62.4 Howe Enterprise June 3, 2024

Grayson Publishing, LLC

Volume 62, Edition 4, Summer is always challenging in the local news business. With school out, we open up the archives and do stories on locals. If anyone has a lead, send to news@howeenterprise.c om.

A run for County Commissioner, Pct. 1 was being seriously considered even up to the final hours of filing. However, I decided to apparently make the people of my hometown dislike me first. Maybe in four years. Let’s see what happens.

What happens to someone that represents the people instead of cow towing to big media, big pharm, and big tech? The war has been waged.

Who will win - the globalists or the populists?

DC-elected Republicans and Democrats appear to be one in the same. It appears the lights are coming on for a lot of people and it’s time to get serious about selfgovernance.

CNN Senior Legal Analyst describes how the Trump conviction was a political hit job 1. "The judge donated money... in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations—to a (Continued on page 4) EDITOR’S NOTE—This column is reserved as an editorial column and may not necessarily reflect the policy of this publication.

INSIDE Howe Hump Day, pg. 5 FBC Howe Mission, pg. 6 Texoma Patriots, pg. 6 Hot Jobs, City Info, pg. 9 History/Christian, pg. 10 Local Churches, pg. 11 Chamber Members, pg. 12 Past front pages, 13-20 HoweEnterprise.com Stats January 2024—June 1, 2024 31,767 visits ISSU stats 70,390 impressions HoweEnteprisePhotos.com 3,843,885 photo views

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

Monday, June 3, 2024

Marr wins Republican nomination for County Commission, Pct. 1

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Library set to kick off summer schedule of fun

Josh Marr won the Republican nominee for County Commissioner, Precinct 1 after a run-off.

Marr received 1,375 votes to Scott Renfro’s 901. Marr will now face Democrat Andre Luper in November who received 345 votes.

Of the nine voter precincts, Marr won six of them with his largest victory coming in his hometown of Van Alstyne. Precinct 109 gave him 401 votes to 120 for Renfro.

Renfro won three precincts which were the Shepherd Road area of Precinct 101. Renfro’s biggest disappointment had to come from the Tom Bean area of Precinct 107 where he lost to Marr, 168-116. Renfro did take Howe’s Precinct 106, but only by 17 votes, 201 to 184, respectively.

With Grayson County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Whitmire deciding not to run, no candidate reached over 50 percent

Josh Marr in the March primaries where Marr fell 17 votes shy of the needed margin. Marr garnered 2,390 votes to Renfro’s 1,814, and Terry Thomas finished with 610.

Marr told an audience in Howe in February that what set him apart from the others was his ability to negotiate deals and stand up for true conservative principles. Renfro touted his experience on the Howe and Tom Bean School Board along with his numerous years on the board of Farm Bureau.

In other races of interest, (Continued on page 5)

File photo from 2023.

The Howe Community Library was set to kick off their summer programs today at 10 am with a Splash Bash at the library, however potentially bad weather has postponed the event to a later date. The Howe Community Development Corporation helped support the event by donating $420 towards the water slide.

31 where prizes can be had from a free book, Sonic coupon, and a drawing for a grand prize. A grand prize winner will be drawn on Au-

gust 8 for each age group.

The library has a plethora of events this summer (Continued on page 2)

Hoops Camp coming back to Howe

In all actuality, the summer programs began last Friday with the Summer Reading Kick-off. A Reading Challenge takes place from June 3—July

Harvey promoted from defensive coordinator to 28th head coach of the Howe Bulldogs If you’re a fan of electric enthusiasm and energetic passion, you will love the Howe Bulldogs new head coach. It was announced Tuesday just after noon that Andrew Harvey was promoted from within to become the 28th head coach of the Howe Bulldogs football program. He will also serve as the athletic director. Harvey came to Howe as the defensive coordinator for Lance Bryan’s first season in 2022. Before Howe, he was at Sanger

along with Bryan where he was linebacker coach for three years for the Indians. Harvey has also served as the head track coach at Howe.

Harvey is the first Howe Bulldogs head football coach to be promoted from within since 2011.

Only Joe Watson (4-16, 2011-12), Cory Crane (2010, 9-2, district champ), and Jim Fryar (41-16, 1985-89, two district champs, two bidistrict champs, two area champs) have been pro-

Hoops Camp file photo from 2023.

Howe Bulldogs Head Coach Andrew Harvey moted from within by Howe since 1984.

In 2022, Harvey inherited a defense that gave up a school record 49.20

The Howe basketball program is coming off a season where both the boys and girls varsity programs made the playoffs. The foundation of those successful programs perhaps begins in the summer when the annual Hoops Camp has been in Howe for 23 years.

The Hoops Camp will be held later this month on (Continued on page 7) June 24-27 at the Howe

High School Gymnasium at 200 Ponderosa Road. The 4-day camp will go from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm each day. The camp is offered to boys and girls in first through eighth grade (based on the 2023-24 school year).

The cost for the camp is $175 with a sibling discount of $15 off for each brother or sister.

For the full brochure, see page three or click here.

HoweEnterprise.com

June 3, 2024

Library summer events

File photo from 2023.

“Crafternoon” with crafts for kids to construct.

(Continued from page 1)

A Jr. Master Gardeners program will happen each Thursday in June at 1 pm for second grade or higher. There is a fee of $10 paid to the Jr. Master Gardeners.

including a Touch-A-Truck on June 10 where kids can climb up on tractors, backhoes, emergency vehicles, and even a possible return of a helicopter.

On June 17 at 10 am, Monkey See, Monkey Do will arrive at the library where kids can see live animals.

Finally, the final program of June will see a 10 am Bubble Bash on June 24.

In addition to those events, the library will host “Family Game Night” on Tuesday, June 4 from 4 pm—6 pm.

Each Wednesday at noon will see

Each Friday in June is “Wee Readers” which will begin at 10 am.

Tuesday, June 11 will see Art Class for ages 12 and up. On June 18, the library will host Trivia Night and on June 25, a photography class will take place from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

For more information, please call 903745-4050. See page eight for the full library summer calendar.

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Hoops Camp info

Hoops Campers 2023.

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

HoweEnterprise.com

June 3, 2024

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Howe’s That (Continued from page 1)

pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation."

2. Alvin Bragg boasted on the campaign trail in an overwhelmingly Democrat county, “It is a fact that I have sued Trump over 100 times.”

3. "Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process."

4. "The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever."

5. The DA inflated misdemeanors past the statute of limitations and "electroshocked them back to life" by alleging the falsification of business records was committed 'with intent to commit another crime.'

6. "Inexcusably, the DA refused to specify what those unlawful means actually were — and the judge declined to force them to pony up — until right before closing arguments.

So much for the constitutional obligation to provide notice to the defendant of the accusations against him in advance of trial."

7. "In these key respects, the charges against Trump aren’t just unusual.

They’re bespoke, seemingly crafted individually for the former president and nobody else."

8. "The Manhattan DA’s employees reportedly have called this the “Zombie Case” because of various legal infirmities, including its bizarre charging mechanism. But it’s better characterized as the Frankenstein Case, cobbled together with ill-fitting parts into an ugly, awkward, but moreor-less functioning contraption that just might ultimately turn on its creator."

Steve Bannon: Ecclesiastes tells us everything. There is a season for everything, and this is a season of war. We have to go Old Testament. Some group has to go on offense. They (globalists) won on Thursday. Lawfare worked. We have to get down and dirty or they’re going to run the tables. They can’t beat us on policies.

They can’t beat us on the program to restore America. They understand the people are with Donald Trump and they are trying to take him out as the instrument (of the people). We have to be principled, but we have to be ruthless. That’s all they understand. We can color inside the lines and be ruthless, tough, and relentless.

We got into this position because of controlled opposition—the old Republican party and Fox News. It just taps you along and gives you a shiny toy to chase around.

The reason President Trump is one of the three greatest Americans this country has ever produced, with all his flaws, because General Washington had flaws, and President Lincoln had flaws, is that he knew

when he went back to Mar-a-Lago after they stole the election and people had turned against him, that this was all awaiting him. That individual that came down the escalator—look how battle worn he is.

Let’s be blunt, it’s because he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and no one is taking the weight off. This is one of the greatest crises in the history of this republic. If you’re a student of history, go back and tell me another time. Right before the civil war and right before the Revolution got kicked off and in those early days of the Revolution. We’re here now. We don’t need Rhodes Scholars; this is about political muscle. This is about will. This is about sticktoitiveness and grit and determination. On July 11, he’s going to walk in with the same prosecutors and the same judge, the same demons in the media, and that Soviet show trial and don’t think they aren’t working on a prison term and most importantly to restrict him from taking his message out to the American people. They don’t want Wildwood, New Jerseys throughout the country, they don’t want Bronx in Chicago.

They don’t want the Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 in Los Angeles. They fear that. They hate the people. If they didn’t hate the people, why would they put him in such servitude? They hate Trump because he’s a traitor to his class. As a traitor to his class, he must be made an example. These are not normal times, and these are not normal issues. There’s so much we should be fighting for, but we must lance the boil on this first. We can’t look away anymore. This is the dark of night right now and we’re a long way before dawn.

Mark my words, the money is going to come and they’re going to use a forcing function. Trump’s prison sentence is going to be used for stability. They are going to try and force Nikki (Haley) as prime minister. It’s coming, as sure as the turning of the earth.

The framers of the Constitution looked to ancient Rome, not the empire, but the republic. What’s happening here now is directly analogous to what happened to Caeser coming back from Gaul and crossing the Rubicon. It was all about the weaponization of the legal system. It led a civil war and the fall of the Roman republic. It was triggered by what exactly is going on in this country right now. This is not a debating society anymore; we’re passed the debating society. We’re in a time of action.

People around President Trump have to stop telling him they’re doing everything for him—they’re not. (House Speaker Mike) Johnson is lying to him. It’s obvious they’re lying to him. Where are the subpoenas?

The money raised (since the verdict) is great, but we didn’t win with money in 2016. We had no money. We had a man, we had a plan, we had a message, and we had the American people that understood.

And they didn’t need to go to Harvard to understand this. They understood that the country was in managed decline and now the bottom is falling out because you’ve had four years of it. The illegitimate regime stole the 2020 election. Anybody that does not believe that in their heart should not be on the campaign and should not have a job in the RNC (Republican National Committee). A basic fundamental entry level question: Was the 2020 presidential election stolen? Yes or no. If you don’t believe it was stolen, fine, there’s something for you over in this other department, but you can’t be here.

Because we need the burning passion of people that understand the arc of the narrative of what’s happened here. Remember with all the mainstream media, with all the tech, everything, over 50 percent of

the American people think it was stolen.

How did that happen with a couple of little podcasts and a couple of little shows? Because the American people have common sense and they’ve been watching this deal. They understand that something’s not right.

Trump didn’t need to do this. Look at the toll it’s taken on him. Yes, he’s strong.

He’s going to do this. He’s going to win.

The second term will be monumental, but only if people step in today and start to take the burden off of his shoulders. He can’t do everything.

The Old Testament is not for the faint of heart, and particularly the prophets.

When they say go Old Testament on you,

it’s the equivalent to rough Roman justice. We need to go back to the basic traditions of the Judeo-Christian west and what got us here and that massive foundation that we have predicated on. Because of these Marxist, there’s no difference between what happened in New York and what happened in the Moscow show trials in the 1930s. There’s no difference in these prosecutors and judges than what happened with the Nazi judges. It’s complete totalitarianism and that’s how it works. And if they can break a billionaire that’s been a successful president of the United States, they can break anybody. We’re in a time for war. And that’s why it had to be Trump. If Trump hadn’t come back, where in the hell would the country be right now?

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June 3, 2024

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Run-off election

Josh Marr (middle) discusses topics as Terry Thomas (left) and Scott Renfro look on. Staff photo.

(Continued from page 1)

Donald Trump-backed Brent Hagenbuch defeated local Grayson County Conservatives endorsed Jace Yarbrough 18,741 to 14,338. Hagenbuch will now face Democrat Dale Frey in the November election who won his run-off election over Michael Braxton. Braxton, however, won Grayson County, 438-128.

Another Grayson County Conservatives endorsed candidate Pam Little won her race over challenger Jamie Kohlmann for State Board of Education District 12. She won by a vote count of 31,870 to 30,827. Little will now face Democrat George King in the November election.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan won his run-off against David Covey to stave off the embarrassment of becoming the first House Speaker to lose his seat in the Lone Star State. This win indicates the populist nationalist

MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement of Donald Trump still has work to do in Texas to rid themselves of the Texas GOP establishment “Bush Network.”

Howe Hump Day Wednesday at Summit Gardens

Attorney General Ken Paxton was highly outspoken to try and sway the vote away from Phelan. However, the House Speaker retained his seat with a 12,813 to 12,447 win.

“Tonight, I am immensely grateful to the voters of Southeast Texas, who have spoken loud and clear: in Southeast Texas, we set our own course— our community is not for sale, and our values are not up for auction," Phelan wrote in a post on X Tuesday night.

Paxton called on Texas Republicans to close their primaries after Phelan's win so only registered members of the party can participate. Currently, Texas' primaries are open to all voters regardless of party affiliation.

The monthly Howe Hump Day by the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosted by Legend Bank Wednesday at Summit Gardens at 8 am. Each month, the local chamber invites all members and prospective members to attend a breakfast where

businesses have an opportunity to mix and mingle and give a 30 second plug for their business to all members in the audience.

The networking breakfast takes place on the first Wednesday of each month.

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June 3, 2024

FBC Howe on a mission

Members of the Howe First Baptist Church left Tuesday for Beautiful Feet for their mission trip. Courtesy photo.

Texoma Patriots to meet The Texoma Patriots are holding an event of historical significance as they welcome Pastor Dan Fisher, actor and author of Bringing Back the Black Robed Regiment. The location is Red River Cowboy Church, 3800 State Highway 691, Sherman. Start time is 7 p.m.

This highly acclaimed live presentation will be an inspiration to become more engaged in what is happening and do our duties as citizens.

Pastors and their congregations to join. It’s the amazing and inspiring story of the Patriot Pastors of the 18th century who preached biblical principles of liberty and

government from their pulpits. Then, when the time came, led the men of their congregations and communities off to defend those principles on the battlefields of our War of Independence. It depicts how the 18th century church stood for liberty and why it must do so again.

Dan grew up in western Arkansas and felt God's call to the ministry very early. He preached his first sermon at age 16. In 2008, Dan started presenting what has become his highly acclaimed "Bringing Back the Black Robed Regiment" presentation. in 2012 he continued to live out the story by being elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he served for two terms. He is still actively engaged in the defense of truth and liberty.

HoweEnterprise.com

June 3, 2024

Harvey

Andrew Harvey runs on the field as Howe’s defense turned away Tioga in overtime to cling to a 42-41 victory on September 15, 2023. The photo sparked a meme on social media depicting Coach Harvey as the Karate Kid. Photo by Michelle Carney.

(Continued from page 1)

points per game in 2021 and gave up 44.40 points per game in 2020. Both of those were 11 points per game worse than the previous high from the 2012 season. In Harvey’s first season as the defensive coordinator, the Dogs improved by over 20 points per game allowed at 27.09 and improved by yards allowed per game from a school record 463.9 to 296.36.

However, Howe was hit hard a year ago with losses to key defensive starters gave up 47.60 points per game, second most ever along with 347 yard per game allowed.

However, Harvey’s defense cannot be fully blamed as he got no help from an offense that was thrust into a difficult situation after an injury to quarterback Cooper Jones. The offense could not move the ball and sustain drives as they only garnered 179.8 yards per game (second worst since 2005) and scored only 17.7 points per game.

Harvey doesn’t see wholesale changes coming but says there will be some small philosophical changes.

“We’re headed in the right direction, I’d be dumb to make wholesale changes,” said Harvey.

The attendance has been way up, and he says they’ve done a great job of tracking that this year.

Harvey will retain the role of overseeing the defense, but a defensive coordinator Stan Holland has been hired. He will also coach the linebackers.

“I’d feel like I was doing a disservice to the kids if I wasn’t the one doing it,” said Harvey.

Holland comes to Howe from Anna where he served as the defensive backs coach for the state champions.

“He’s well versed in a coverage that we’re going to start using more and that played in to why I wanted to hire him and I feel like that’s where our biggest struggles have been, other than quarterback play,” said Harvey who said Kolin Murphy did a great job in a role he was thrust into last season, but he had never played quarterback before.

“This season, we’ll have somebody that has actually played quarterback and knows how to do that. Our secondary and our quarterback play were our biggest issues. We’re going to be much improved over last year and I’m excited about what’s going to go down. I think the playoffs are in our future again. I see a great path for that.”

Harvey graduated from Keller Central High School in 2008 before attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to play outside linebacker. He transferred to Texas State and played rugby.

He landed his first coaching job in 2012 at Fossil Hill in the Keller ISD where he mainly had junior high responsibilities. He was there for five years before taking a job at 2A-I Chico ISD where he became the special teams coordinator, linebackers coach, and boys and girls head track coach for junior high and high school.

At Chico, head football coach Lane Wilson was relieved of duties in January 2018 which left three boys’ coaches in the entire athletic department for the remainder of the year.

(Continued on page 8)

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Harvey (Continued from page 7)

Harvey then landed a job at Sanger in 2020 under head coach Rocky Smart.

That year they turned a previous 1-9 team to an 8-2 season. He coached his first game at Bulldog Stadium that season where Sanger beat Howe 358. At Sanger, he coached linebackers and was the special teams coordinator. He also was the head golf coach, but admits coaching golf took away from other athletic activities he was more passionate about.

It was at Sanger where he met Lance Bryan who was the defensive coordinator and when Bryan was hired at Howe, Harvey came with him and became his righthand man. When Bryan left, Harvey was the obvious replacement to keep the train on the tracks and not blow up the entire program.

“I had a lot of indications that I was the one they wanted for the job mostly because of the job I was already doing. The day after it happened, Lance called me and said, ‘you’ve got to take everything for the foreseeable future,’”, said Harvey who has served in the interim athletic director/head football coach position over the past six weeks.

During the interim time, and during one of the most difficult times in the Howe athletic program, Harvey held things together about as well as anyone could.

“It was a lot easier than a lot of other athletic departments because he had done a really good job. It wasn’t as much me as it was the foundation. The kids are already bought in. There weren’t problems that I needed to fix.

I’ve been in other places where the transition would have been a lot harder but here it wasn’t,” said Harvey.

Sometimes when the leader of the program leaves, there’s pushback from the athletes, but that did not happen.

“Lance did a good job of allowing me to take charge of a lot of stuff, so they viewed me as the number two. In a lot of programs that doesn’t happen.

There’s a number one and then everybody else. Here, there was a clear number two and he made sure the kids knew that and the coaches knew that.

So, there wasn’t a question that if he wasn't’ there, who was in charge.”

Harvey says he is in the position that he’s in because of Bryan.

“I owe that man so much. He made sure this happened. A lot of it was because of what did, but him allowing me to come here and be the defensive coordinator and then him being a defensive coordinator and trusting me was huge,” said Harvey. “As soon as the tragedy happened, knowing that he could trust me to take over and him allowing me to do that. He was my biggest supporter. I just want to make that clear. That man is a great man and I owe him a lot. I wouldn’t be in the place I am without him.”

Harvey said he hopes the town understands why he couldn’t come back. He had to do what is best for his family.

“I feel like I’ve earned it, but I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in without him,” said Harvey.

Harvey, who has an extremely long drive each day from the north Fort Worth area, will have temporary living arrangements nearby so that he can be closer. The athletic director position will add another two nights per week to his schedule due to basketball and baseball/softball season events. On Fridays, his family will be able to stay with him at his temporary residence.

Due to an extremely low interest rate on his home, selling and moving doesn’t make financial sense at this time, coupled with the fact that his son will start kindergarten this school year.

“With the drive, that’s kind of my problem, but I have a supportive wife and she wants me to go realize my dreams. She’s not trying to hold me back and she understands that I’m going to be gone a little more,” said Harvey.

Harvey will make his head coaching debut August 30 at Boyd. Howe is 1-4 against the Yellowjackets and the last visit to Boyd was on September 21, 2018, where they took a 33-7 loss on a Thursday night. His Bulldog Stadium head coaching debut will come the following week against Bonham where Howe is 3-3 lifetime against the Purple Warriors.

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Hot Jobs Job Title CERTIFIED FORKLIFT OPERATOR workintexas.com Posting ID 16603316 Location Sherman Posting Close Date 08/30/24 Posting Link https:// bit.ly/3yHxY6w Description A local company is looking for a CERTIFIED FORKLIFT OPERATOR. Must be flexible with job duties and willing to complete other work while not operating equipment.

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Bulk Trash Pickup 2nd Friday of each month in Howe.

City of Howe SECONDS COUNT IN AN EMERGENCY! That's why the City of Howe has instituted the CodeRED Emergency Notification System - an ultra high-speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications. This system allows us to telephone all or targeted areas in case of an emergency situation that requires immediate action (such as a boil-water notice, missing child or evacuation notices). The system is capable of dialing 60,000 phone numbers per hour. It then delivers a pre-recorded message describing the situations to a live person or an answering machine in the affected area possibly including instructions requiring action on the part of the recipient. Once the situation is remedied, another call will be placed to the area signaling that the issue has been addressed and that normal activities can be resumed.

The following information is required to add a telephone number into the "CodeRED" database: first and last name; address (physical address, no P.O. boxes); city; state; Zip Code; and primary phone number. The system works with cellular phones but requires a valid street address. When entering information, please fill out all of the screens because the newest data entered will replace the old data. Sign up by visiting http://www.co.grayson.tx.us/page/oem.cred

2023-24 Local taxation State Sales Tax General Revenue Sales Tax Economic Development (Type B) Sales Tax Total

6.25 % 1.25%

City of Howe Tax Rate Howe I.S.D Tax Rate Grayson County Tax Rate Grayson College Tax Rate Total (per $100 valuation)

$0.53 $1.05 $0.31 $0.15 $2.04

0.75 % 8.25 %

City Hall 116 E. Haning St., 903-532-5571 Mayor: Karla McDonald City Council: Michael Hill, Rodney Hough, Billie Ingram, Sarah Myrick, Joe Shephard City Administrator: Monte Walker City Secretary: Michelle Hewitt Utility Billing and Municipal Court 116 E. Haning St. 903-532-5571 Utility Clerk: Beccy Roberts Court Clerk: (After hours night drop available) Public Works 317 S. Hughes St. Public Works Director: Mickey Phillips Code Enforcement 317 S. Hughes St. Code Enforcement Officer: Benjamin Fuhr Howe Fire Department/EMS 118 E. Haning 903-532-6888 (nonemergency) Fire Chief: Robert Maniet Howe Police Department 700 W. Haning St. 903-532-9971 (non-emergency) Dispatch 903-813-4411 Police Chief: Carl Hudman City Council meets third Tuesday at 100 E. O’Connell St. at 6 pm.

Planning & Zoning Commission Meets third Monday as needed Howe Community Facilities Development Corporation 903-532-6080 Howetexas.org EDC Director: Monte Walker Meets as needed For more information visit the city website www.cityofhowe.org

Cityofhowe.org City of Howe Water, Sewer, Refuse collection rates - one bill

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Texas History Minute In war, young men are pushed to their limits in defense of their country. The defense of the United States during World War II demanded much Ken Bridges of the men fighting the war. Thousands made the ultimate sacrifice. One of the most noted fighter pilots during the war was Texas flying ace Neel Kearby. In his short life, he become one of the most decorated pilots in the Pacific, including earning the Congressional Medal of Honor for his exploits.

Neel Ernest Kearby was born in Wichita Falls in June 1911. His father was a physician. After spending his early childhood in Wichita Falls, they moved to Mineral Wells. A few years later in 1924, the family moved again to Arlington where he graduated from Arlington High School in 1928.

After graduation, Kearby worked a series of odd jobs in Dallas for a time before continuing his education. In 1930, he enrolled at what is now called the University of Texas at Arlington.

His college education was interrupted several times before he earned a degree in business administration in 1937.

By the mid-1930s, Kearby had enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps. He began his flight training at Randolph Field in San Antonio, one of the most important army flight schools.

When World War II started in 1941, Kearby was quickly called into action.

The war in the Pacific spread out thousands of square miles. It was a bitter war of soldiers fighting on nameless beaches and unforgiving jungles on a string of islands, ships blasting each other on the high seas, and planes dueling in the sky. Because of the great distances between habitable islands with modern airstrips and military facilities, air superiority determined the course of the war.

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tions, a valuable advantage in aerial combat. The airplane was mostly used by the U. S. Army Air Force.

Kearby realized that the P-47 could climb higher than Japanese planes. He designed numerous new formations and attack patterns diving from high altitudes onto unsuspecting Japanese bombers and fighters. He quickly became an ace in his trusty fighter he called “Fiery Ginger” after his wife.

In October 1943, while leading a reconnaissance mission against enemy positions in New Guinea, he spied a Japanese bomber squadron with a heavy fighter escort. He and the three other pilots with him attacked, outnumbered twelve-to-one. He shot down six planes, the most shot down by an American pilot in one day up to that point. For this act of valor, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Kearby was promoted to full colonel and given a staff position with the 5th Air Force. He had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Silver Star. Kearby had done his duty, but he wanted to go back and fight alongside the men of his unit. He continued to fly missions, compiling a record of 21 planes shot down by March 1944.

On March 5, he was again leading a mission when they encountered a Japanese squadron. He chased after and shot down a Japanese plane. In the process, another sighted and attacked Kearby’s aircraft. The enemy fighter blasted away at Kearby’s P-47, fatally damaging the engine. The plane stalled and sped toward the ground. Kearby was apparently injured in the attack but managed to parachute away from his doomed plane. It crashed into a thick jungle forest on the one of many islands in the area. Kearby landed not far from the craft, but he was too far from help. Unable to get medical assistance, he soon died. He was 33 and left behind a widow and three children.

By October 1942, he was given command of the 348th Fighter Group. After a few months of training, the squadron moved to a forward position in the South Pacific. Now a lieutenant colonel, Kearby led the 348th on daring attacks on the Japanese using the new P-47 fighter.

Because of the course of the war, the military was not able to recover Kearby’s remains for several more years. He was not laid to rest until 1949. His brother, Maj. John G. Kearby, was also killed during the war, and the family had the two buried next to one another. It was a testament to a family that had sacrificed so much for the nation.

The P-47 had only been introduced into service in November 1942 by Republic Aviation. Thousands were manufactured for use by the United States, Great Britain, and France. It was durable and maneuverable, able to climb quickly and attain high speeds and high altitudes. The P-47 was known for a distinctive bubble-shaped cockpit that allowed pilots to look in all direc-

His legacy was not forgotten. In 1959, a building was named for him at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls.

The city of Alexandria, Louisiana, named a street for him near their airport, a former air base. In 2010, the Texas Historical Commission and the City of Arlington unveiled a historical marker and statue at the city’s public library.

Fallen but not forgotten This week we honor those who died while fighting for our country. There was a time when society seemed to be more sensitive and compasDr. Billy Holland sionate about casualties of war, but today there are so many distractions that cause us to not have our priorities in the right order.

This day is not about politics or worldviews, it’s about giving the highest respect to those who paid the greatest price. The liberties we are thankful for today did not come without the sacrifice of many brave men and women as freedom does not come without cost. We remember those who were not given the opportunity to be reunited with their families or to enjoy the abundant blessings that we often take for granted.

While both Memorial Day and Veterans Day are Federal holidays, there is a distinction between them. Here are a few things some people might not know about this time of reflection and remembrance. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May and commemorates the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. You’ll find that some veterans find it dismaying when they are thanked on this day and most realize the person has good intentions but are confused about who the day is meant to honor. Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor every veteran who has served or currently serving in the United States Armed Forces, in wartime or peacetime and is observed officially on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.

Traditionally, on Memorial Day, volunteers often place small American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries. Flags are raised and then solemnly lowered to half mast. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 pm. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day in 1861, as military personnel was honored from the American Civil War. It’s believed the tradition of honoring fallen soldiers was inspired by the way Southern states decorated both the Confederate and Union soldiers graves

with flowers, wreaths, and flags.

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan issued an order to designate May 30 as an annual day of remembrance.

America’s compassion to remember its fallen warriors became prominent as monuments were constructed and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers’ graves were held in towns and cities throughout the nation.

After World War I, Decoration Day included all fallen soldiers, not just those from the Civil War, and the term “Memorial Day” started being used. In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday by an act of Congress. For all the grieving families that have lost loved ones to war we pray that God will continue to bring comfort and peace. 1Peter 5:7 promises, “Cast all your anxieties on Christ, for He cares for you.” “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him” – Gilbert Chesterton. It’s estimated that over 1.1 million American soldiers have been killed since the Revolutionary War in 1775. May we never forget that freedom isn’t free. It’s often said, we don’t know them all, but we owe them all.

My uncle Kenny and his cousin Thomas were drafted for the Korean War at the tender age of 18. Two young men fresh out of high school who had their entire lives ahead of them. My mother admired her older brother Kenny who as a teenager worked in a grocery store after school and would give their mother a part of his wages to help the struggling family.

Mom was the youngest and remembers the day when military personnel arrived and knocked on the door with the devastating news that Kenny had perished on the front lines. His body was not recovered, but his dog tags were found on the battlefield. My grandmother ran through the house screaming and stayed in bed for a week. Cousin Thomas was never found and is listed as missing in action.

As the generations keep moving forward, there will come a day when no one will remember them, however, it’s comforting to know that God will never forget them. Our flag doesn’t fly because the wind moves it, but because of the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.

Dr. Holland is a Christian minister, chaplain, and author. You are invited to read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com

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June 3, 2024

Attend the Church of Your Choice

Each Sunday...

Times are subject to change. Please check with each church for any possible changes

First Baptist Church Dorchester Zach Poling, pastor 11831 FM 902, Dorchester, TX 75459 903-476-5525 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Worship service Sunday 9:00 am - Men's Prayer Time 9:45 am - Sunday School 10:45 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Evening Service Summit View Church Brett and Deb Hetrick, pastors

Community Bible Fellowship Jeremy Moore, pastor

Howe Methodist Church of Howe JB Bryant, minister

415 S Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Food and Fellowship 7:00 pm - Community Kids (ages 3 6th grade, nursery available) 7:00 pm - Youth and Adult Bible Study Sunday 10:30 am - Worship Service

810 N Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6718 Tuesday: 8:30am - 1:00pm WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) 9:30am - Women's Bible Study 6:30pm - Boy Scouts Wednesday: 9:00am - Wednesday Workers 6:00pm - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays Family Night Thursday: 8:30am - 1:00pm - WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) Saturday: 9:00am-12:00pm - Feed My Sheep (1st & 3rd Sat. of each month) Sunday: 8:30am - Coffee and Donuts 9:00am - Sunday School 10:00am - Worship Service 3:00pm Cub Scouts

First Baptist Church Howe Roger Tidwell, pastor 100 E. Davis St., Howe, TX 903-5325504 Wednesday 5:30 pm—Free Meal 6:30 pm - Team Kid 6:30 pm - Youth Ministry 6:30 pm - Adult Bible Fellowship Sunday 9:15 am - Bible Fellowship 10:30am - Worship Service 6:00 pm—Potluck Fellowship and Bible Study

910 S Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6828 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Radiate Youth 7:00 pm - Sanctuary of for prayer Sunday 9:30 am - Sunday School (kids, youth, women, men) 10:30 am - Worship Service 10:30 am - Kids Church Howe Church of Christ Aaron Alsbrook, minister 1205 N Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6441 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Bible Classes (all ages) Sunday 9:00 am - Bible Classes (all ages) 10:00 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Worship Service

John 12:25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

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