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Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 78 • Issue 45 • Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Thanking those who serve Purple Heart recipient, For Tracie Rankin, Wade, recalls service service is a way of life ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
ALAN HODGE
Like most wounded warriors, Ron Wade, 64, of North Belmont learned to make lemonade out of lemons- in his case, two lemons to be exact. A U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, Wade was wounded not once, but twice in combat. Taking a cue from those injuries, these days he’s a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 634, and with his colleagues works tirelessly to raise awareness of others who have been hurt in action by having cities, towns, and other entities recognized for their efforts on behalf of veterans. Wade’s story begins in 1967 when he joined the U.S. Army. The Vietnam War was heating up and Wade was sent to Fort Polk, La., for basic jungle training in the swamps there. “We would go out on night training exercises and you could hear the rattlesnakes,� he said. After basic, Wade soon found himself on a plane bound for Vietnam. “We left Seattle and flew to Hawaii to refuel,� Wade said. “The next stop was Cam Rahn Bay airport.� The airport was a popular target for Viet Cong attacks. “We got off the plane and prayed there
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Contributed Photo
This picture shows Vietnam vet Ron Wade in 1967 when he entered the U.S. Army. would be no rockets,� he said. A few days in a rear base, then Wade was sent to the front. “They said get your stuff and go,� he See WADE, 5A
When most young, professional women get ready for work in the morning they usually put on a skirt or pants suit, but when 34year-old Tracie Rankin of Stanley dons her togs its combat boots and a camouflage North Carolina Air National Guard uniform with the stripes of a Master Sergeant on the sleeves. Rankin is making a career out of her service with the 145th Airlift Wing based at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and is glad she did. This year marks her 16th anniversary as a member of the unit. Rankin’s NCANG career has roots going back to 1997 when she was a senior at South Point High and joined the NJROTC program there. “The instructor was Ed Auten and he told me about an opportunity on the drill team,� she said. “So I joined. I enjoyed the drill competition between the schools.� After graduation, Rankin signed up for the Air Guard in Sept. 1997. She was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training. “I had never been away from home before,� she said. “Basic training taught me a lot of things such as responsibility and completing tasks no matter how menial. I also
Contributed Photo
This photo shows NCANG Master Sgt. Tracie Rankin with stacks of bombs bound for bad guys. Rankin has 16 years service with the military and says it’s a great place for women to work. See RANKIN, 5A
Suspect sought in A glimpse of Belmont history attempted abduction By Alan Hodge
Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Cramerton Police have released a sketch of the suspect in last week’s McDonald Park child abduction attempt in McAdenville. The victim, a 10-year-old boy, told police a white male grabbed him and attempted to pull him into a wooded area. Police say the boy was able to get away from the man and find an adult for help. The suspect is described as a white male between 30 and 40 years old, weighing about 200 pounds with a muscular build, short, reddish-brown hair and a beard. It’s reported the suspect was wearing khaki shorts and no shirt. The victim told police the suspect was driving an older model, faded blue,
four-door Honda Civic or Accord. The suspect was last seen leaving in the vehicle in the Dixon Road area. If you have any information that may assist law enforcement in this case, you are asked to call the Cramerton Police Department at 704824-7964 or Gaston County Crime Stoppers at 704-8618000.
Veterans’ Day event American Legion Post 144 on Park Drive in Belmont will be having a Veteran’s Day event Monday, Nov. 11, at 11am. The welcome will be delivered by former mayor Billy Joye with presentation of colors by South Point NJROTC. The national an-
them will be by Randy and Ruth Robertson. Larry Norwood of Post 144 will do the POW ceremony. Ron Self, Post 144 commander, will give the American Legion welcome remarks. City of Belmont welcome will be by Mayor Charlie Martin. Joye will introduce the guest speaker Rev. Jeff Taylor of East Belmont Church. The Robertsonw along with Brenda Robinson will sing patriotic songs. Joye will deliver the closing remarks and Rev. Taylor the benediction.
Every month the Belmont City Council gets together and tackles challenges large and small. But that tradition goes back a long way. In fact, documents have come to light about a council meeting held nearly a century ago on May 26, 1916 that gives a glimpse into what sort of issues were facing the city in those days and how they were handled. Jack Page obtained the hand-written minutes from Margaret Gaston Bates, sister of Judge Harley Gaston, and daughter of city/county attorney and judge, Harley Gaston Jr. To begin with, in 1916, Belmont’s municipal leaders were called “aldermen� rather than council members. The only two men mentioned by name in the document are alderman A.C. Lineberger and mayor pro tem C.E. Tucker. One of the first acts that the aldermen undertook in their meeting was to expand the town limits from the railroad tracks up Main St. to the old Presbyterian Church site where the Stowe Mill Building is currently situated. Another bit of business saw the aldermen agree to hire a town clerk. The salary was set at $100 a year. Speed is relative to the times as another entry in the Belmont aldermen’s meeting shows. A hot topic was the decision to set the speed limit at 15mph in residential areas and at 10mph down-
Photo Courtesy Millican Pictorial Museum
This photo shows downtown Belmont during the time when the recently discovered minutes from a city alderman meeting were handwritten. Auto speed limits were one item on the agenda. town. The first car had come to Belmont a few years prior and was owned by George Howell, a boss at the Chronicle Mill. Others had followed, including a Cadillac owned by A.C. Lineberger. Records from a follow up meeting of the aldermen showed they took on several issues some of which sound familiar today. These included rubbish in the streets. However, more unusual topics included discussion of a circus coming to town, bills (posters) being posted, talk of a telephone office, and a
discussion of undertakers. Other topics the Belmont aldermen had on their agenda included furniture dealers, decayed fruits and vegetables lying about, the electric power company, oil agencies, a popcorn and peanut wagon, sewing machine salesmen going door to door, organ and piano salesmen doing likewise, soda pop wagons, and an uproar over folks spitting on the sidewalks. Another issue that the aldermen addressed was that of a “drawing Pond� at the Majestic Mill, but just ex-
actly what a drawing pond is was not explained in the minutes. Perhaps it had something to do with supplying firefighting water. A big fish the Belmont aldermen had to fry in 1916 was the issue of how the town would recover from the Great Flood that devastated many of the textile mills. Schools for the growing town were also a familiar topic on the aldermen’s agendas. Overall, the job of running Belmont these days is not all that much different that it was a century ago.
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