By Jeff Orvis
I've got a couple of subjects on my
mind today and in a way, they are related. One deals with the life of
a remarkable man who called Belle Plaine “home” for a few short
years. The other is some disturbing news about this country's
military that, if true, should bother all of us.
I first met Fred Fredericks back in
1997, when we came to Belle Plaine. He had recently purchased a nice
ranch style house in town, planning to retire here from his native
Chicago. But he had some loose ends to tie up there and it would be a
year before he and his wife, Peg, would be ready to move. So we
leased this fine home for a year and with the lease came an
acquaintance with a really unique character. In fact, that could be
said of his wife as well.
My first impression of Fred,
especially once I learned a little bit about his background, was that
this person was too real to be real. He seemed like a character from
Central Casting. That short stature, gray mustache and hair to match,
slightly gruff manner of speech and that ever-present twinkle in his
eye had “Chicago firefighter” written all over him. Of course, we
learned that he was much more than a 30-year veteran of the fire
department. He was also a plasterer and trade union member and
inventor with four patents.
We had a unique arrangement. We had a
comfortable, modern place to live. Meanwhile, Fred was making
periodic trips from Chicago to Belle Plaine, bringing loads of
things, especially tools, etc, which he stored neatly in the two-car
garage. It seemed that he liked to stock up on such things and though
we had an understanding that we would not disturb what he brought, I
will now admit that I sneaked a peak once in awhile.
Once he and Peg moved here, many of us
in town quickly learned that they would not be content with living a
quiet life in their new home. They soon learned the secret to small
town living which I have also learned. If you take the time to go out
and meet people, you will see them often and they will, for the most
part, return your friendly overtures.
Fred loved a good parade. He
especially looked forward to the Fourth of July and spent time
decorating his Jeep Wagoner and proudly drove as an entry in the
parade.
He also was proud of so many of us
here in town and let the world know it by the wonderful letters to
the editor he would write. When I worked at the newspaper, I was
usually the one to computer typeset the letters we got. Some of them
were rambling opinions that I didn't share. When those letters hit my
desk, I had a “here we go again” attitude and got through them as
quickly as possible. But when we got a letter from Fred, you knew he
was writing about something he observed in town. They were usually
very uplifting and when you got finished reading them, you felt
better about living here.
Fred passed away late last week,
nearly five years after the death of his wife of 63 years. Quite
often when someone passes on, you may say that the world was a better
place because he lived. Fred touched so many lives in a positive way,
we were all better off for having known him.
Thank you Fred.
Fred Fredericks was a proud Army
veteran of World War II, having served in the Pacific Theater. He was
also later a member of the local American Legion and attended many of
its functions. And that's where the connection between the two items
I am writing about comes in.
I never served in the military, but I
was always led to believe that when you enlisted, whether it was in
the regular military or even the National Guard, Uncle Sam made sure
you were clothed and fed for the time you were on duty. But I spoke
to a mother of a recruit who says this may not be the case. She said
her child has been in basic training and advanced training out east.
Her child was surprised to find more than $500 deducted from an
initial paycheck. It was explained to this soldier that recruits were
charged for their meals while in training. What's more, they would
also be deducting additional money for the price of uniforms. Besides
that, when this recruit got the uniform, the boots were grossly
undersized!
This mother confirmed this in speaking
with her child's superiors. In fact, the head honcho at the base
seemed unaware of the unhealthy conditions in some of the barracks
and promised to correct the problems. But he also hinted that the
soldier might have some restricted privileges for being a whistle
blower. This prompted a vow from this mother that if this occurred,
her next call would be to the White House!
Like I said, I never served in the
military. But I have been a taxpayer for decades. So in a very small
way, I helped hire these soldiers and sailors. I was confident that
part of that enlistment would surely include government-paid uniforms
and meals and safe places to sleep. I realize that many of these men
and women would eventually encounter tough living conditions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, some more than once. But wouldn't it stand to
reason that they should have clean living conditions and food and
uniforms without having to pay for them out of their meager pay?
I realize that there might be another
side to this story. I hope this might be an isolated incident. But if
this is the norm, then I encourage any young person contemplating a
military career to carefully read the contract, especially the fine
print, before signing.
I have long been a proponent of taking
care of our military. If we are going to commit to fighting wars, we
need an equal commitment to returning members of the military so that
they receive any and all physical and mental care they may need.
Although we can't expect to pay them on equal footing with a union
auto worker, we should also pay them enough that their families
aren't forced to seek other government aid during deployment.
Make sure you are financially able to
fight a war before committing to it!
No comments:
Post a Comment