The News July 4-10, 2015 Volume 7, Issue 8

theNews

July 4-10, 2015 Volume 7, Issue 8

$1

Local man orchestrates Covington fireworks show, PAGE 8 Serving Rockdale County and Conyers

rockdalenews.com

New basketball coach Shane Ramsey takes charge at Heritage, PAGE 12 Fireworks, hotel fee, gas tax changes hit July 1 with new laws

By Staff Reports

Darrell Everidge / The Rockdale News

news@rockdalenews.com

Purple Heart for a Hero Rockdale County resident Ret. Command Sgt. Maj. Simon Ramos was awarded a long-overdue Purple Heart for wounds he received in Vietnam in 1962 in a ceremony held at the Walk of Heroes Veterans Memorial in Rockdale County on July 1. Due to confusion about his military records, Command Sgt. Maj. Ramos was not properly recognized previously. After attempting to correct the record for six years, Ramos turned to Congressman Johnson’s office, where District Director Cathy Register resolved the matter within weeks. Ramos served for more than 35 years in the Army from 1952 to 1987. He served valiantly in both the Korea and Vietnam wars.

On Wednesday, Ramos was finally recognized and presented the Purple Heart by Congressman Johnson in a ceremony held at the Walk of Heroes Veterans Memorial in Conyers, attended by his family and friends. Ramos joked, “We’re going to celebrate and get drunk. It only takes three drinks, so it’s not a long process.” Due to confusion about his military records, Command Sgt. Maj. Ramos was not properly recognized previously. Mr. Ramos served for more than 35 years in the Army from 1952 to 1987. He served valiantly in both the Korea and Vietnam wars. In May, 1962, Ramos was injured in Vietnam when his company came under grenade attack, seriously wounding his left arm.

July 1 typically brings a bevy of new laws into effect that were approved by the General Assembly earlier in the year. This year, Georgians can expect to see a new $5 fee tacked on to hotel/motel stays, slight changes to their gas taxes, and will now be able to buy aerial fireworks that were formerly illegal.

Fireworks Starting Wednesday, fireworks that have long previously been illegal will be available for purchase and shooting off in Georgia. Consumer fireworks - defined as aerial fireworks, or those that explode in the air - will be legal to purchase in Georgia. Residents can already purchase hand-held and ground-based sparkling devices, such as sparklers and fountains.

Consumer fireworks legal to purchase include: • Sky Rockets and Bottle Rockets • Missile-Type Rockets • Helicopter and Aerial Spinners • Roman Candles • Multi-Aerial Mine and Shell Devices • Aerial Shell Kits • Reloadables • Firecrackers These fireworks can be used between 10 a.m. and midnight throughout most of the year. On July 3 and July 4, consumer fireworks can be used from 10 a.m. through 2 a.m. And in celebration of the New Year, consumer fireworks can be used from 10 a.m. through 2 a.m. on December 31 and January 1. You must be 18 years old to purchase consumer fireworks.

Consumer fireworks are prohibited within a school safety zone, at a school function or on a bus or other transportation furnished by a school.

Fireworks cannot be exploded within 100 yards of a nuclear power facility or gas station, or a facility

See FIRWORKS on PAGE 9

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2 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

the NEWS 1009 Milstead Ave., Ste 200, Conyers, 30012 www.rockdalenews.com Office 770-787-6397 FAX 678-253-5988 News Tips: 770-728-1437, news@rockdalenews.com Advertising: 770-728-1436 Circulation: 770-728-1414 The News (USPS 15544) is published weekly on Saturday, for $32.00 a year (plus tax) for home delivery, or $33.92 by mail per year by Covington Newspaper Company, Inc. 1166 Usher Street, Covington, Ga. 30014. Periodicals postage paid at Covington, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The News, P. O. Box 1249, Covington, Ga. 30015

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BOC WORK SESSION Tues., July 7, 10 a.m., 901 Main St

A vigil for Charleston Rockdale residents, leaders and clergy – including by Rock Temple AME pastor the Rev. Dr. Al Vaughn, Antioch AME’s pastor the Rev. Stafford J. Wicker, and Macedonia Baptist Pastor Billie Cox – gathered at Antioch AME Monday, June 21 for a vigil organized, for the tragedy in Charleston, where nine members of Emanuel AME Church who meeting for bible study were shot and killed by a 21-year-old white supremacist. (Pictured) The Rev. Stafford J. Wicker lights a candle in memory of Emanuel AME Pastor the Rev. Clementa Pinckney and each of the nine who were killed.

Photo by William Thomas

Conyers Rotary inducts new leaders

The Rotary Club of Conyers celebrated the installation of its new leaders and executive board during the June 25 luncheon. Suchet Loois was also named as the Rotarian of the Year, for the second year, for his exemplary service in coordinating the club’s international humanitarian efforts.

Outgoing Conyers Rotary President Thua Barlay installed incoming President Lewis Grace. For more photos, go to rockdalenews.com

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Saturday, July 4, 2015 • 3

Bed and breakfast application vote July 14

By Michelle Kim

mkim@rockdalenews.com

A couple seeking to turn their south Rockdale home into a two-bedroom bed and breakfast now faces a vote by the Board of Commissioners after last week’s public hearing.

Terri and Reuben Alexander have lived at their home at 2724 Sunday Road for the past decade and, facing retirement from Reuben Alexander’s medical profession as a physician assistant, decided to try and open a small bed and breakfast.

The Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission decided against recommending the permit in a 4-3 vote at the June 11 meeting.

That was the second time the Planning Commission had heard the matter, since a technicality made their first vote invalid.

At the June 23 public hearing, the Rockdale County Planning and Development staff recommended

approval of the Alexanders’ special use permit, with five stipulations.

Those conditions include: a professional architect be involved in the expansion of their home for the two bedrooms, the existing guest bathroom not be used as part of the bed and breakfast, no more than four guests at any one time, that the property not be used as a place of assembly, banquet hall or events center, and if the permit is issued no development be carried out until all the necessary permits and approvals required are obtained.

During the June 23 public hearing, heard before by all three Rockdale County commissioners, two members of the public spoke against the permit – Raljean Henderson and Don Meyers – and two spoke in favor of the permit – Bishop Ruth Smith Holmes and attorney Silvia Delamar.

Delamar spoke in favor of the application and likened the opposition to the application as similar to the opposition the school

board faced when they changed the school calendar to a balanced calendar with more distributed vacation time. “It didn’t seem like a good idea [at first], but it definitely benefitted my life and the life of those around me and probably many of you in this county.”

Holmes said the Alexanders have high standards and the type of people attracted by a bed and breakfast would be desirable visitors. “When you talk about a bed and breakfast, you’re talking about something very concise.

There’s a certain type of people that look for those. They aren’t looking for a hotel. They’re looking for something quaint.”

That’s why this is something good for this community. I think it’s a plus, actually… I don’t believe this will be detrimental to the neighborhood.”

Henderson, speaking against the application and representing the New Lake Estates community and Alexander Lake Rural

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Society, said “Believe me when I say there is no fear associated with the possibility of a bed and breakfast in our neighborhood.

Our main concern is the possibility that if one business is allowed to redevelop on Sunday Road, others may follow in its place. If the bed and breakfast proposal is approved, there is nothing to stop future businesses in the area because the precedent has been set.

Don Meyers asked, “These may not be the folks that own the property five years from now.

What happens to the licensing then, does it go with the property?

“I personally am not for the bed and breakfast as such, the way it’s proposed. But if the board is going to look at it as potential approval, it needs to be absolute lock down that there are no celebrations, no parties. It has to be laid out very clear, these people will absolutely lose this license.”

In response, Ruben Alexander said “My wife and I have not pro-

posed any changes to the environment at all… It’s a beautiful area, that’s the reason I moved to the property… Everyone who comes in my home and on my property, they experience the feeling of peace.

I feel that is the peace of God. I would like to share that peace.”

“I am looking to own the property five years from now, ten years, and willing the property to my children. I have the opportunity to live anywhere I so choose.

And I so choose to live in that community in order that I may grow old in that community, my wife and I may live our life out in that community.

“Regarding the zoning, this has been part of the zoning since 1995, with revisions in 2004 and 2006. We’re simply saying here we are daring to exercise a proposal for that. We won’t be moving any trees or disturbing the environment in any way. “

See APPLICATION, PAGE 9

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4 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

filmming news

‘Lewis and Clark’ miniseries to shoot in Rockdale/Conyers

By Sandra Brands

news@rockdalenews.com

In the wake of Nina Dobrev’s departure from ”The Vampire Diaries,” last season, producers are bringing Lily Salvatore (Annie Wersching), mother of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley), back in all her mischief making glory for Season 7. Details are vague, but it’s anticipated that Mama Salvatore will shake things up in Mystic Falls.

Crew calls have gone out for the local filming of HBO’s upcoming mini-series, “Undaunted Courage,” starring Casey Affleck as Meriwether Lewis and Matthias Schoenaerts as William Clark. The mini-series, scheduled for a 2016 release, is based on the book by Stephen Ambrose and tells the story of the Corps of Discovery and its captains as they traveled through uncharted territory in search of a fabled water route to the Pacific. Some of the

scenes will be shot in Conyers and the Rockdale area. Crew resumes should be sent to lewisandclarkatl@ gmail.com.

Everyday heroes needed. A new television series seeks nominations to spotlight someone who has sacrificed for the good of their friends, family and community in some way. The show will reunite the nominee with an item from their past that was gotten rid of, or has been lost. For more information and to speak with a casting producer, email itemsforheroes@gmail.comwith your name, location, a brief description of the person you are nominating and a description of an item. The show is being produced by the same folks who produce “Pawn Starts,” “American Restoration” and “Counting Cars.”

A documentary film, The Founders, about the 13 female golfers who founded the LPGA,

was filmed at the Candler Park Golf Course on July 7. Produced by the Atlanta-based Eleven 11 Films, the documentary, made in partnership with the nonprofit Women Make Movies, is seeking donations and support. For more information, visit http://www. thefoundersfilm.com/.

Stand-ins are being sought for “Miracles from Heaven,” a Christian family movie based on the true story of Christy Mean’s daughter, who miraculously overcame a rare medical disorder.

Filming starts in Atlanta on July 13 through Aug. 28.

Adam Sandler will be coming to Savannah to film the second of four films he’s making with Netflix. Called “The Do-Over,” the film is about two down-on-their-luck guys who decided to fake their own death, only to find out the people they’re now pretending to be are even more down-on-their-luck.

According to the nonprofit FilmL.A., Georgia now ranks third in U.S. film production, coming in behind only California and New York in 2014. For the last few years, prior to the upset, Louisiana had been listed as the number one filming location in the world; it now ranks number seven. Georgia was only two movies away from coming in above California. The 2014 study looked at movies produced by 11 studios—Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, The Weinstein Co., Summit Entertainment and Relativity—and 106 movies.

The 2015 Summer Film Intensive, a hands-on filmmaking program in the 100 year old Eyedrum facility in downtown Atlanta, begins Monday, July 6 and runs through Friday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Artizen Company, in partnership

with Eyedrum Art and Music, are sponsoring the program for the second year in a row, giving participants an opportunity to develop and produce original short films with industry professionals. The program is open to youth, 12 through 18 interested in a focused and collaborative filmmaking experience in front of and/or behind the camera. The fee for the full session is $1,100; $350 per week, two weeks minimum. For more information, visit The Artizen Company’s web site (http://www.theartizencompany.com/), or email theartizencompany@gmail.com.

Filming in metro Atlanta continues on “Sleepless Night,” starring Jamie Foxx, “Mena,” starring Tom Cruise, and “The Founder,” starring Michael Keaton. Extras are being sought for both. Those interested should check out Project Backstage or Free Audition web sites.

Facebook Feedback

Here is your reaction to “13-year-old suspect caught after chase for auto break-ins” Jessica Crowe: Sad they are starting younger and younger Kim McLean Jackson: I double dog dare my almost 13 yr old to do this.

Police may punish him, but it is not near what his parents will give him.

(And no I don’t beat my children for those who would have comments about that) Lynn Martin Thomas: Parents are scared to use the belt like back in a day... Police shot there self in the foot when it became unlawful to spank children now look what this county is becoming.. I am thankful my children are grown.

Kim McLean Jackson: No. I can’t watch my

children all day because I have a job. Although I PAY someone to watch my children every day that I do work. If you had these children.....YOU need to be responsible for these children.

were allowed to whip an ass without cps getting involved. Maybe things would be different. Government wants a say in everything people do including parenting. I’m not against holding parents accountable or even cps Jacob Bailey: Good job involvement , but when its needed. When I grew Rockdale. I’m glad you up you didn’t see this guys stayed safe. A 13 yr old with a 9mm can be a crap, then again I only had to pick my switch deadly situation. I totally Discount. want to buy your K9 a Discount. once.

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Shana Simser: If parents ents accountable!!!!

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Thomas Boyd: Poor innocent kid.....he is probably a honor student ,alter boy at local church, with two loving parents, and never acted this way before. Lolololol Ok media crews......did I get it right?

Amber Reese: Sad it’s happening in our own

backyard. Conyers was never this bad.

Audrey Oliver: Thk God. One more off the streets.

Sara Lynn Anderson: Give the PARENTS the right to raise their kids the way we was raised, I bet they want do it again.

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Opinion the

NEWS EDITOR Michelle Kim

mkim@rockdalenews.com

SPORTS EDITOR Shakeem Holloway

SALES DIRECTOR Annette Godwin

sholloway@rockdalenews.com

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CIRCULATION DIR. Amanda Ellington

COMPTROLLER Debbie Thompson

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Our Thoughts Fourth of July There is nothing like a grand July Fourth celebration to mark the height of summer. This weekend, as we celebrate the birthday of our nation, make sure you enjoy this weekend responsibly.

The last thing anyone wants, after wonderful holiday weekend, is to end up in the hospital, or worse.

When you get behind the wheel, buckle your seat belt, think and drive defensively. We do not need to lose anyone in our community due to a car accident - much less anymore of our bright young people - for any reason.

With so many holiday parties and events, make sure you have a designated driver who can bring you back home safely after all the fun is over. Parents, make sure your kids know who they can call if they need a ride, no questions asked.

The consequences of your teen having too much fun can be dealt with after they are out of danger.

With all the parades and parade viewers, be aware of pedestrians.

And with this year’s new fireworks laws, have fun but don’t be a knucklehead. Keep it on private property. Remember a few common sense rules - read and follow the directions on the label, use fireworks outdoors in a safe, non-wooden area, have a working garden hose or bucket of water handy, keep a safe distance, light only one at a time, don’t re-ignite a firework that doesn’t light the first time, don’t shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers, and wear safety glasses when igniting fireworks.

Also, if you see a military serviceman or servicewoman or an officer, stop and thank them for what they do to protect and serve.

Happy Independence Day.

Saturday, July 4, 2015 Page 5 rockdalenews.com

Letter to the editor

Re: Reflections on the Charleston Church Massacre After reading a June 20 opinion column (“Reflections on the Charleston Church Massacre,” June 20) I was struck by the utter cowardliness of this writer.

The subject was the Charleston murders and somehow this Christian community leader reached back and for “buzz effect” dragged in all the bad the south had done wrong then till now.

Not one mention in the massive full three column full page ramblings did this person mention anything positive the “South” had done right since the Civil War. Also, he follows in the inflammatory footsteps of his president using the word “treason” to describe all those who resisted the Northern Invasion.

You can take any position you wish on the

above but for a pastor writing inflammatory remarks under the robes of his pastoral robe is revolting to real Christians.

Never do we hear that the South under its conservative governors are the strongest economies the northern liberals are flocking to because they have totally destroyed their former cities and states. We southerners are in effect giving aid and comfort to these refuges of northern states.

They are also cowards in that they took all they could haul in from taxpayers for their city state and federal jobs and then fled those wastelands they created. They did not mind one bit to flee here under the Confederate flag to find safety and southern dollars to enjoy here.

Never do we hear that slavery is rampant

in sub-Saharan Africa with one in every 140 enslaved (www.walkfree.org) today! In current dollars an 1850 slave value was $40,000 but today only $90. So if one gets ill they are abandon or kill as reported by “Free the Slaves” (www.freetheslaves.net). Can this pastor tell us how many articles he has published on this subject. Can he tell us how much of his personal and church contributions go to stop this evil in Africa while he laments what happened here 150 years ago!

And please I want to see the canceled checks.

Not to worry - soon with the flood of northern refugees we all will all too soon resemble the crumbling cities above the Mason Dixon line.

Don Meyer Rockdale County

Constitutional Ignorance and Dereliction The nation’s demagogues and the advantage of being armed, which constitutionally ignorant are using the Americans possess over the peothe Charleston, South Carolina, ple of almost every other nation ...

AME church shooting to attack the (where) the governments are afraid Second Amendment’s “right of the to trust the people with arms.” people to keep and bear Arms.” A George Mason, author of the Vircouple of years ago, President Barack ginia Bill of Rights, which served as Obama said, “I have a profound reinspiration for the U.S. ConstituWalter E. tion’s Bill of Rights, said, “To disarm spect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for Williams the people — that was the best and generations.”

Columnist most effectual way to enslave them,” That’s a vision shared by many later saying, “I ask, sir, what is the Americans, namely that the Constitution’s militia? It is the whole people, except for a framers gave us the Second Amendment to few public officials.” protect our rights to go deer and duck huntRichard Henry Lee said, “To preserve liberty, ing, do a bit of skeet shooting, and protect it is essential that the whole body of the people ourselves against criminals. That this vision always possess arms, and be taught alike, espeis so widely held reflects the failure of gun cially when young, how to use them.” rights advocates, such as the NRA and Gun Here’s a much more recent statement from Owners of America, to educate the American a liberal, bearing no kinship to today’s libpeople. The following are some statements by erals/progressives: The late Vice President the Founding Fathers. You tell me which one Hubert H. of them suggests that they gave us the Second Humphrey said, “Certainly, one of the chief Amendment for deer and duck hunting and guarantees of freedom under any government, protection against criminals. no matter how popular and respected, is the Alexander Hamilton said, “The best we can right of the citizen to keep and bear arms. ... hope for concerning the people at large is that The right of the citizen to bear arms is just one they be properly armed,” adding later, “If the guarantee against arbitrary government, one representatives of the people betray their con- more safeguard against the tyranny which stituents, there is then no recourse left but in now appears remote in America but which the exertion of that original right of self-de- historically has proven to be always possible.” fense which is paramount to all positive forms There are some historical anti-gun stateof government.” What institution was Hamil- ments that might please America’s gun grabton referring to when he said “the representa- bers. “Armas para que?” (Translated: “Guns, tives of the people”? for what?”) That’s how Fidel Castro saw the Thomas Jefferson: “What country can pre- right of citizens to possess guns. There’s a serve its liberties if their rulers are not warned more famous anti-gun statement: “The most from time to time that their people preserve foolish mistake we could possibly make the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.” would be to allow the subject races to possess Who are the rulers Jefferson had in mind? arms. History shows that all conquerors who James Madison, the “Father of the Consti- have allowed their subject races to carry arms tution,” said, “(The Constitution preserves) have prepared their own downfall by so do-

“

... Maybe there are Americans who would argue that we are moving toward greater liberty and less government control over our lives and no longer need to remain an armed citizenry. I’d like to see their evidence.”

ing.” That was Adolf Hitler.

At the heart of the original American ideal is the deep distrust and suspicion the founders of our nation had for Congress, distrust and suspicion not shared as much by today’s Americans. Some of the founders’ distrust is seen in our Constitution’s language, such as Congress shall not abridge, infringe, deny, disparage, violate or deny. If the founders did not believe Congress would abuse our God-given rights, they would not have provided those protections.

Maybe there are Americans who would argue that we are moving toward greater liberty and less government control over our lives and no longer need to remain an armed citizenry. I’d like to see their evidence.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

6 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

A Veteran’s Story

Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton July 5, 1967: Near the yards from the people North Vietnamese/Chithat shot me down.” The nese border.

A/A guns were operatAwaiting his turn to ed by Chinese soldiers. roll-in from 14,000 feet, Captain Wayne Waddell Air Force Captain Wayne would be confined as a Waddell kept calculating POW for the next 5 years his odds of penetrating and 8 months. all four layers of anti-air- Pete Mecca This is his story. craft fire. His aircraft, the Dewey Wayne Waddell Columnist Republic F-105 Thunderwas welcomed into this chief, nicknamed the “Thud,” was world in Bremen, Ga. on Sept. 12, the workhorse of the bombing 1935. After graduating high school, campaign against North Vietnam he enrolled in Georgia Tech and early in the war. The largest sin- earned a degree in electrical engigle-seat single-engine combat air- neering by June of 1956. Waddell craft in history, the ‘Thud’ weighed also was awarded a commission in 50,000 pounds and carried a the U.S. Air Force through Georgia 14,000 lb. bomb load, twice that of Tech’s AFROTC program. the B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers While awaiting pilot training, of World War II. Waddell worked a year for LockThe thick flak below Waddell heed in Marietta. (The circle of life obscured his target: railroad sid- would bring a Lockheed aircraft to ings about 40 miles northeast of North Vietnam and return POW Hanoi, capitol of North Vietnam. Waddell to America.) Waddell Eighth to roll-in, Waddell pene- entered pilot training in June of trated three layers of flak then re- 1957, mastered the prop-driven leased his bombs at the designated T-34 Mentor, the jet trainer T-37 release altitude, the same altitude Tweet, the T-33 Shooting Star, and as the fourth level of flak. His F-105 during a stint at Moody AFB in unexpectedly goes out of control. Valdosta flew one of his favorite The “Thud” had taken a hit. fighters, the F-86L all-weather inIn less than five seconds, Captain terceptor. A professional in the air Waddell managed to pull back up and on the ground, he instructed using full afterburner, took it off af- students and cadets on several levterburner and leveled off to breathe els for several years. a sigh of relief, then put her back The fall of 1966, Nellis AFB, Nein afterburner to head for home. vada: Wayne Waddell volunteered Waddell recalled, “That’s when for combat duty in Southeast Asia things really went bad. I couldn’t and requested any aircraft othrecover, so I’d probably been hit in er than the F-105. “I hadn’t heard the aft section. When I went back anything good about the ‘Thud’ to afterburner it probably blew off up to that point,” he said. “So, I the rear section. I tumbled maybe wanted anything but the F-105.” As three or four times. I had no idea with much military logic, Waddell of my altitude.” found himself saddled to an F-105 Waddell punched out, his first Thunderchief. He checked out in time to eject from an aircraft. “I the ‘Thud’ at Nellis AFB and left thought that I had waited too long, the states on March 30, 1967. that I was dead.” Waddell had After attending survival school ‘grayed-out’, he couldn’t feel or see at Clark AFB in the Philippines, anything. Then he felt pressure Waddell arrived at Tahkli RTAFB, around him. He recalled, “That’s Thailand in April of 1967. when I looked up and saw the “Once I mastered the landings, I parachute blossoming open. The fell in love with the F-105,” he reautomatic system worked perfect- called. “I didn’t see much of Thaily, or I wouldn’t be talking with you land for three months because of today.” From punch out to hitting the work load. It was tough, 4 to 5 the ground took less than three hours sleep a night, 19 missions the seconds; Waddell’s aircraft was that first month, 20 the second month close to mother earth. and working on 22 the third The railroad sidings were pro- month. I remember the words of tected by what many considered my flight commander during our to be the best anti-aircraft gun first meeting, ‘Welcome aboard, site in North Vietnam. Waddell to the highest loss rate squadron said, “Those guns blew three of in Southeast Asia.’ That was bad our ‘Thuds’ out of the skies on that enough, but when I met the Wing mission and I landed less than 100 Commander he said, ‘If you make

100 missions in 1 year your chances of being shot down are 50/50. If you are shot down, your chances of surviving that are 50/50.’ Well, I’d just completed a statistics course so I figured that out right quick!”

Commenting on his first mission: “The first mission was an orientation flight to the lower part of North Vietnam, looking for targets like truck parks, any target of opportunity, getting acquainted with things. Luckily on my second mission I swerved out of the way just in time as Z-23 anti-aircraft guns spit fireballs across my cockpit.

That was a real attention getter.”

On his eighth mission over lower North Vietnam, Waddell was diverted to Hanoi. “I was on the same basic mission when we were released to Alpha-frag, meaning for the first time I was heading ‘downtown’, which meant Hanoi. Believe me, I was all eyeballs. Enemy Mig fighters, heavy flak, SAMs (surface to air missiles) flying around us...I was wondering if I would get out of this place. You had to focus on your surroundings, you didn’t have a choice, it was life or death, amidst flak, other pilots calling in a SAM launch, Migs making their passes.

You never get used to it but you can in due course get a little more comfortable with the action, but I’m not sure ‘comfortable’ is the right word.”

Wayne Waddell flew 46 combat missions over North Vietnam, including 31 missions to the ‘downtown’ Hanoi area, until his fateful 47th mission, or as Waddell claims, “My 46½ mission.” That infamous day, in his own words: “Our targets were two railroad sidings about 10 miles apart. We used a tactic that sent us between them, as if we were going to keep on going, then we did a butterfly to hit the targets as we were going back out. It didn’t fool anybody.

They got three of us… bang, bang, bang. Once hit, my beeper was going off, and I couldn’t distinguish my beeper from the other beepers, even though I didn’t know other ‘Thuds’ had been shot down.”

Forced to eject, Waddell landed less than 100 yards from the guns that blew him out of the sky. He stated, “I knew the anti-aircraft guns were close but couldn’t see them due to the profuse foliage.

The vegetation reminded me of North Georgia. So, I tried to evade.

It is late afternoon and I worked my way out of the immediate area. I finally stopped in a field of low grass.

Quite frankly I was sort of trapped due to a big drop-off nearby, so I just laid down in the grass and tried to stay concealed.”

A local Vietnamese militia unit found Waddell’s parachute and began searching for him. He said, “It didn’t take them long to find me.

They took me to a small village then the Chinese came in and picked me up to stay with them. The Chinese offered me two options, stay in North Vietnam or go to Beijing. I

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declined their offer. Later I learned that I had made the right decision.

(Waddell met another POW after the war that was taken to Beijing – the Beijing POW spent 7½ years in solitary confinement).

As with most of their American captives, the Communists paraded the flyer for public ridicule. “The Chinese showed me off to their gun crews like I was a war trophy,” he said. “Then a propaganda commissar took center stage and lectured the people on politics, Chairman Mao, Ho Chi Minh, stuff like that. I was turned over to the North Vietnamese come nightfall.

They put me on a jet-helicopter to an airfield near our target area then trucked me to the Hoa Lo Prison (the Hanoi Hilton) in Hanoi.”

For the next 5 years and 8 months, then-Captain Wayne Waddell would be imprisoned in detention centers the POWs nicknamed, the Zoo, New Guy Village, Lil’ Vegas (Nugget and Thunderbird), Camp Faith, Unity and Heartbreak, Dogpatch, and the Plantation.

On coming to grips with the horrible reality of being a POW: “The first thing I learned was that I wasn’t as big and mean and tough as I thought I was, or that I thought a fighter pilot should be. The North Vietnamese effectively used ropes and other nasty devices to coerce you say things you didn’t want to say and normally wouldn’t say, but I managed to get through all that.

After about a week or ten days I was taken to a photo session con-

Saturday, July 4, 2015 • 7

trolled by an East German. These photos were displayed in East Germany about a year later….at least those photos proved to the world and my family that I was still alive.”

Captain Wayne Waddell deemed his chances of survival slim to none as his F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber plummeted out of the skies near the Chinese border with North Vietnam. Perilously close to the ground, he ejected, the chute deployed, and Waddell hit the ground in less than three seconds. Evasion attempts failed.

Captured and incarcerated, the Air Force pilot would remain a POW in North Vietnam for the next five years and eight months.

Taken to the Hoa Lo Prison (called the Hanoi Hilton by American POWs) Waddell was interrogated then photographed for propaganda purposes by an East German photographer. He recalled, “After about 10 days I was moved into a cell with a navy commander. He was in horribly bad shape, but in a way it turned out to be a good thing for me because I’d been there just long enough to start feeling sorry for myself. I helped him and he helped me; that gave me a different perspective. After they moved me out the navy commander went into solitary for two years. God bless the guy… he made it home with the rest of us.”

Waddell was moved to a camp called The Zoo. “I was with three other F-105 pilots for about six months. That’s where I found out the other two F-105 pilots shot

down the same day as me didn’t make it. Actually, I had been considered dead, too. While I was imprisoned at The Zoo in 1968, the ‘Cuban Program’ was underway. I didn’t fall victim to it, but we could hear the beatings in the neighboring building.”

Sidenote: The “Cuban Program” was concealed for decades by official US secrecy. Not until 1996 was a stack of documents declassified by the Defense Department’s Prisoner of War, Missing Personnel Office as a result of Congressional hearings. A two inch thick stack of documents finally revealed the gruesome details of the Cuban Program.

From August of ’67 to August of ’68, three Cuban interrogators bullied and brutalized American POWs in North Vietnam. Two interrogators, one nicknamed Chico and a fat poorly dressed Cuban called Poncho, played the “good cops,” hoping to deceptively befriend POWs. A third Cuban, nicknamed Fidel, ruthlessly tortured 18 specifically selected Americans held in captivity. Beaten into bleeding, broken, and bruised masses of flesh, 17 POWs were lucky to have survived. One POW, Navy pilot Earl Cobiel, who suffered a head injury when shot down and couldn’t even respond to the mistreatment, was beaten almost daily for a month until he was catatonic.

Bleeding everywhere and horribly swollen, his body turned a yellowish black and purple from head to toe. Transferred out of The Zoo, pilot Earl Cobiel is officially listed as “died in captivity.”

American flyboys were sometimes flogged on their buttocks, legs, and lower backs, until the flesh hung in shreds. Fidel’s favorite torture tool was rubber strips the POWs called ‘fan belts’ for direct hits to the face. By July of 1968, Fidel started flying into rages and beat the Americans for no apparent reason. He was often drunk.

The prison camp’s North Vietnam-

ese commandant rode a bicycle to work; Fidel arrived at work in a car chauffeured by an army officer.

Waddell described other punishments: “If caught communicating with fellow POWs or guilty of a ‘violation’ of any regulations, you were told, ‘the camp authorities will now allow you to live alone,’ which of course meant solitary confinement.”

One “violation” was ignored and practiced. “I was fortunate,” Waddell said. “At my location I learned the ‘tap code’, but after a failed escape attempt that really shook up the North Vietnamese they finally figured out how extensively we communicated. Our ‘tap code’ was originated by one of the very first Air Force pilots shot down in April of 1965. He learned the tap code in survival school. It was a matrix, 5x5 letters, drop out the letter K, so you have A, B, C, D, E on the top row, and F, G, H, I, J going down.

The first series of taps is for the top row then a second series of taps for the column, so an ‘A’ would be one, one, and a ‘F’ would be one, two.

Seems confusing, but once you catch on it goes fairly rapidly. Once we mastered the ‘tap code’ we even learned to abbreviate.”

The POWs used their bare knuckles for tapping until the prison guards started looking for knuckle calluses. The POWs improvised. Waddell said, “We learned to use our porcelain drinking cups to talk. You put the bottom of a cup against the wall, seal off your mouth around the rim, and toss your voice into the back of the cup. The person on the other side of the wall would put the open end of his cup against the wall… sort of like an antenna... then put his ear on the bottom of the cup to listen.

We could talk clearly through 1214 inches of concrete or rock.”

The Americans developed numerous ways to communicate, even with other buildings. Waddell explained, “We had the tap code, you could slide a straw through a

crack, or flash a plate through an open window to another prisoner.

We also used hand codes, one or two hands, to other buildings.”

November 21, 1970 at 2:18 a.m.: The first helicopter carrying American Special Forces personnel sets down at the Son Tay prison camp, about 23 miles west of Hanoi.

Highly professional and extensively motivated to rescue American POWs, the troopers kill about 150 of the enemy but discover the camp empty of prisoners. The raiders suffer one casualty: a chopper crewman who broke an ankle. The perfectly executed rescue mission failed to find incarcerated Americans, but it proved a Godsend for all the POWs in North Vietnam.

Waddell explains: “We were about 7 or 8 miles from Son Tay. The loud noise and activity awoke all of us, but we didn’t know for certain what was going on. I can say this, the raid definitely got the attention of the North Vietnamese. They had no idea that the U.S. would attempt such a bold raid. All the POWs were pulled back into the Hanoi Hilton. We really got organized then, called ourselves the 4th Allied POW Group.”

Instead of punishment or payback, the North Vietnamese gradually improved the treatment of American POWs. Waddell said, “It became a live and let live environment, like ‘we won’t irritate you if you don’t irritate us’. The torture ceased, no more bowing to guards, perhaps a little bread in the morning, and packages from home. We had a huge tub of tea or water in the mess hall and we got outside more.

Health improved.”

The food was upgraded, somewhat. “We got two meals a day, usually at 10 a.m. and around 4 p.m.,” Waddell recalled. “A soup we named Green Weeds resembled a cross between a peanut vine and a Morning Glory. Actually, it didn’t taste too bad. Other soups

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The News

HAVING A BLAST

Local man orchestrates Covington fireworks show

By Martin Rand III

mrand@rockdalenews.com

For the sixth consecutive year, Covington will continue its tradition of blasting off fireworks in the city’s town square this weekend.

Social Circle resident Juri Van Der Heijden, the man behind orchestrating the festive fireworks display, is “really excited” about the new editions to this year’s show, which will include specific music playing for individual firecrackers.

“Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “It’s going to be really good this year. It’s going to be a Van Der Heijden huge finale.”

Van Der Heijden has seen the Covington event grow from a few hundred in attendance in the first year to tens of thousands attending a year ago. The excitement and joy he sees on the faces of children and adults alike keep him doing the event year after year.

“Maybe one day I’ll say I’m too old, but right now I’m going to keep doing it,” the 43-year-old said. “Being local, it’s nice to be able to do a show for our community.”

He’s been either involved or conducting these types of shows for quite a while. Sixteen years to be exact. At the beginning, Van Der Heijden and his wife of 17 years, Deanna, were working as emergency medical life flight personnel in Cumming, Georgia. Their boss asked them for assistance in setting up the Fourth of July celebration in Cumming.

Van Der Heijden says the two thought, “Why not?”

In doing so, the couple got a chance to experience first-hand how much work actually goes into making a fireworks show happen. It was an “eye-opening experience” for Van Der Heijden.

“It’s not like going in the backyard and shooting off a bottle rocket,” he said. “I didn’t realize how much work went into the 20 to 30 minute show.”

That experience was all it took for the couple to get fired up about performing more shows. They both became certified professional pyrotechnicians, and Van Der Heijden currently works with Pyrotecnico, a Pennsylvania-based company, as a contractor to perform firework displays, which includes the show that happens in Covington.

Van Der Heijden does numerous shows throughout the year, including shooting off fireworks for sporting events, weddings, New Year’s Eve and several other occasions.

“Fireworks are usually for positive reasons, so it’s always great to be a part of the moment,” he said.

This week is by far his most hectic and requires a lot of travel time.

Starting July 1, he’ll make his way to Ft. Gordon to do their show.

Then, he moves on to Augusta, Georgia on Thursday and then Cumming on Friday. He comes back to Covington Saturday for its show, and then his Fourth of July tour concludes Sunday in Rutledge, Georgia.

“For anyone working in this business, July 4 is definitely the busiest time of the year,” he said.

For his shows, Van Der Heijden depends on crew consisting of five to eight people. The crew is probably the most important function. Working alongside people who can follow safety regulations and manages to set up heavy equipment on time is a major plus and vital in regards to putting on a successful show, he says.

“I always stress it’s not only me, but there’s a lot of people behind me,” said Van Der Heijden. “If something goes bad with this it could be a life changing event.”

Thankfully, in his entire time as a pyrotechnician, no one has ever been injured while working on a show.

“We follow safety guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association,” he said. “We also do annual training.”

While Van Der Heijden and his wife love this industry, it’s just part of their professional lives. Van Der Heijden works as a physician’s assistant for the Athens Orthopedic Clinic, 5303 Adams Street, Covington, and Deanna works as a certified corporate jet pilot. The couple have a 3-year-old son.

The News

FIREWORKS From FRONT PAGE

clear power facility or gas station, or a facility that refines, processes or blends gasoline.

Fireworks are also prohibited in Rockdale County parks and facilities, said Rockdale County Recreation and Maintenance Director Jackie Lunsford.

Residents are allowed to shoot fireworks on private property.

However, if they move to public property, they would need a permit, points out Rockdale County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal Jerry Wainright. “Georgia OCGA 25-104 has not changed and still requires a permit through the probate court for all displays before an audience or to conduct a public exhibition or display,” said Wainright. “The intent is that you are allowed to shoot on private property but when you move to public property where you meet the audience/public display requirements, you need to have a permit which will ensure audience safety based on the display requirements established in NFPA 1123.”

Hotel/motel fee for roads/bridges The new fee on hotel and motel stays was tacked on to a transportation bill passed by the state leg-

Saturday, July 4, 2015 • 9 islature earlier this year and will generate an estimated $150 million annually to pay for road and bridge improvements across Georgia.

It takes effect Wednesday and is a substitute for a similar charge proposed on rental cars but later scrapped.

A $5 fee on rental cars would only generate upward of $73 million annually, according to lawmakers.

The transportation funding bill also includes a 26-cent-per-gallon state excise tax on gasoline and fees on electric vehicle owners to raise an overall estimate of $850 million or more in the first year.

Lawmakers who supported the bill said they wanted to pay for transportation projects with money raised from motorists and businesses that most heavily use the state’s roadways, creating a kind of direct line between users and costs.

And that’s why the apparent contradiction of imposing a new fee on hotel and motel stays caught those in the tourism industry off guard. The fee had not been discussed publicly before lawmakers approved it.

The state is counting on hotel occupancy rates to remain stable, or even grow, and pegged the reasoning for the new fee on the argument that out-of-state visitors would cover a large portion of the money raised.

But that’s an argument that tour-

ism agencies have disputed, warning that in-state business travel, future hotel development, and the ability to attract conventions and trade shows could be in jeopardy when the new fee takes effect.

Some hotel, motel and inn owners in Conyers are not happy with the new $5 hotel tax.

Ashish Thaker is one of those owners. He owns the Holiday Inn Express located at 1302 Green Street in Conyers and 15 other hotels across the country, including one other hotel in Georgia.

He says that the new Georgia law will have a significant effect on hotel businesses, specifically the lower-income customers.

“It’s going to have an effect. We’re seeing the resistance from customers already,” he told The News.

With July being a major month of family reunions and other get-togethers, families usually book hotel rooms for at least three nights, but having to pay the extra $15 is making the stay too costly for some people. Also, guests staying for business-related reasons will probably reduce their stay from a usual seven nights to about three.

“There’s definitely going to be a slowdown (in booking),” said Thaker.

He can speak from experience.

Thaker went through a similar situation with his Hampton Inn hotel in Indianapolis after Indiana legis-

latures passed a similar hotel $5 tax law in 2012. The tax was reduced to $2 only two months after the law went into effect because the owners showed how it was affecting their business, he says.

Thaker doesn’t think a similar reduction in tax will happen in Georgia. “(The owners are) telling the (Georgia lawmakers) but no one is listening,” he said. “We’ve had meetings with them, but no one is budging.”

But the biggest hurt is likely to be felt by low-income Georgians who rely on extended-stay hotels for transitional housing.

Critics have argued that the new fee would have been more equitable had it been implemented instead as a percent tax on the price of a room.

Paying an extra $5 a night at a five-star hotel in Atlanta won’t mean much to those guests, but it’s a significant expense on a $40-pernight room at an extended-stay motel. (The fee is dropped after 30 days in the same hotel or motel).

Fourth of July celebration, beginning at 6 p.m. Downtown businesses will be open as well as the Memorial Gym (location). A DJ will play music in the gym Saturday, July 4, 6 p.m. The fireworks at 9 or 9:30 p.m.

56th Annual Lenox Square Fourth of July, Atlanta Buckhead’s Lenox Square hosts an Independence Day celebration that features fireworks and food, with music provided by Gump Fiction at 6 p.m. followed by Party on the Moon at 7:30 p.m. Fireworks start approximately 9:40 p.m.

events/star-spangled-snellville

Gas tax for roads/bridges An additional $830 million to $850 million is expected to be generated each year through a change in the gas tax structure taking effect Wednesday.

The changes, approved by the General Assembly this year, primarily eliminates the state fuel sales

July 4th Celebration Guide SATURDAY, JULY 4 Parade and Picnic, Oxford The City of Oxford and the Oxford Lion’s Club sponsor a parade and entertainment, starting at 10 a.m. at the Old Church on Wesley Street. Lunch can be purchased from concession stands run by the youth groups of Oxford churches. The Lion’s Club provides watermelon and popcorn free.

Independence Day in the Park & Music Fest, Downtown Covington On the square in Downtown Covington, kicking off at 2 p.m. with the Special Olympics Equestrian Team’s Golf Cart Parade. The event features a rock wall, water slide, dunking booth, a cow train, antique car show, and other games. Music features DJ Bounce, Joe Cannon and Kids, McKibben Music Studios, Myles Gary, Derwin Daniels Band, Drive Time and Drew Parker. At 6 p.m. The Newton County Community Band concert. At 9:43 p.m., a fireworks extravaganza. www. downtowncovington.org Annual July 4th Festival, Fanfare, and Fireworks, Porterdale The City of Porterdale hosts a

Pied Piper Parade, Concert and Fireworks, Decatur Join Decatur’s July 4th Pied Piper Parade as it winds through downtown Decatur starting at the First Baptist Church of Decatur at 6 p.m. and ending at the Community Bandstand. A concert, featuring the Callanwolde Concert Band begins at 7 p.m., followed by fireworks at dark.

(404) 371-8386 Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta The nation’s second largest road race, the Peachtree Road Race takes place on a 10-kilometer route from Peachtree Road at Lenox Square to Piedmont Park. www.atlantatrackclub.org/2015-peachtree Centennial Olympic Park The Centennial Olympic Park’s 4th of July celebrations features free music and a large firework display, 265 Park Ave West N.W. Atlanta. Gates open at 6 p.m. with fireworks set to start at 9 p.m. www.centennialpark.com

13th Annual Star Spangled Fourth of July at the Mall of Georgia, Buford The Mall of Georgia, 333 Buford Dr., Buford, hosts free events for kids and families, beginning at 5 p.m. Captain America and Wonder Woman will make appearances. Fireworks begin at 9:35 p.m., followed by a screening of “The Hunger Games-Mockingjay, Part I”; free, though all day wristbands for the bounce house ($20) and Rock Wall tickets ($5). simon.com/mall/mall-of-georgia Star Spangled Snellville, Snellville The city’s Independence Day celebration is held on the Towne Green from 3 to 10 p.m., and offers family friendly entertainment, including a large playground of inflatables, train rides and a space ball; music and fireworks. www.snellvilletourism.com/

Fourth in the Park, Marietta The celebrations begin at 10 a.m. and includes a parade, free live concerts, museum tours, arts and crafts show, food, carnival games and a fireworks finale. For more information, call Marietta Parks and Recreation at (770) 794-5601.

Walton County Freedom Fest/4th of July Celebration, Monroe Walton County Freedom Fest/4th of July Celebration will be held at Legion Field, 121 Blaine Street, Monroe. A family-oriented community celebration, beginning at 5 p.m., fireworks at dark.

Henry County Fireworks Extravaganza, Hampton The Henry County Fireworks Extravaganza will be held from 2 to 10 p.m. at Nash Farm, 100 Babbs Mill Rd., Hampton. Festivities include live music, a car, motorcycle and truck show, a children’s play area, inflatables, zipline, hayrides, festival foods, a Bingo tournament, raffle with cash prizes, craft vendors, a beer and wine garden. Fireworks begin around 9:30 p.m.

tax and enacts a 26-cent excise tax.

Consumers now pay a 3 percent state motor fuel sales tax, 1 percent state sales tax, a 7.5 cents per gallon state excise tax and 18.4 cents per gallon federal excise tax. Plus local taxes in Rockdale: 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (for county and city capital project), 1 percent Education SPLOST (for school system capital projects), 1 percent Homestead Option Sales Tax (to exempt homeowners from county property taxes).

After July 1, gas buyers will pay 26 cents per gallon state excise and an 18.4 cents per gallon federal excise, plus the local taxes.

The new state law, however, caps the retails sales gas price at $3 per gallon in terms of how local gas taxes are assessed.

The average retail sales price is set by the state every six months, with the last rate set in May of $2.35.

Thus, the average price of gas per gallon, with taxes built in, is now $2.77. Starting Wednesday, it rises to $2.86.

The law also calls for electric car owners to pay an annual $200 fee $300 for those used for commercial purposes - and removes a $5,000 tax credit serving as an purchase incentive.

Jeff Gill of The Gainesville Times and Martin Rand of The News contributed to this article

APPLICATION From PAGE 3

After the meeting, Reuben said, “We’re not doing something that’s not able to be done by law… Some [neighbors] felt that we didn’t tell them before.

I shared with them, if you were going to build on your house, it doesn’t matter if I like it or not, it is based upon the laws of the land. If the laws of the land say you can, it doesn’t matter what I want.”

Terri added, after the meeting, that she has had a few neighbors begin changing their minds after they heard about the details of the Alexanders plans.

“If you listen to what we say and you look at the plans, we’re not talking about disrupting the community. We’re making changes in our home,” she said.

“You’re not just going to show up and stay there. You have to be screened. It is our home. We do have daughters. I’m a woman.

I’m not going to let just anybody come up in there.”

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners will have a final vote on this issue at its July 14 voting session.

10 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

RCA graduates newest firefighters Rockdale Career Academy celebrated the graduation of its inaugural class of Dual Enrollment Fire Academy students in May. Those graduates were: Mireya Arteaga (RCA/RCHS), Gavin Brantley (RCA/ SHS), Darius Crowder (RCA/SHS), Aaron Porter (RCA/HHS), Danielle Shy (RCA/HHS). All of the graduates rang the bell “5-5-5” in memory of firefighters who have passed away and to signify their entry into the service. One of the graduates and guest speaker, Darius Crowder, is a part of a fire family. His mother, father, and uncle were all part of the fire service in DeKalb County.

Crowder was a Fire Explorer before enrolling in this program. Rockdale County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Morgan was a guest speaker as well as representatives from Georgia Piedmont Technical College and RCA. High school students can still enroll in this year’s program, which prepares high school students to become firefighters upon graduation. The Firefighter 1 course offered at RCA will be taught by GPTC instructors. Rockdale County Fire and Rescue will train program instructors on safe and efficient operation of equipment and props, and help prepare students for a career in fire suppression. Students enrolled in the program will receive high school credit, 15 hours of college credit and any required hands-on training. They will also be prepared to take the state certification exam upon reaching 18 years of age. Satisfactory completion of the coursework and state exam, qualifies an RCA graduate for employment as a firefighter. Interested students should apply through GPTC (www.gptc.edu) or RCA (http:// portal.rockdale.k12.ga.us/schools/ rca/Pages/default.aspx). For more information, contact Jill Oldham at joldham@rockdale.k12.ga.us

STUDENT LEADER Aminah Matthews, a graduate of Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, has been named a 2015 Bank of America Student Leader. The Student Leader program is part of Bank of America’s Summer Youth Employment initiative, and recognizes community-minded high school students across the country.

The program connects them to employment, skills development and service. There are approximately 200 students nationwide in the Student Leaders program, and Matthews is one of five from the metro-Atlanta area. As part of the Student Leaders experience, Matthews is completing an eight week long internship at the East Lake Foundation where she learns about the management and operations of running a successful nonprofit organization. She also works in the East Lake Community Garden, which is a resource for the East Lake Community to learn how to grow healthy, sustainable and beautiful garden. She is attending University of Georgia in the fall and is planning on majoring in biology to become a neuroscience researcher.

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Sports

Saturday, July 4, 2015 Page 12 rockdalenews.com

Ramsey to head Heritage baseball

By Staff Reports

news@rockdalenews.com

Shane Ramsey stood in front of Heritage baseball players and parents with a calm, yet demanding demeanor.

“If you’ll let me, I’m gonna make you a better player,” Ramsey said.

When Heritage Athletic Director Chuck Landy introduced Ramsey to the crowd, he said that it was important to find somebody that wanted to be here. “It’s a great place to be,” Landy said.

As the new baseball coach, the fifth at Heritage in the last 39 years, Ramsey is taking over a program that has a tradition of winning and consistency from its head coaching position. It’s a tradition Ramsey recognizes and one he’ll add to

with his competitive drive and the work ethic he expects of his teammates, which was on full display at the meeting.

“It’s a lot of expectations because I know what has been done here.

To be the fifth coach in the last 39 years, that’s huge,” Ramsey said. “I think what I bring is I’m gonna be aggressive. I’m gonna bring some excitement here. I want the guys to know that, one, I care about them and two, we’re gonna work. I know from what I’ve been told, they’ve worked hard. I want to increase that to where we’re starting to see success in the field.”

“Long-term I want my guys going to college,” he added. “I want them to be able to play college baseball, it’s important to me. I think at a school like this with this

Wahoos wow at County swim meet The annual Rockdale County Swim Meet got off to a late start because of thunder, but once the swimmers hit the water it was smooth sailing.

The Westchester Lakes Wahoos took first place in the event with a final score of 576 points just beating out the Deer Run Dolphins finishing with 564 points. The Meadowcreek Marlins placed third, followed by the YMCA Piranhas in fourth, the Brentwood Barracudas in fifth and Honey Creek in sixth. For more results, go to rockdalenews.com.

tradition that’s had guys go into college and play professionally and we should be able to get there and I believe we will.”

Ramsey says that he’ll adapt how his team plays to the talent he has. he’s played small-ball before, using bunts and hit-and-runs to manufacture runs and he’s also been led teams that have hitting power and speed. Ramsey wants to be aggressive and put pressure on the defense.

Defensively, Ramsey says the team will work hard in practice.

He added that practices will be set up to allow players to get time with the team, at their respective positions and individual time. All of this, Ramsey hopes, will culminate into winning the two “ships” he cares most about: championships

and scholarships.

“I wanna be able to develop my guys to where that’s the goal every year, but if we don’t reach that goal it doesn’t tear them down,” Ramsey said. “I know going into this year we’re gonna have a possibility of being young so we’re gonna have some ups and downs. We want to be able to really work on – as a coaching staff – player development so we can handle those situations.”

Ramsey is excited about the offseason, which he says he loves. His plan for Heritage players begins in October and November when he and his staff will get the chance to enforce their philosophy on how he wants the team to practice, hit, throw and pitch.

The team will get in the weight room, where Ramsey plans to

strengthen their cores and build mental toughness.

“To me conditioning is not about getting in shape it’s about building mental toughness. It’s about fighting through those barriers. I’m excited about that,” Ramsey said.

In August, Ramsey, who says he’ll have an open door policy, plans to give his players a handbook detailing what he expects of them on and off the field, but also what they should expect of him. Players will run poles, even in the offseason, if they have any disciplinary issues.

He’s anxious to begin working with his new team.

“I’m excited to be here. I’m looking forward to getting going,” Ramsey said. “Got here late in the summer so I’m biting at the bit to get with the guys to work to get better.”

The News

Saturday, July 4, 2015 • 13

Astroturf coming along Heritage, Salem and Rockdale will all boast new tracks and football fields layered with astroturf in the fall and that process began this summer. Graduations were moved to the horse park and work to get the new fields/track done by the time students came back was set in motion. Now, as the new school year creeps closer, much progress has been made.

The construction of Salem’s turf is finished, but this is some of the construction from the beginning of June.

Heritage’s turf is coming along just fine and like all of the others is on schedule to be complete by August. This photo was taken just a week ago.

The reigning Class AAAAAA track and field state champions will have plenty of teams ready to challenge them on their new track when the season begins.

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14 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

HANOI From PAGE 7

Drag racing causes crash

By Martin Rand III

mrand@rockdalenews.com

An overturned vehicle crash with an injury took place on Ga. Hwy 138 southbound in front of Pep Boys around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The cause of the crash was due to two vehicles drag racing down the congested state highway, according to witnesses who spoke to

Conyers Police.

The overturned green Ford Mustang was driven by a 17-year-old with a 14-year-old passenger, both males, in the vehicle. They reportedly received minor cuts on their knees, which were bleeding, but suffered no major injuries.

According to witness statements, in the midst of the race, the Mustang attempted to switch lanes

when a red BMW SUV changed lanes in front of the Mustang at the same time and “clipped” the car on the passenger side, says CPD spokesperson Kim Lucas.

The car skidded for about 82 feet before flipping upside-down and skidding for another 239 feet, according to the police.

The 17-year-old was charged with reckless driving and written a citation.

Conyers teen arrested in shooting death of Newton teen

By Staff Reports

news@rockdalenews.com

Newton County Sheriff ’s Office deputies arrested multiple suspects Friday in connection with the June 22 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Malik Muschett, including Conyers resident Antoine Smith, charged with malice murder and felony murder.

Smith, 19, was also charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and criminal street gang activity.

Deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle in the area of Fairview Road Friday, when the vehicle refused to stop

and a chase ensued.

With the assistance of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and Georgia State Patrol, deputies were then able to take the three occupants of the vehicle into custody without incident.

Ladarious Boswell, 22, Rodney Turk, 22, both of Covington, were also arrested for parole violation and tampering with evidence, criminal street gang activity and false statements to law enforcement, respectively. Antavis Clark, 19, of Lithonia, was arrested as well for fleeing/attempting to elude, aggressive driving, reckless driving, duty upon striking fixed object, criminal trespass, criminal damage to property 2nd degree, driving without a valid

license and obstruction.

More arrests are anticipated according to the Newton County Sheriff ’s Office.

Muschett, of Newton County, was shot Monday evening during an altercation at Lakeside Circle off of Fairview Road. According to reports, when deputies arrived to the scene at Lakeside Circle shortly after 5 p.m., they were notified that a group of males and females were in the yard of the residence. During the altercation, a firearm was reportedly produced, shots were fired and one of the males in the yard was shot.

The victim, Muschett was transported to Newton Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

we called Mustard Green because that’s what it looked like, a seaweed soup, and one we called Sewer Grapes because that’s what it smelled like. They served a lot of pumpkin soup, too. And rice, of course. Occasionally we’d get a tin of fish from China for two or three days, then not see another tin for three or so months.”

Christmas, 1972: With the peace talks stalled in Paris, President Nixon sends the massive B-52 bombers into North Vietnam along with fighter-bombers. Between December 18 and December 29 the aerial offensive continues to hit the major cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. America loses 15 B-52s and 11 other aircraft but the North Vietnamese leadership had had enough.

They agree to resume the Paris peace talks.

Waddell: “The air war intensified in May of ’72 because of the ups and downs of the peace talks.

That’s when we were moved, about 200 of us, near the Chinese border. The place was so far out in the sticks we called it Dogpatch.

Summer was okay, but in winter the temperature could easily drop to zero. Luckily, they move us back to Hanoi before the first snow hit. And we sensed something different was going on.”

The prisoners were separated into four different groups on the move back to Hanoi. Two of the groups returned to Hanoi; the other two to other camps. They even stopped for a “picnic” of juice and bread. The POW releases started in February of ’73.

Waddell was in the 2nd group that came out on March 4.

His mindset on March 4: “It’s hard to describe,” Waddell said.

“We had been hoping and praying but still couldn’t believe it.

We were boarded on buses and went to Gia Lam Airport. When we got off the bus we all thought, ‘this feels like the real thing’, and then we walked out onto the ramp and saw the C-141 with the United States of America painted on the side and the American flag on the tail. The American flag was never more beautiful than on that C-141. My gut tightened up, cheers came from the group, emotions poured out. We saluted, were turned over to the US, and we reported back for duty.”

Personal note: After years in captivity, the American flyboys reported back for duty. I was thunderstruck by that simple statement, as if the POWs were reporting back for duty after a prolonged vacation. After all the abuse and

torture, these guys were still 100 percent American military.

Aboard the C-141, Waddell and other POWs remained on guard, even skeptical, but when they heard the announcement, “’People, we are out of Vietnamese airspace,’” Waddell said, “That’s when the cheers really went up. We were milling around, laughing, we knew we had made it out.”

Having worked for Lockheed before leaving for flight training, Waddell had seen a C-141.

He said, “I’ve told a lot of people when I got on that airplane in Hanoi and smelled the red North Georgia clay, I knew I was heading home.”

The flyboys aboard the C-141 were asked if they would “like some juice” but they requested beer. Waddell said, “They had to be kidding us. We were served beer and cookies by the North Vietnamese while we were waiting for the plane. What the hell is this….the North Vietnamese had just given us beer, yet no beer on our Freedom Bird? I guess they had expected us to be walking basket cases… well, we weren’t!”

Waddell said when the POWs got to Clark AFB, Philippines, “After a couple of hours we were told ‘the dining room is open.’

What a feast… steak, Italian food, Mexican food, cakes, pies, ice cream… we went wild. A few guys threw it right back up, then when back and did it again.”

Captain Wayne Waddell made Major when shot down then received a promotion to Lt. Colonel while in the Hanoi Hilton. He lost about forty pounds in captivity. At Clark AFB, Lt Col Waddell learned his wife 1w234dthad gotten a divorce the previous year, plus had received all the back pay.

But life, indeed, goes on.

Waddell remained in the Air Force. He served on the faculty at the War College, 4 years at the Pentagon, and spent his last 8½ years at Dobbins as the Director of Emergency Management for 14th Air Force. For three years he served as President of NamPows. Remarried in 1983, he and his lovely wife, Barbara, a former flight attendant for Eastern Air Lines, have visited South America, Thailand, Vietnam, Soviet Georgia, Europe and China. He’s served as a consultant for Argonne National Laboratory and worked part time for H&R Block.

And now? “Well, I enjoy being lazy, mostly. Play a little golf, pound on the computer… life is good.”

Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran, columnist and freelance writer. You can reach him at aveteransstory@gmail.com or aveteransstory.us.

The News

Saturday, July 4, 2015 • 15

Jobs Drivers Wanted High Paying Jobs- NEW CDL Drivers!

No Exp. Necessary! Just got your CDL? Start w/ Western Express & earn 36 CPM- one of the Highest in the Industry! 888-844-1646

Help Wanted Ginn Chrysler is looking for 2 UNEXPERIENCED salespersons.

You will be trained and have unlimited earning potential. Call Rick Pittman at 770-786-2271.

Immediate openings for Experienced Commercial Cabinetry/Casework Estimator, Project Manager, Installers – Local and Out of Town, CNC/Cabinet Vision Programmers, Custom and Cabinet Builders, Spray Finisher, Driver/Warehouse Person.

Must have 3 to 5 years experience, for shop located in Stockbridge, GA. Please call Tony at (770)-507-9913 Ext 465 or fax resume (770) 5079536 or email resumes@viaconinc. com Includes Benefit Package.

K-2 Towing is now accepting applications for a full time tow truck driver.

Responsibilities consist of responding to emergency roadside assistance calls. Providing customer service to people that need assistance and local and long distance tows.

Job Requirements: 3 year clean MVR Minimal class C GA drivers license DOT Medical Card Previous experience in the towing industry Clean background and drug free CDL is a plus MUST LIVE IN COVINGTON, GA Salary based on experience Apply in person at 9179 Aaron Dr. Covington, GA 30014 or you may contact Tim at 770-294-5238 between the hours of 8-6 MondayFriday.

Landscape work for large apartment complex. Please call 770-786-0445.

The Covington News is looking for dependable Independent Contractors to delivery our Sunday Publication if interested please Call the Covington News at 770-728-1414

Real Estate For Rent Walk down town Covington. Large 1 bedroom duplex with office. Front/ back porches, hardwood floors.

Well maintained street single family homes and duplexes. Appliances/ washer/dryer, and yard mainantence included. $675 rent/deposit. (Teacher special) speedwayrentalproperties. com or 770-883-7586.

House For Rent House for rent. Younger or older couple. Very nice 2 bedroom, 1 bath.

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DIGITAL SALES SPECIALIST The Covington News/Rockdale News is looking for a motivated DIGITAL SALES SPECIALIST to help drive its multimedia sales team to a new level of success.

We are looking for a person who is dynamic and creative in building and selling advertising packages including web, print, and mobile content. The successful candidate will be able to assess advertisers' specific needs and build lasting relationships.

The successful candidate will join a progressive and creative multimedia team. You will be selling a variety of online-based programs with print components, including video shows, sponsored promotions, online contests and much, much more.

To be successful, you have to be able to explain digital advertising options to those who may be unfamiliar with the medium.

A consummate candidate is a self-starter with strong time-management skills as well as a team player. Your clients will primarily be small locally owned businesses that need help developing an intelligent digital and print advertising strategy.

The successful candidate will be a confident and goal-driven entrepreneur who is driven by a strong desire to succeed.

Prior sales experience is preferred. Other requirements include excellent verbal communication, computer, and organizational skills, as well as the ability to meet tight deadlines and sales goals.

We offer a competitive compensation plan; life, health, dental, disability plans and 401(k) plan, and an opportunity for advancement.

Please send a cover letter introducing yourself as well as your resume to applicants@covnews.com

ONLINE @ rockdalenews.com

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT The City of Covington is currently accepting applications for the position of Apprentice Line Worker in the Electric Department with a starting hourly rate of $16.42 to a maximum hourly rate of $24.84 depending upon qualifications. This position is a skilled journeyman apprentice worker involved in the installation, maintenance, alteration and repair of overhead electrical lines, underground lines and electrical substations. An employee in this class works under the direction of the crew supervisor or lead line worker on electric power lines typically up to 25,000 volts. Required training and experience include graduation from high school or GED equivalent, and minimum of two (2) years’ experience on a line crew. Special Requirements include possessing a valid class A driver’s license, or be able to obtain one within 6 months of becoming Apprentice. Qualified applicants may apply by downloading an application via our website at www.cityofcovington.org or may apply in person at the City of Covington, 2194 Emory Street, Covington, Georgia 30014, 770.385.2025.

Position will remain open until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7th, 2015. The City of Covington is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

16 • Saturday, July 4, 2015

The News

July is Ruger Month!

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