and another the toy, she said. "Any family that needs assistance, they can go through the First Sergeant in their squadron," Mulert said, noting the program "seems to grow every year." For example, more than 600 children received gifts in 2005. "Some people want to take on a family with one or two kids, or even five or six kids. If you want to do that, or take more than one family, please contact us, so we can make sure it works out fairly for each child," she said. The base program is more than a quarter-of-a-century old, Wasserlein said. Directorates, squadrons and civilian areas have already requested families to help for Christmas. Items are used in support of Christmas gifts for inneed base families, Tbys for Tots in the community, and requests that come for deployed troops' support helping defray costs of mailing. "That's what Christmas is all about," said Wasserlein. "In the busy-ness of our lives, to take the time to think about others — to be Christ for people who otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas." For more information, call Mulert at 444-3288 or email her at AngelEyes612@gmail. com or Peggy.Wasserlein® hill.af.mil. CONGRESSIONAL AID Rep. Rob Bishop (center), Utah congressman, helps serve food to the 388th and 419th Fighter Wing servicemembers in Hangar 37 for the wings' Thanksgiving feast. Courtesy photo Colorful characters, great stunts give 'Rush Hour 3' enough fuel for comedy seque BY STEVE SALLES Standard-Examiner movie critic "R ush Hour 3" proves that you can take two colorful characters, toss them into a . plotless story, give them the same old jokes and turn it into a cinematic success. I'm actually annoyed with myself for laughing as many times as I did. Loudmouthed, screeching Chris Tucker picks up right where he left off, making fun of Asians, the French and anyone else while frantically bird-dogging females like he just got out of prison — and yet, regrettably, I chuckled. Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is still working for a Chinese ambassador who has come to Los Angeles to reveal the identities of the leaders of the super-secret Triad (Chinese mafia) to some weird international conference. An assassination attempt on the ambassador forces Lee to chase down the suspect. Conveniently (and you could use that word a lot when talking about this movie), Det. Carter (Tucker) is directing traffic nearby and rushes to the aid of his old friend. For some reason, the list of Triad names becomes the focal point of this film, giving Lee and Carter the opportunity to travel to and trash beautiful Paris to recover it. Where is it? What is it? Who is it? Who cares? The most interesting part of their Parisian experience is George the cab driver (Yvan Attal), who initially hates Americans but eventually comes to discover his Yank inner killer. Not sure if that was supposed to be flattering or a slam, but at least he was new and different. And, of course, you can always count on Chan to offer up some remarkable stunts and fight scenes, even at the ripe old age of 53. You can also rely on Tucker to keep yelling stuff without even the remote hint of a filter until something sounds funny. It's his trademark and it sometimes works. These "Rush Hour" movies are supposed to be big, brash and brainless — and this latest brouhaha is equal tp the task. • '"' If you're bothered by things like villains appearing out of nowhere just so they can take their final beatdown, this is not your movie. If you couldn't care less, run like the wind to see "Rush Hour 3." |