| Tidbits with Shelly |
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| Tidbits with Shelly 2-14-07
Fist of all let me tell you that the Soldiers from Eastern KY are tough as they come. They had the worst conditions for training, Cold Weather, snow, and gusts of wind. The month before they had cold weather, rain, gusts of wind. But they never quit and their morale was so high just like today. 25 degrees and light snow. Now to the story at Hand. The Kentucky Army National Guard units in Jackson and Hazard KY have undergone some major changes. DET 1 207th EN CO is in located in Jackson KY which use to be the 299th Chemical CO with the Headquarters being in Hazard KY as the 207th EN CO which use to be CO B 206th EN BN, Combat Engineers. Both units will have Heavy Equipment Operators and Mechanics. Both units are currently taking classes under KCTCS, Hazard Community College in Hazard KY. KCTCS has provided two instructors and both units are also providing assistant instructors to help teach the classes. The Jackson unit currently has 28 Soldiers enrolled in the course and the Hazard unit has 52 Soldiers enrolled. The course consist of orientation of equipment, starting procedures, maintenance and operations of each piece of equipment. Instructions will be given on D7 Dozer, Loader, Grader, 5 Ton Dump Truck, Excavator, Backhoe, and M916 Tractor and Trailer. The training site is at the B-W Resources Coal Company located about ½ mile past WalMart on HWY 80. They donated the site and a mine safety class. Drill weekend for both units will consist of Saturday and Sunday with training hours starting at 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (16 hours/weekend). The followings months is when training will be conducted : -January 20-21 -February 3-4 -March 10-11 -August 11-12 Total Available Instructional Class-time: 64 hours After taking this training all Soldiers will attend a 2 week MOS School, that will qualify them on the equipment. There they will get more training on the D7 Dozer, Grader, Scrapper and Loader. If you are interested in joining these units contact SGT Gary Curtis at 606-666-2441, Jackson Armory , KY or SSG Tony Liford at the Hazard Armory, 606-436-0983. Photo #1 Photo #2 Tidbits with Shelly 8-14-06 Hello everyone ….How is everyone this week? I have been trying to avoid the heat as much as possible and was very pleased to see the rain finally come. The heat just drains you of all your energy and it makes it difficult to stay outside for long periods. We went to buckhorn over the weekend to play miniature golf and by the time we were finished with the game we were all dripping with sweat. It was the first time that Brady had ever played miniature golf and he loved it. Even with the heat it was still a lot of fun. I would like to wish my mother Lucy a very Happy Birthday on the 13th. I would tell you how old she is but you know women never like to reveal there age! I also have to say congratulations to Andy and Jenny on getting there new place, and I wish them both the best of luck. I would like to tell you about an article I read on yahoo. I am not one to watch television so I rely on the internet for news and I was wondering how many of you happened to catch the latest news about airport security? This article gave details about the events that lead to the arrest of 24 people who were attempting to blow up several planes. Also this article included a detailed list of items that will no longer be permitted on airplanes. They will no longer be allowing liquid or gel of any kind on planes due to the fact that 24 people were carrying explosives that were disguised as drinks and other common products. Due to this recent event all passengers will have to unpack there carry on bags. There were many restrictions and I will only name a few. For those you who travel with your laptops and ipods, this will no longer be an item that you can take aboard with you. Mothers with infants that are still drinking formula will have to verify the contents of each container. It’s very sad what is happening to our world. I am just very thankful that they were able to catch the people that were attempting to blow up the planes and even though many items are restricted on planes, it’s only a small sacrifice to make in an attempt to keep travelers safe from harm. As I end this article today I would like to say that I hope that everyone has a great week and weekend. Thanks once again for taking the time to read through my ramblings. If there is an issue that you would like to have discussed please feel free to email me at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil Tidbits with Shelly 7-13-06 Hello Everyone…..I hope everyone is having a great week. My week has been long and lonely. As most of you know my husband Guy is gone to Arizona to do road construction for the border patrol. After talking to him on the phone yesterday I got to thinking about what my mother and I had discussed earlier about the way I get to communicate with him. We were talking about how many years ago when men left home the wives may go for six months to a year before they received any word on there husbands. I couldn’t imagine how hard that must have been on the families. I know that while Guy was in Iraq even though I got to communicate with him frequently there still was always that fear of not getting the next phone call. There were times when it would be several days before I heard any word from him and the days when there was no word were rough because I found myself unable to concentrate on much of anything else. I commend the women who many years ago waited patiently at home taking care of the children and the tasks that had to be done around the house. It must have been a very difficult and trying time in there lives. After taking all that into consideration I realize how very fortunate we are to be able to have the ability to communicate on a daily basis and be able to pick up the phone and call and ask, “Are you ok?” Amazing how just being able to say those three words can impact your life. It’s very hard at times to be in a military family because you know that at any moment you could be separated from each other from time to time but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It has made me the person that I am today and I am the happiest I have ever been in my life. I believe that God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle and even though there are times when I struggle with Guy being gone I realize that I am strong enough to handle it and that I am never completely alone. When two people truly love each other they can get through any obstacle and come out stronger than they were. This for me is another obstacle. I would like to say to my husband “I love you and be safe” Once again I would to thank everyone who takes time out of there day to read my ramblings. As always if there is something anyone would like for me to write about send me an email to shelly.coomer@us.army.mil I hope everyone has a great week and weekend. Tidbits With Shelly 7-5-06 I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Guy and I bought fireworks from Wal-Mart and from the stand at shell mart hoping to celebrate the fourth with a bang since last year he was in Iraq. It started out being a great night until a woman decided that our family shouldn’t be up after a certain time shooting fireworks. She made the statement that people with children should be sleeping. This woman decided to stand on her porch and watch to make sure none of the smoke or ash got on her truck while she held the phone in her hand I suppose considering calling the law. I just was in shock that she had a problem with my family shooting fireworks. Well I have this to say to her along with anyone else who feels that celebrating the fourth of July is a problem, Deal with It. My husband fights for our freedom and the right to speak freely and I won’t be told that I can’t celebrate the fourth of July. I certainly hope that everyone had a great holiday and didn’t encounter the same issue that I did. I only hope that next year instead of her being on the porch with the phone she will be celebrating along with us. Now I will move onto my next topic of random rambling. As some of you may know the Jackson unit is heading to Tucson, Arizona and won’t be back until the 29th of July. The unit was supposed to go to Wendell H. Ford for annual training but there was a change in plans due to the need of assistance to border patrol. I will try to write about what’s going on there and hopefully have a few photos from Guy. It’s going to be a long three weeks for me but I guess if I can handle the year deployment to Iraq this should be a breeze. Until next time everyone have a great week. Remember if there is a topic that you would like me to write about just send me an email at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil. Tidbits with Shelly 7-5-06 Hello Everyone …..I’m sorry that I haven’t been submitting articles but I will do my best to try to write more often. First I would like to say Congratulations to my friend Harvey Jason Richardson. I know it’s a little late but I haven’t written an article since he won the election. I was curious if he is the youngest Judge our county has had but after talking with Ron I discovered we had a Judge who was 21. I am surprised at the responses I have received from people on the absence of my article in the newspaper. I stopped at Double Kwik last week and Peg was giving me a hard and I made her a promise that I would start back to writing. Now there is an issue that I must address which is the B.Y.F. My son Brady played in the Pee Wee League as some of you know. Guy and I coached his team the Reds. This was my first year coaching so I wasn’t familiar with the way that the B.Y.F handled things, my husband on the other hand was. I feel that the organization needs to take into consideration the children. I was under the impression that it was to benefit the children of the community and since I am a parent of a child who paid to play I feel I can speak my mind. It took us over 3 weeks to get helmets for the team and at the end of the season we still had not received the balls. Tony Turner was nice enough to loan us his Tee and balls or we wouldn’t have had one. Guy and I attempted several times to contact certain board members regarding our uniforms and were told it will be another week. Needless to say upon stopping at the concession stand there laid the reds uniforms which had been in the box for over a week. We tried numerous times to get the equipment that was purchased but according to those certain board members it was M.I.A. Now when you look at the B.Y.F wouldn’t you say it’s lacking organization? One more reason why I say its unorganized is because I know that in the years past when the end of season comes the teams are presented with Trophies. Ok well not this year…Our trophies were put in the dugout and I was quite disappointed…I would like to say thanks to Winnie Cox for getting the trophies for our league because he was the only one who felt out pee-wee league should have them from what I hear. I look forward to coaching again next year and I only hope that the B.Y.F is better organized. Now I will move onto another topic …..I went to a Lynyrd Skynrd concert Sunday in Cincinnati, Ohio. Guy, Brady, Andy, Jenny and I had a blast. I have to admit that I think Brady had more fun than any of us. He stayed on either Guy’s shoulders or Andy’s screaming and throwing his hands. Shooter Jennings and Three Doors Down were there also. Shooter was walking around through the crowd and stopped to take a photo with Brady, Guy, and Andy. By the time we got out of the concert it was late and everyone was so tired. I think Brady felt asleep as soon as he was put in his car seat. Guy fell asleep about as fast. I was left to drive home. Jenny and Andy attempted to stay focused and alert but it was hard. It was nice to get out of Breathitt County for a little while but I have to admit I was so happy when I saw the Breathitt County sign. I knew my bed was waiting for me at home…..I would like to say kudos to mom and dad for loaning us the car since the gas prices are so expensive. Thanks once again for listening to my ramblings and I hope everyone has a great week…. Tidbits with Shelly 4-21-06 Hello everyone ….I would like to start off by saying that I would like to apologize for not writing lately. I have been busy with my new job at Friedman’s Jewelers. We have a great staff and the manager Mrs. Alicia Ritchie is great to work with. I have had several responses to my last few articles and I suppose it was time for me to ramble just a little bit more. I was reading through a couple of pieces in another newspaper and came across an article on politicians and funeral homes. I myself don’t get caught up in politics but I do agree that it is a shame that politicians have to campaign at funeral homes. If I were the family members in all honesty I would probably campaign against them for have no respect for my family and the loved one I had lost. I think it’s a very inappropriate way to get votes and in the long run it doesn’t profit. Now I have to move onto to a lighter topic. My husband MSG Guy Coomer is going to be coaching the pee wee team The Reds and Brady will be playing for the first time. I am going to help out as much as I can by assisting. So just to let you all know I will be keeping you updated on what’s happening with the team. This week I would like to shout out to Brian Smith and Jessica Howard and say Congrats on the upcoming wedding this weekend. I wish you both the best of luck. If anyone has a topic that they would like for me to ramble on then please email me at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil. Thanks to those of you who read my article and have ask for me to start writing again. I do appreciate that someone out there reads what I write and has interest. Tidbits with Shelly 4-7-06 Hello Everyone……This week I would like to discuss the issue of moving. I am in the process of moving and I find everyday that I have way too much stuff. I don’t know how on earth I have collected all of it. As I looked around at the boxes stacked down the hallway of my old home I said 50 of you came in the house but not all of you are going out. I am trying to eliminate things as I go. I suppose at some point I will get moved out of my old house and into the new. Why do we find it necessary to have so many things? When you’re settled into a place I suppose you could say that it accumulates over time but then when you decide to move you realize how much you have collected over the years. Along with the entire move I have been trying to help out with the Welcome Home for the Troops, volleyball games two nights a week, and taking care of the kids. I suppose it will all come together at some point. I am still battling my new year’s resolution to quit smoking. I have my good days with it and those were you feel like if you just don’t get that one cigarette your just not going to be able to handle it. January is almost gone now and soon our troops will be home. There are still calendars for sale if anyone is interested you can email me at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil. The calendars would make a great memento to look back on years later. The proceeds from the calendars go to provide an appropriate welcome home. I was talking with some of the family members last week while they worked on posters and it was so nice to see the happiness because I know that this deployment was very tough for some of them. Brandy Caudill’s mother Della and I were talking and she always has these little stories that she tells me about Brandy and I see how much she has missed her daughter and when speaking of Brandy’s coming home you can see the excitement. I am so thankful that it’s almost over for them and I pray for their safety as they make their journey home. God has given us so much to be thankful for and he has guided and protected our unit during their time in Iraq. Remember if anyone is interested in the calendars you can email me or get in contact with a soldiers family. Well as always I have to send a message to someone. I am going to shout out to Lindsey Spencer and say Congratulations on getting your drivers licenses. I suppose that is all of the ramblings that I am going to do today. Everyone have a great week. Tidbits with Shelly Y. Coomer 3-13-06 Hello Everyone…..First I would like to start off by saying Welcome Home to the troops. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to stand on the tar mac and watch the troops get off the plane. Words can’t really describe what a great moment that was. My son Brady stood in amazement at the sight of the plane so close in front of him. We followed the buses to Keeneland and there were so many people there that probably 100 or more people were standing because the seats were filled. It was great to see so many people come together to celebrate the home coming of our hometown heroes. Rose and Art Wolfe put so much into making a great welcome home dinner and I would like to say Thank You. Our community is blessed to have Rose and Art Wolfe and what they have done for the troops will not be forgotten. The dinner on Saturday was wonderful and all the hard work put into it was very well worth it. I worked for about a month or more on a slideshow for the troops to show at the dinner. I included the photos that I took at the airport and the photos that Ron had taken. I thought the families would enjoy getting to see that moment. I was very disappointed to learn that a few of the guest at the dinner became shall I say Bored with the slideshow. Saturday was a day to celebrate the coming home of our troops and to say thank you for all they have done. I don’t understand why it was so hard to sit through a 30 minute slideshow. For those who didn’t enjoy the slide or became bored I have this to say “Too bad”. I made that slide so that the family members who didn’t get photos sent home would be able to see the moments that were captured through a photo. Also I am disappointed that our troops served in Iraq and was gone from there families for 14 months and 30 minutes of there photos was too much or became boring. Once again welcome home troops. We are all so proud of you. This week I have to shout out to Josh Howard and Ashley Haney and say Congrats on the upcoming wedding. I hope that you too have a wonderful life together…Best of Luck…You make a great couple….Your great friends and Guy and I will always be there for you both…. Tidbits with Shelly Y. Coomer 3-8-06 Hello Everyone…As some of you may have read in my last article I addressed a situation with Judge Warrix and patiently I waited for a reply. I would like to let you all know that I have yet to get one. I suppose he didn’t read the article but as most of you know that in a small town like Jackson word travels fast. I am certain that someone has read the article and told Judge Warrix. Oh well that’s that. I have another topic I would like to address this week. Many of you know that I have recently moved from Quicksand to Sycamore Street. I received my final water bill and it was 80.00 for 2 days of water. That’s a lot of water for 2 days and I was already living at my new house waiting for the city to cut it off. I was puzzled at how my water bill could be so high and I decided to call city hall. This you won’t believe. I supposedly had a water bill from the previous month for 80.00 ….Are you seeing the pattern yet? I luckily had my stub from the last month. My water bill the previous month before moving was 39.50. It took me 3 days to get this all sorted out and even with having proof that I didn’t owe 80.00 I was getting nowhere. Finally I got to speak to someone who could help me and I got the issue resolved. So be sure and watch your water bill for those of you who have city water because you may end up paying more than you actually owe. Now on a lighter note I would like to say Congrats to the Jackson City Tigers on winning District. My family and I went and watched the game against Wolfe County and I couldn’t stay seated. It made me so nervous. I was so proud when they won being that I graduated from Jackson City. I didn’t get a chance to go to the game last night at Knott County but I was glad to hear that won by 7 points. Good luck in your upcoming game against Leslie County. I suppose its time for my ramblings to end this week but remember if you have a topic you would like to see addressed then email me at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil. Everyone have a great week. Tidbits with Shelly Y. Coomer 25-Feb-06 Hello Everyone…..Once again yet another week I am rambling on my thoughts and feelings. I have to address an issue that is still bothering me. I recently wrote about the dinner that was held at the Jackson Armory to celebrate our troops coming home. I talked about how certain people shall I say got bored during the slideshow which was a collection of photos from the point of the troops first leaving for there deployment until the day the plane landed. I have heard from numerous people at the dinner that Judge Warrix complained about the length of the slideshow. I myself didn’t hear this but I am going to address this matter in hopes that he reads this and has some of type of reply. I certainly hope that Judge Warrix wouldn’t come to a dinner which was for our troops and have made such remarks. Well enough said on that I suppose I will have to wait and see if I get a reply. Those of you who read my article know I am outspoken on my feelings and I just needed to get that off my chest. I hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day. Since the next upcoming holiday is Saint Patrick’s Day as always I’m going to give you a few facts about it. Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ. So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. Today New York's St. Patrick's Day parade is the longest running civilian parade in the world. Last year nearly three million spectators were expected to watch the spectacle and some 150,000 participants marched. Somehow every year I forget to wear green and end up getting pinched but maybe this year I will actually remember. I hope you all like the little facts I put in and If you have anything you would like to see discussed send me an email at shelly.coomer@us.army.mil. This week I would like to shout out to Brian Smith and Jessica Howard and say I wish you both the best of luck in New Jersey and I look forward to you all coming home to KY to visit. Everyone have a great week and I will be rambling more next week……… Tidbits with Shelly Y. Coomer 11-Jan-06 Hello Everyone. I would like to start by letting everyone know that there is a fundraiser to help provide each deployed soldier with a bible, calendar, and an appropriate welcome home. The calendars are being sold for $5.00 each and 400 will be available in a week. Anyone can purchase them by contacting any of the wives or mothers of a deployed soldier. The calendar has the 916th Mp Co which consists of several different units combined. I urge everyone to purchase a calendar and show your support for the brave men and women proudly defend our country. I have had several people make comments on my articles and say that it always contains something related to our troops. My reply to their comments is simple. I am part of a military family and proudly support them. I always try to have a shout out to them to let them know that we are all thinking of them and let them know that those of us at home have not forgotten. I also this week would like to say Happy Early Birthday to my brother Bobby Little. I don’t get to see him that often and I hope he has a great birthday. Can you believe Valentines Day is almost here? As I always do I am going to give you a few facts about the holiday. There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Did you know that valentines were first introduced in the 1800’s? Hundreds of years ago in England, many children would dress up as adults on Valentine's Day. They would go from home to home singing. One verse they sang was: Good morning to you, valentine Curl your locks as I do mine--- Two before and three behind. Good morning to you, valentine In the middle ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling. Another tradition is if you cut an apple in half on Valentines Day and count the seeds it will tell you how many children you have. I have many opinions on the traditional Valentines Day. I know that most people find a rose to be beautiful and yes indeed in can be …But why do we cut roses which lead to there death and give them as a symbol of Love. I never quite understood that concept. Well enough of my ramblings. Remember lets not forget our troops. Purchase a calendar and show them your support. Tidbits with Shelly 11-27-05 Veterans Day has just passed and I would like to discuss take this time to discuss it a little bit further. My father SGT George W. Spicer served in the Vietnam War for 13 months with the Charlie Company 1St BN 3rd Marine Regiment 3rd Marine Division at Quang Tri Province on the DMZ. He joined in the Marines in 1968 and after graduating basic training in 1969 he attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California where he studied Vietnamese Language. He was a field interpreter assigned to the POW compound in DaNang. My father was in the marines for 4 years and has 13 combat declarations. I am very proud of him and all the accomplishments that he has made through his life…He worked for the Department of Transportation for 3 years. A lot of you may remember him as the District Forester. He worked for the Division of Forestry for 17 years and was over 9 counties. My father was born and raised at Canoe Kentucky and has traveled all over the world. I am very proud of all the accomplishments that he has had through out his life. I believe that being a serviceman has had a huge impact of the man that my father became. I myself am now married to a serviceman and I see the same characteristics and qualities in my husband that my father has. I would like to say thank you to my father and all the veterans that has so bravely defended our country. I also would like to address that fact that not all schools observed Veterans Day as a holiday. We can’t forget about those who have sacrificed so much for our country so that we can have freedom. Please don’t forget our veterans and our own 299th Chemical Company serving with Co. B 206th EN BN on a tour of duty in Iraq… Tidbits with Shelly 03-Nov-05 Where do I start this week…October is gone now and here we are in the month of November …Soon it will be time for the 299th Chemical Company to come home…Today my husband Guy and I went to Wal-mart and SPC. Leslie Campbell’s mother Darlene, who works there had put together a wonderful slideshow of her daughter and a few members of the unit….As I stood there watching the slideshow I kept thinking as I looked around ….Does anyone really know that freedom isn’t free? And do they know what the cost is? My husband has told me many stories about the time he spent in Iraq and I can’t imagine what it must be like for our brave servicemen and women who proudly serve. They endure so much but yet they don’t let it get them down. I was talking to a close friend Sgt. Allen Sperry the other day and he’s so ecstatic about being a father and his recent involvement in the IRF team. I always make sure that I tell him that I am proud of him and that I am praying for him. While the unit has been deployed to Iraq they have had many great supporters. Rose and Art Wolfe have worked so hard to make sure that our servicemen and women have all needs possible met. As Captain Eads once said during the deployment ceremony at Breathitt High School,”If I called Rose Wolfe in the middle of the night needing a 2 million dollar tank, it would be sitting at the armory the next day”. Don’t we all wish there were more Rose and Art Wolfe’s? Being part of the military family has taught me so much about life and I take great pride in supporting my family. I have been compiling all of the poetry that I have written for my husband during his deployment to publish in a book in honor of the unit. I found that poetry was a good release for all the emotions that I have been feeling. The past 8 months of my life have been very difficult but God has given me strength to make it through it stronger than I was before. Please remember all our servicemen and women who bravely serve our great country and anytime they cross your mind please say a pray for them. And every time you see an American flag think about those who proudly stand and defend those colors so that we can all have freedom … Hello everyone ….For those of you who don’t know me I will introduce myself. My name is Shelly Y. Coomer. I have lived in Breathitt County all my life …I am married to MSG Guy Coomer who has been deployed to Iraq since February of last year. I recently took a trip last weekend to Gatlinburg, TN, with my husband for our one year anniversary. I have to say it was great to get away but I have to admit after the first night I missed my small home town. The first issue that I have to address is the communication skills that are clearly an opposite of what I am use to. People don’t have that down home friendly hospitality that we good ole Kentucky folks have. Now don’t get me wrong there were many friendly people there but there was a very distinct difference. I also was very surprised to find that purchasing a simple souvenir seemed almost impossible. Almost every shop that my husband and I visited was run by people from other countries. They barely spoke English and I felt as though I was the foreigner. As I walked along through the shops in Tennessee I was amazed that the majority of the people there were from Brazil, Pakistan, and India. What happened to all the volunteers? From what I could see they were few and far between. After spending a day realizing that I should have paid more attention in high school when it came to my foreign language class all I wanted to see was the Smokey Mountains in my rear view window. As we crossed that state line I started to look around at all the beautiful scenery and I realized that no matter how far away you may go there is no place like home. I was so glad to see Bluegrass and all the friendly faces that greeted me when I returned home. I wonder how many other people have felt as though they were a stranger in there own country? |
