Honoring Our Veterans Wednesday, November Wednesday, November11,11,2020 2020
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Trials in Tangi By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
Kyle Griffeth doesn’t remember the names of all the combat outposts he was stationed at in Afghanistan, but he can’t forget the Tangi Valley. Tangi Valley “was the worst,” said Griffeth. “I was there for three months. Before we got there, they had stopped taking vehicles on the roads because of so many IEDs (improvised explosive devices), and they quit doing day missions because we were losing so many people. So we ran strictly night missions the whole time we were there. Towards the end, they realized we just needed to pull out because we weren’t gaining any ground.” Griffeth, who grew up in Iola and played basketball for Allen Community College upon graduating from high school in 2003, joined the military when he was 23 years old. He served six years in the Army as part of the 89D Explosive Ordnance Disposal. In layman’s
Bill Brecheisen, 98, recalls his 503 days on the front lines during World War II. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
From left to right, Joe Czikalla, Jason Buck and Kyle Griffeth pose for a quick photo while in Afghanistan. COURTESY PHOTO terms: a bomb tech. He was stationed in Afghanistan with the 705th company from November 2010 to November 2011. Nine years later, his memories of his time in the Tangi Valley seem as clear as yesterday. Once it was decided troops were abandoning their outpost there, Griffeth was called to participate in “a huge operation to clear all
the IEDs on one route.” “We would go out on foot every night to walk the sides of the road to find all of the IEDs and clear them. Towards the end, they had already removed the kitchen. We were living off of MREs (field rations) and water bottles,” said Griffeth. And then, misfortune struck. “Our last month’s rations that were flown in, See SERVICE | Page A3
The entire 705th company upon arrival to Afghanistan.
County to assist Our Market By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
Allen County commissioners voted 2-1 to help Our Market move one step closer to opening a grocery store in Humboldt, putting an end to several months of debate and following a precedent established by aiding the startups of G&W Foods of Iola and Marmaton Market in Moran. The commission will give Scott and Amy Welch, owners of Our Market, an $80,000 loan for the purchase of the grocery’s rack system, i.e. freezer and cooler equipment, with a loan forgiveness provision based on sales See COUNTY | Page A6
WWII memories: ‘No place was safe’ By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Bill Brecheisen’s memory has faded, but only slightly, from his stint in World War II. He recounts with stunning clarity his 503 days on the front lines, from the invasions and eventual liberation of Sicily and Rome; traversing the icy waters up and down the Rhine River in the last days of the Third Reich; riding in box cars equipped for men or horses through North Africa. He was hospitalized more than once, nearly dying of malaria, and then having an artillery shell land close enough to put shrapnel in his knee. He soon realized even hospitals weren’t safe. Brecheisen and a nurse were forced to pull wounded soldiers from their cots as German artillery shells landed nearby, then seeking refuge in water-filled foxholes.
Bowlus brings ‘Christmas with the Celts’ By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
Those looking for a special way to celebrate the Christmas season this year will find a welcome occasion to do so in “Christmas with the Celts,” the Bowlus Fine Arts Center’s first show of the 2020-21 season. Tickets for two Dec. 12 performances — a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 o’clock evening show — go on sale for the general public today. “Christmas with the Celts” is a joyful medley of American and Irish music, high in tempo and full of timeless holiday favorites. The fiddle, bagpipes and Irish dancers are likely to allow Bowlus patrons a chance, even if it is a fleeting one, to escape the world around us. And for Dan Kays, executive director of the Bowlus, that’s what’s so special about this show, and why it’s so necessary. “This facility exists to provide hope,” said Kays. “We
It was a brutal time, indeed. War is hell, as they say, and William R. Brecheisen was there for some of the worst of it. Seventy-five years later, after having penned a diary to document his wartime experience, Brecheisen shared his story with the Register. Brecheisen, 98, lives at Heartland Meadows, a residential care home just north and east of Iola. He stays active, tending daily to a small brood of chickens and a small flower garden when weather permits. BRECHEISEN spent much of his childhood on a farm near Welda, where after graduation he continued to help his father on the farm. Uncle Sam had already imposed on the Brecheisen family, directing Bill’s father to grow more produce for the burgeoning war effort. Then, on Bill’s 20th birthSee WWII | Page A5
USD 257
Remodel project approved By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Bowlus.” The first live performance of “Christmas with the Celts” was performed in Nashville’s prestigious Ryman Auditorium, but such an auspicious start belies the show’s origin. At the time, Ric Blair, the show’s founder, was studying jazz at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. He had no interest whatsoev-
Students at the Rural Regional Technology Center in LaHarpe likely will spend much of their next semester renovating a house. The USD 257 school board approved spending up to $100,000 to move a house from its current location near the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, to a spot across from Iola Middle School. Construction trades students will then get to work, remodeling the house so it can be sold. Brett Dawson, Neosho County Community Col-
See CELTS | Page A10
See REMODEL | Page A10
“Christmas with the Celts” founder Ric Blair performs alongside Laura McGhee, on the Scottish Fiddle. COURTESY PHOTO are trying to go forward with the arts. I keep saying that if sports can find a way, the arts have to find a way. The arts are so important to our DNA as human beings.” Mandy Moyer, assistant project director of the Bowlus, agreed. “It’s wonderful for us to provide a place for people to celebrate Christmas with music and dancing,” Moyer said. “Christmas is an important time for the
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