50plus LIFE York County February 2018

Complimentary

York County Edition | February 2018 • Vol. 19 No. 2

February is american heart month High Blood Pressure Has Been Redefined

special section: tours and trips page 10

page 4

soldier stories page 18

On Life and Love after 50

Tom Blake

5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 3 Years of Retirement

When I was pondering retirement from the deli I had founded and worked in for 25 years, the main thing I looked forward to was having “free time.” With it, I could do nothing — if I wanted — which sounded great after all those years of serving sandwiches.

Three years ago, I sold the deli. I’m glad I worked until age 75. Working until then helped me build a small financial nest egg and kept my body moving and my mind active.

However, I realized quickly that I didn’t want a lot of “free time.” It wasn’t good for me. I’m not built to sit around; I found I must have projects to work on.

Every morning, I make a to-do list for the day. If I haven’t crossed each item off by day’s end, so be it. But, the list keeps me focused.

Soon, that “free time” became “busy time.” And from three years of busy time came five lessons learned in retirement.

1. The most important retirement lesson learned is the need to have social interaction with people. To be too isolated is not good for one’s health.

A good way to interact with people is by joining groups.

Meetup.com lists thousands of groups and activities and should provide plenty of ideas for people not sure what to do to meet others.

Another important note about social interaction after retirement: Mix interactions with younger people into your life — kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, or friends younger than yourself — to keep you thinking young.

2. The second retirement lesson I’ve learned is the importance of keeping my body moving. It’s a daily priority for me.

My goal is 10,000 steps a day as measured by my wrist Fitbit device. I don’t always reach that goal, but I’m there four to five days a week.

And I admit that there are nights, when I haven’t quite

At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away.

Animal Hospitals Community Animal Hospital Donald A. Sloat, D.V.M. 400 S. Pine St., York (717) 845-5669 Automobile Sales/Service Gordon’s Body Shop, Inc. 10 Mill St., Stewartstown (717) 993-2263 Coins & Currency Steinmetz Coins & Currency 2861 E. Prospect Road, York (717) 757-6980 Energy Assistance Low-Income Energy Assistance (717) 787-8750 Entertainment Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 898-1900

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February 2018

Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving York County (800) 720-8221

Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY

Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020

Home Care Services Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services Hanover: (717) 630-0067 Lancaster: (717) 393-3450 York: (717) 751-2488

Alzheimer’s Information Clearinghouse (800) 367-5115 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 or (717) 757-0604 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 Healthcare Information Pennsylvania HealthCare Cost Containment (717) 232-6787

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Housing Assistance Housing Authority of York (717) 845-2601 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937 Insurance – Long-Term Care Apprise Insurance Counseling (717) 771-9610 or (800) 632-9073 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com

real estate Berkshire Hathaway Paula Musselman (717) 793-9678 (Office) (717) 309-6921 (Cell) Self-storage U-Stor-It (717) 741-2202 – Dallastown (717) 840-9369 – York Services York County Area Agency on Aging (800) 632-9073 Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771 Volunteer opportunities RSVP of the Capital Region (443) 619-3842 Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

www.50plusLifePA.com

reached the 10,000 goal, where I walk around the kitchen and living room enough times to get the goal. It’s a little weird, but it keeps me moving.

Weather permitting, I do stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) four to five times a week with a buddy. We meet all kinds of friendly men and women who are walking or paddling. So, there is social interaction in addition to the exercise.

3. The third retirement lesson I’ve learned is the need to have a purpose in life — something with meaning. It doesn’t have to be a huge project.

Volunteering and helping others is a great way to fulfill this human need.

Some people use the words “giving back.” There are lots of people around who are way less fortunate than I am.

They can use a little help.

How I help them doesn’t matter — giving of my time, or what little money I can afford — makes me feel good.

For people still working, I think it’s important to start planning for retirement before the big day arrives.

Find an interest, a purpose, or a passion so that you’ll be up to speed when the time comes.

4. The fourth retirement lesson I’ve learned is the importance of keeping one’s mind and brain stimulated. For some, it’s the love of

reading that fulfills this need.

For me, it’s my writing. I’ve been a newspaper columnist for 23 years.

I love it; every week I generate a column and/or a newsletter article. I am grateful for the opportunity.

5. The fifth retirement lesson I’ve learned is to be willing to step out of one’s comfort zone.

If you’re single, and you’ve made a list of the qualities you seek in a mate, don’t be shackled by the list. For example, let’s say one of the qualities is to meet a widower of the same faith.

But you meet a divorced man instead. And he’s not of the same faith or the same nationality. But you like him because he’s a gentleman.

Step out of your comfort zone and take a chance on him. Let yourself be enlightened. You’d be surprised at the number of seniors unwilling to do that. Don’t be an old fuddy-duddy.

Senior Real Estate Specialist With 30 Years of Real Estate Experience • 2016 Realtor of the Year •2 014 President of Realtor’s Association of York and Adams County • Licensed in PA and MD

Paula Musselman Selling or buying a house?

Please call me – I’ll guide you every step of the way!

Office: (717) 793-9678 Cell: (717) 309-6921 2525 Eastern Blvd.

York, PA 17402 Paula1159@aol.com

Those are the five biggest takeaways I’ve learned in three years of retirement. In 2018, I’ll probably learn a few more retirement lessons.

But, if I can master these five, I will be ahead of the game.

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For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www.

FindingLoveAfter50.com.

rabbittransit Launches Service to ES3 Beginning Monday, Feb. 5, rabbittransit will launch new fixedroute bus service between the city of York and the industrial park area located along the northern section of Susquehanna Trail, ending at 4875 Susquehanna Trail (ES3).

There will be a morning and evening route departing from the downtown rabbittransit Transfer Center at 213 W. King St. Schedule information is as follows: • Transfer Center – 5:12 a.m. and 4:54 p.m.; 6:53 a.m. and 6:55 p.m.

• York County Prison – 5:30 a.m. and 5:20 p.m.; 6:33 a.m. and 6:35 p.m. www.50plusLifePA.com

• ES3 – 5:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m.; 6:10 a.m. and 6:10 p.m.

“Transportation is a huge barrier for those who are seeking employment.

By partnering with ES3, it makes it possible to provide additional service as they help contribute to the cost of operating assistance,” Richard Farr, rabbittransit executive director, said.

The service will begin as a pilot program and its continuation will be evaluated after three months based on route productivity and demand.

For more information, visit www. rabbittransit.org or call (717) 8465562.

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February 2018

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Corporate Office

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Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artist Lauren McNallen

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Janette McLaurin Jessica Simmons Angie Willis Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Jennifer Schmalhofer Gina Yocum Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Martha Lawrence

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50plus LIFE is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community.

On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature.

Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.

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February is American Heart Month Cover Story

High Blood Pressure Redefined High blood pressure should be treated earlier with lifestyle changes and in some patients with medication — at 130/80 mm Hg rather than 140/90 — according to the first new, comprehensive high blood pressure guidelines in more than a decade.

The guidelines are being published by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology for detection, prevention, management, and treatment of high blood pressure.

Rather than 1 in 3 U.S. adults having high blood pressure (32 percent) with the previous definition, the new guidelines will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46 percent) having high blood pressure, or hypertension.

However, there will only be a small increase in the number of U.S. adults who will require antihypertensive medication, authors said.

These guidelines, the first update to offer comprehensive guidance to doctors on managing adults with high blood pressure since 2003, are designed to help people address the potentially deadly condition much earlier.

The new guidelines stress the importance of using proper technique to measure blood pressure. Blood pressure levels should be based on an average of two to three readings on at least two different occasions, the authors said.

High blood pressure accounts for the second largest number of preventable heart disease and stroke deaths, second only to smoking. It’s known as the “silent killer” because often there are no symptoms, despite its role in significantly increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke.

Paul K. Whelton, M.B., M.D., M.Sc., lead author of the guidelines published in the American Heart Association journal, Hypertension, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, noted the dangers of blood pressure levels between 130-139/80-89 mm Hg. “You’ve already doubled your risk of cardiovascular complications compared to those with a normal level of blood pressure,” he said.

“We want to be straight with people — if you already have a doubling of risk, you need to know about it. It doesn’t mean you need medication, but it’s a yellow light that you need to be lowering your blood pressure, mainly with non-drug approaches.”

Blood pressure categories in the new guideline are:

• Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg • Elevated: Top number (systolic) between 120129 and bottom number (diastolic) less than 80 • Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89 • Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg • Hypertensive crisis: Top number over 180 and/or bottom number over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other indications of problems, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage The new guidelines eliminate the category of prehypertension, which was used for blood pressures with a top number (systolic) between 120-139 mm Hg or a bottom number (diastolic) between 80-89 mm Hg. People with those readings now will be categorized as having either elevated (120-129 and less than 80) or stage 1 hypertension (130-139 or 8089).

Previous guidelines classified 140/90 mm Hg as stage 1 hypertension. This level is classified as stage 2 hypertension under the new guidelines.

The impact of the new guidelines is expected to be greatest among younger people. The prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45 and double among women under 45, according to the report.

The guidelines stress the importance of home blood pressure monitoring using validated devices and appropriate training of healthcare providers to reveal “white-coat hypertension,” which occurs when pressure is elevated in a medical setting but not in everyday life.

Home readings can also identify “masked hypertension,” when pressure is normal in a medical setting but elevated at home, thus necessitating treatment with lifestyle and possibly medications.

“People with white-coat hypertension do not seem to have the same elevation in risk as someone with true sustained high blood pressure,” Whelton said. “Masked hypertension is more sinister and very important to recognize because these people seem to have a similar risk as those with sustained high blood pressure.” www.50plusLifePA.com

February is American Heart Month Other changes in the new guideline include: • Only prescribing medication for stage 1 hypertension if a patient has already had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, or is at high risk of heart attack or stroke based on age, the presence of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, or calculation of atherosclerotic risk (using the same risk calculator used in evaluating high cholesterol) • Recognizing that many people will need two or more types of medications to control their blood pressure and that people may take

their pills more consistently if multiple medications are combined into a single pill • Identifying socioeconomic status and psychosocial stress as risk factors for high blood pressure that should be considered in a patient’s plan of care The American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and nine other health-professional organizations developed the new guidelines, which were written by a panel of 21 scientists and health experts who reviewed more than 900 published studies.

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You provide valuable services to seniors, the disabled, caregivers, and their families.

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True Love or an Underlying Medical Condition?

In romance novels, a fluttering of the heart usually means true love.

In real life, the sudden sensation of your heart racing and pounding in your chest can be frightening enough to send you scrambling to call 911.

What’s behind heart palpitations, and how serious are they?

The human heart normally beats at a rate of 60–100 times a minute.

A heart rate of over 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia, a condition that may be serious.

But in most cases, a racing heart is of little concern. Common causes include stress, excessive caffeine, strenuous exercise, fever, www.50plusLifePA.com

hormone changes (connected with pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause), diet pills and some cold medications, or drug use.

If you feel your heart pounding, try to relax with some deep breathing or relaxation exercises. If such attacks are frequent, keep a record so you can discuss them with your doctor.

On the other hand, if your heart palpitations are accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or loss of conscious, seek emergency medical attention right away.

Palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as hyperthyroidism or arrhythmia.

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February 2018

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February is American Heart Month Dear Pharmacist

5 Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure that Really Work

Suzy Cohen

While waiting for a prescription, a friend of mine decided to check his blood pressure. He was dealing with a bout of walking pneumonia and his blood pressure spiked to 140/100!

Has this ever happened to you where you checked your BP at the pharmacy and it was suddenly high?

You can blame stress, the modern diet, lack of exercise, or a bad infection like my buddy had. You can blame other lifestyle factors, like smoking, too. Or it could simply be your genes, as high blood pressure, termed hypertension, tends to run in families.

If left untreated, hypertension can cause or lead to blindness, stroke, kidney failure, atherosclerosis, and heart failure.

Now, the good news. Here are five natural remedies that are proven to really work!

Account Representative

2. Magnesium Threonate Some forms of vitamins are better for certain conditions. With hypertension, look for the mineral magnesium threonate because this form of magnesium leaves your gut.

This type of magnesium can get into the bloodstream and get across your blood brain barrier, is easily absorbed by the cells, and has been proven to lower blood pressure and be stroke preventative as well.

Magnesium threonate is also great for helping promote good, healthy sleep and relaxation.

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3. Garlic Garlic cloves and garlic supplements have been proven to lower blood pressure.

Garlic is an allium vegetable that is rich in antioxidants, good-for-you phytochemical and polyphenols, and sulfur-containing compounds called allicin (which are wonderful for collagen promotion too!).

Garlic is especially effective at lowering systolic blood pressure.

If you are hardworking, positive, outgoing, and enjoy selling products you believe in, please email your resumé and compensation history/requirements to danderson@onlinepub.com or mail to D. Anderson c/o On-Line Publishers, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.

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February 2018

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1. Hibiscus Tea Hibiscus tea is a wonderful remedy for high blood pressure. It’s been used to lower blood pressure in other countries for decades, and it really works.

In one study, researchers found that drinking hibiscus tea for just 12 days reduced systolic pressure by an average 11.7 percent and diastolic pressure by 10.7 percent.

You can buy commercially prepared teabags, or you can easily make your own fresh hibiscus tea each morning. It’s fabulous for memory.

In fact, if you email my customer service team (customerservice@suzycohen. com), I’ll send you the recipe card by email for “Memory Mint Hibiscus Tea.”

EOE

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish and some plant foods, such as nuts, seeds, and cruciferous vegetables.

Fish oil is wonderful for lowering high blood pressure because it contains the compounds EPA and DHA, which lower BP and keep your heart www.50plusLifePA.com

February is American Heart Month

Need more LIFE in your life?

healthy overall. Fish oils help reduce triglycerides, and that reduces risk for heart attack and stroke.

5. Berries and Dark Chocolate I saved the best for last. Berries and dark chocolate … mmm! This sounds like a wonder-combo all of you can get on board with, right?

Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, goji, and acai are rich in compounds called polyphenols, which lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which dilate blood vessels, reducing pressure.

A tasty combo comes to mind: Try chocolate-covered blueberries or darkchocolate-dipped strawberries.

This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease. For more information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com

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Vitamin C, Vitamin E Help Reduce Stroke Risk The good news is that people are living longer, and the chance that you will live past age 65 is excellent (just 100 years ago, only 50 percent of Americans made it past 65).

The bad news? Women over 65 face double the stroke risk. But research shows that two supplements are excellent in helping reduce the stroke risk for older people.

In the survey, the participants with the highest amount of vitamin C intake — at least 133 milligrams per day — reduced their risk of stroke by 30 percent.

Smokers also benefited greatly from the highest vitamin C intake www.50plusLifePA.com

and cut their stroke risk by 70 percent.

And don’t forget your vitamin E, either, for added benefits. The study found that people whose intake was at least 15.5 milligrams per day reduced their risk for stroke by 20 percent.

To get an idea of how to get these nutrients in your diet, here are a few nutritional facts: a quarter cup of red bell peppers renders 71 milligrams of vitamin C, a half cup of strawberries renders 42 milligrams of vitamin C, and about 22 almonds renders 7.4 milligrams of vitamin E. – Adapted from Prevention magazine

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Your guide to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one.

Read it online, in print, and on mobile/tablet devices. onlinepub.com

22nd annual edition

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February 2018

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Fragments of History

Victor Parachin

Fascinating Facts about the ‘Feel-Good Food’

Chocolate has been making Americans smile for at least 4,000 years now — South Americans, that is.

Scientists believe the first cocoa trees grew wild in the Amazon valleys of South America. Archaeologists note that cocoa was cultivated by the ancient Mayans, who took it with them when they migrated to the Yucatan.

The Aztecs were also familiar with the cocoa bean, and they too carried it with them as they journeyed through Central America. Spanish explorers reported that the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, drank up to 50 cups of chocolate daily.

Today, four millennia later, chocolate has won over the world. Here are some fascinating chocolate facts.

Chocolate has been transformed. Today’s chocolate is quite different from what the ancient Mayans and Aztecs consumed. They allowed beans to ferment in the pod, and then roasted them and ground them into a fine powder, which was mixed with water.

The drink was cold, somewhat bitter, and called chocolatl. Some of the bitterness could be tempered with the addition of vanilla beans.

Columbus brings chocolate to Europe. Among the treasures Columbus brought back from the New World was a beverage he called cocoa. His mixture was more pleasing to European tastes because of the generous addition of sugar and milk.

It became such a sensation in the Spanish court of King Ferdinand that he demanded a vow of silence; no one was permitted to reveal the new, secret drink. The penalty for doing so was death.

His demand, combined with the threat of capital punishment, was effective. The Spanish had chocolate to themselves for nearly a full century before word of it leaked out.

It was believed to be a medicine. Early Spanish explorers declared chocolate a “divine drink” and believed it heightened resistance to disease and guarded against fatigue. Like the Aztecs, they also used it as a medicine for dysentery.

As the popularity of this mystical bean first spread to Europe, it was promoted as a chocolate medicinal drink that could cure various ills.

Many Europeans, including Italian adventurer and author Giacomo Casanova, claimed it was an inducement to romance. Called an “inflamer of passions,” chocolate was said to tempt monks to break their vows. Its romantic

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powers are likely the reason chocolate is connected to Valentine’s Day. Chocolate spreads across Europe. The first country beyond Spain to enjoy chocolate was Italy in 1606. An Italian visiting Spain — Antonio Carletti — encountered chocolate and brought samples back to Italy. Soon Italians were in search of their own source of chocolate.

France received chocolate as part of the dowry for the marriage of the Spanish princess Maria Theresa to King Louis XIV in 1660.

French royals, like their Spanish counterparts, were enthralled with chocolate. In fact, King Louis established a new court position: royal chocolate maker to the king.

It was a French citizen who brought chocolate to England when he opened a London shop in 1657, where he sold blocks of chocolate to turn into a drink. Soon cocoa pubs were appearing all over England,

Quick Chocolate Stats • Cocoa is the third-largest cash crop, behind coffee and sugar. The United States and Europe consume two-thirds of all the chocolate produced.

• A single chocolate chip provides sufficient food energy for an adult to walk 150 feet. It would take about 875,000 chocolate chips for an around-the-world hike.

• Cocoa only grows within 20 degrees of the equator. In 1996, Hawaii became the first U.S. state to produce cocoa.

• Chocolate makes use of 40 percent of the world’s almonds, 20 percent of the peanuts, and 8 percent of the sugar.

• W hile sales of most food products in the United States grow at an average rate of 1 percent a year, chocolate sales grow at 3 percent.

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• A ldersgate United Methodist Church (York) – (717) 771-9042 • Dover Township Library (717) 292-6814 • Eastern Area Senior Center (717) 252-1641 • Golden Connections Community Center (Red Lion) – (717) 244-7229 • Hanover Church of the Brethren (717) 633-6353 • Messiah United Methodist Church (York) – (717) 771-9042 • Red Land Senior Center (Lewisberry) (717) 938-4649 • Shrewsbury Grace United Methodist Church – (717) 993-3488 • Union Fire Company (Manchester) (717) 771-9042 • W hite Rose Senior Center (York city) (717) 843-9704 • Windy Hill on the Campus (Spring Grove) – (717) 225-0733 • York Alliance Church – (717) 7719042

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Are You Reading?

Join the 2018 One Book, One Community campaign by reading Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder of Elizabethtown, Pa. 80 libraries in Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties and their community partners present the regional reading campaign.

Attend free library programs and discussions throughout February and early spring!

please see FACTS page 15

The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program is again offering its free tax service for taxpayers of all ages, especially adults 60 and older, during the tax season.

Last year in York County, more than 60 volunteers helped 3,500 taxpayers file their federal, state, and local income tax returns at 14 sites.

There is no fee and AARP membership is not required.

Taxpayers should bring a photo ID for themselves and proof of their Social Security or ITIN numbers for anyone on the tax return, including children or other claimed dependents. Also, last year’s tax return is helpful if available.

IRS-certified Tax-Aide volunteers can prepare most personal income tax returns, including those with basic self-employment income. They are not trained to do business returns, such as corporate, partnership, limited partnership, farm income, or rental income.

Please call the following locations to make an appointment:

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Visit www.oboc.org or your library to learn more

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Code YSN

February 2018

9

Tours and Trips Traveltizers

By Andrea Gross

In Their Shoes: Special Museums with a Personal Touch

It’s one thing to envision yourself as a fictional person who represents a group of anonymous folks, like a soldier or farmer. It’s another to imagine the thoughts of a real man or woman whose story has been well documented.

But here, in three extraordinary museums, each visitor actually takes on the identity of a particular individual whose future is still unknown.

Upon entering the museum, the participant is randomly assigned to follow a specific person who took part in a historic event.

Through a combination of digital technology, threedimensional displays, and a host of diaries, documents, and artifacts, he is able to see his alter ego’s actions and become privy to his thoughts.

According to the old proverb, you can’t truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. These are walks you’ll long remember.

Dioramas depict typical Civil War military camps at the National Museum of the Civil War.

Costumed interpreters fire canons at the National Museum of the Civil War.

The Grand Staircase has become symbolic of the opulence that defined the Titanic. It was 60 feet high and 16 feet wide.

A replica of a 1940s Pullman train, like that used by soldiers leaving for war, takes visitors to the first stop on their interactive journey through World War II.

A Civil War Soldier I’m communing with 13-year-old Delavan Miller, a drummer boy in the Union Army of the Potomac, circa 1862.

As I stop in front of a diorama depicting a typical military camp, Delavan confides that he had considered “falling out of line.” Across the room, my

husband is listening to 21-yearold Eli Pinson Landers, who fought for the South.

Delavan and Eli were real people, and my husband and I are using personal digital players to listen to their actual words, as recorded in letters and journals and spoken by actors.

The two boy-men fought for different causes, yet their thoughts were remarkably similar.

And this — the similarities of those on both sides of the war — is the overriding lesson of the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier at Pamplin Historical Park (www. pamplinpark.org) in Petersburg, Virginia.

As I don my headphones and listen to Delavan describe his experiences, I suddenly hear a gasp from another visitor.

Her “comrade” was describing a battle when a loud shot interrupted his words.

“He was killed,” she says quietly.

A Titanic Passenger The stars are out tonight. The weather is chilly; I pull my wrap around me more tightly … Oh my! What’s that? The ship shudders. I reach for a chair to keep my balance.

My name, according to the “boarding pass” I received when I entered the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri, is Eleanor Widener, and my cabin

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Tours and Trips number aboard the ill-fated ship is C-80-82.

The Titanic left Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, and was due to arrive in New York seven days later. Five days into the journey and about 1,300 miles northeast of its destination, it struck an iceberg. Most of the passengers drowned.

Unlike other museums Visitors stop at the “Wall of Stories” to that match visitors with a see if the Titanic passenger whom they real person and depict history represent lived or died. through the diaries and photographs of that person, Branson’s Titanic Museum (www.titanicbranson.com) recreates the past in its three-dimensional glory through a half-size replica of the actual ship as well as more than 4,000 artifacts.

Thus, in my role as the real Eleanor, I spend what may be my few remaining hours in this world climbing the grand staircase, shivering in the cold night air, and finally sitting in a lifeboat and praying that I’ll make it to safety.

Finally the real me goes to the ship’s Memorial Hall to find out what happened to my counterpart. Eleanor survived. Her husband and son did not.

In their honor, she donated more than $3.5 million to establish a Harry Elkins Widener Library at Harvard University, at the same time insisting that all Harvard students pass a swimming test before graduation.

After all, Harry might have saved himself had he been able to swim.

A World War II Aviator I’m so busy munching a beignet that I almost miss my train.

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I sink into my seat on the recreated Pullman car and stare at my digital dog tag. It contains the individual story of “my” veteran, the person I will follow as I go on a multimedia journey through World War II. Suddenly the train stops, and I’m in the Campaigns of Courage Pavilion, a 32,000-square-foot exhibition hall at New Orleans’ National World War II Museum The National World War II Museum (www.nationalww2museum.org). has thousands of artifacts, It contains two permanent from small helmets to huge jeeps. exhibits: “The Road to Berlin,” where people become immersed in the sights and sounds of war-torn Europe, and “The Road to Tokyo,” which leads visitors on a digital and experiential journey through the jungles of Southeast Asia and onto the beaches of the Pacific.

I begin in Europe, where, at various stops, I use my dog tag to unlock the story of John Morgan.

He was quite a man — a Medal of Honor winner, a POW, and a member of the unit that inspired the award-winning film Twelve O’Clock High. I feel honored to have known Lt. Col. Morgan, if only for a few hours.

I also feel incredibly lucky. I’ve accompanied three people on my museum visits, and they all survived.

My husband wasn’t as fortunate. His alter egos left him thrice dead.

For more information on these museums and the surrounding areas, go to www. traveltizers.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

For information or reservations : 717-569-1111 2018 catalog available, or visit our website: www.conestogatours.com MULTI-DAY TOURS • Nashville, Memphis & New Orleans.....................Mar 16 – 25 • Florida Winter Escape..........................................Mar 17 – 25 • Texas and San Antonio........................................... Apr 3 – 12 • Charleston, Savannah & Myrtle Beach................... Apr 8 – 13 • Biltmore Festival of Flowers & Dollywood............. Apr 9 – 13 • Creation Museum & Ark Encounter...................... Apr 18 – 21 • Boston Spring Getaway Weekend........................Apr 27 – 29 • Holland Tulip Festival............................................ May 7 – 11 • Myrtle Beach Spring Fling................................... May 14 – 18 • Nashville & Branson............................................ May 14 – 20 • Hudson Valley Springtime Holiday......................May 20 – 23 • Boston & Plymouth............................................. May 21 – 24 • Wine, Women & Waterfalls...................................... Jun 1 – 3 • Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival......................... Jun 15 – 17 • Niagara Falls & African Lion Safari..................... Jun 19 – 22 • Black Hills of South Dakota & Yellowstone............. Jul 8 – 22 • California & the Pacific Northwest..........................Sep 9 – 28 • Canadian Rockies by Rail.................................Sep 30 – Oct 7 • Iceland – Land of Fire & Ice..................................Oct 21 – 27

ONE-DAY TOURS • Westminster Dog Show..................................................Feb 12 • New York Winter Special..................................Feb 17, Mar 10 • Terracotta Warriors – Franklin Institute.......................Feb 24 • Philadelphia Flower Show....................................... Mar 3 – 9 • Washington DC Kickoff................................................. Mar 17 • NY 9/11 Museum...............................................Mar 24, May 5 • Cherry Blossoms in DC.....................................Mar 31, Apr 4,7 • NY Auto Show..................................................................Apr 7 • NY World Trade Center Observation Tower...................Apr 14 • Monticello & Charlottesville..........................................Apr 14 • Museum of the Bible in DC.............................. Apr 21, May 19 • Georgetown House Tour................................................Apr 28 • NY Gourmet Shopping..................................................Apr 28 • Annapolis and the Naval Academy................................Apr 28 • Ocean City, MD Springfest..............................................May 5 • St Michaels, MD............................................................May 12 • Embassy Tour in DC......................................................May 12 • Cape May Mother’s Day................................................May 13 • Mt Vernon & Potomac River Cruise..............................May 30

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Tours and Trips Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

Escort Services that Can Help Seniors with the Rigors of Travel

Dear Savvy Senior, Do you know of any services that help seniors with the rigors of traveling? My youngest daughter is getting married in a few months and would love to have my 82-year-old mother attend, but she needs help flying across the country.

– Searching Daughter Dear Searching, Traveling can be daunting under the best circumstances, but for elderly seniors, those with disabilities, or those recovering or rehabilitating from an illness or injury, it can seem particularly overwhelming or unmanageable.

Fortunately, there are a number of companies that provide traveling companion/escort services to help older adults with the rigors of travel.

Whether it’s seniors going on vacation or grandparents wanting to join their far-off families for weddings and graduations, travel companions help clients who need help moving through airports, managing luggage, navigating busy terminals and hotel lobbies, and much more.

Some companion services even provide personal care, such as medication reminders, dressing, bathing, and feeding. And for those with specific medical needs, traveling nurse services are available too.

But be aware that these services aren’t cheap. You will pay for the travel companion’s tickets, the companion’s hotel room if necessary, meals, incidentals, and fees for the service.

The price to accompany a client on a plane trip within the United States — including the companion fees and travel costs for all parties — can range anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 or more for coach airfare. Business or first class would cost more.

To locate a travel-companion service in your area, search online for “senior travel companion” or “senior travel escort,” followed by your mom’s city or state.

Or use an experienced national service, such as Flying Companions (www.

flyingcompanions.com) or FirstLight Home Care (www.firstlighthomecare.com), which has a national network of franchises that provide in-home care for seniors and offers travel companion programs in about one-third of its 130 franchises.

Or, for medical travel companions, do a search for “traveling nurse escort” or “medical travel companion,” or check out Travel Care & Logistics (www.yourflightnurse.com), which provides registered nurses as escorts.

If, however, your mom doesn’t require a lot of assistance, or if you can’t afford a travel escort, consider asking a trusted family member or friend that has some air travel experience.

Questions to Ask If you’re interested in hiring a travel-companion service to help your mom, there are a number of things you need to check into to ensure you get the right escort.

First, if your mom requires personal or medical care while traveling, find out if the escort is trained to manage her healthcare needs. What sort of medical certifications do they have (nursing credentials, CPR training, etc.)?

Also, find out how many trips the companion has taken with clients. Have they completed trips with travelers like your mom? How long has the travel service company been in business?

What is the company’s safety record? And what sort of insurance does it carry, and what and whom does it cover?

Also, get a quote breaking down exactly what you’ll be required to pay, in addition to the companion’s fees. And, get a list of two or three clients/references who have used their service and call them.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org

Watch Your Manners When You Travel Traveling abroad is stressful enough without accidentally offending the people you’re visiting.

Check out these warnings from the BuzzFeed website to steer clear of a faux pas in a foreign nation: China – Don’t give any kind of gift with the number four in it. The Chinese word for “four” sounds close to the word for “death.”

India – Use your right hand when eating or passing food, never your left. The left hand is considered unclean in India, as well as other places like Africa and the Middle East.

Japan – Don’t stick your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice. Rice is presented this way during funerals.

Doing it at a meal will be seen as bad luck.

Denmark – You’ll show bad manners if you take the last item of food off a plate. If you want a little more, take only part of it and leave the rest.

Mexico – Your server won’t bring your check to the table before you ask for it, so don’t assume he or she isn’t paying attention to you.

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www.50plusLifePA.com

The Beauty in Nature

Wintering Feathered Commuters Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Several kinds of adaptable, whistling of duck wings as those birds wintering birds — including horned pass overhead. larks, Canada geese, mallard ducks, Sometimes those geese and ducks rock pigeons, mourning doves, land in croplands seething with pinkAmerican crows, red-tailed hawks, tinted, drifting snow. The geese mostly American kestrels, and screech owls — consume green blades of rye while the feed in fields harvested to the ground ducks shovel up corn. in southeastern Rock pigeons Pennsylvania, and mourning but they rest and doves eat weed digest their food and grass seeds elsewhere. and corn kernels Fields are in farmland. banquet tables Interestingly, flocks but not bedrooms of pigeons resemble between feeding gray-and-white forays for those confetti tossed common birds, across the fields except one species: when they land to horned larks. consume seeds and Sparrow-sized grain. horned larks eat Pigeons roost Mallard duck weed and grass on top of silos and seeds and bits in barns between of corn kernels feeding forays, but lying in harvested doves generally fields. These little perch on roadside brown birds, with wires and in attractive blacksheltering spruce and-yellow face trees on lawns. patterns, are the Gangs of only ones that wintering American winter exclusively crows ingest bits in those barren of corn and other fields. edible tidbits in They blend into cropland but roost bare ground, or overnight in stands nearly so, making of coniferous trees, Mourning dove them impossible deciduous trees in to see until they cities, or in larger fly. trees near shopping malls.

Canada geese and mallard ducks Red-tailed hawks hunt mice, rest on slow waterways and humansquirrels, and other critters in made impoundments but do much farmland but spend nights in spruce of their feeding in rye fields and trees in suburban areas. harvested cornfields. Both species are American kestrels and screech owls exciting to watch leaving their watery hunt mice in cropland — kestrels by roosts at sunset to fly to feeding fields. day and owls at night. But both these Flock after flock of them, for a few species roost in tree cavities, many of minutes, sweep swiftly up from the them in suburban lawns. water and power silhouetted across Fields are dining tables for these the brilliant sunset. One can hear birds. But each species rests and the excited honking of the geese and digests elsewhere. www.50plusLifePA.com



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Volunteer Spotlight 4 Retired Professionals Continue to Serve York Area For their service Geyer worried and dedication about others taking to York’s older advantage of seniors. adults, Barbara This inspired her to Clark, Julie Geyer, volunteer.

Bill Tileston, and Tileston, of York Suzanne Piccolo Township, assists as are York County a financial counselor, Barbara Clark Julie Geyer Area Agency on among his other Aging’s volunteers volunteer activities. of the month.

His work history Clark, of was in finance and Hellam Township, accounting. volunteers as Tileston believes an APPRISE volunteers are very counselor as well important because as an ombudsman. Bill Tileston Suzanne Piccolo they help meet Clark is a critical, local needs retired human services professional in the community, especially when with more than 20 years of funding sources are increasingly experience working with seniors and smaller. families. She attributes her mother’s Piccolo, of Springettsbury teachings about the importance Township, volunteers with the of giving back and treating people APPRISE program and special with dignity and humanity as her events. inspiration to volunteer.

Piccolo retired after 32 years Geyer, of New Oxford, helps out with York County Children, Youth the agency as a friendly visitor, a and Families, and believes that this is why she wants to continue financial counselor, and a Matter of Balance coach. Due to her to “give back to the community” by assisting her peers with “the personal experience as a longwonderful world of Medicare.” distance caregiver for her father, Do you know a 50+ volunteer who gives selflessly to others? Tell us what makes him or her so special and we will consider them for 50plus LIFE’s Volunteer Spotlight!

Submissions should be 200 words or fewer and photos are encouraged. Email preferred to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or mail nominations to 50plus LIFE, Volunteer Spotlight, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.

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CCRCs/ Life Plan Communities Designed with their residents’ changing needs in mind, CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities)/Life Plan Communities offer a tiered approach to the aging process.

Healthy adults entering these communities can live independently. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can transition to personal care, assisted living, rehabilitation, or nursing care facilities.

Some CCRCs/Life Plan Communities have designated dementia areas that address the progressing needs of people who have any form of dementia. In addition, some communities have sought out and earned accreditation from CARF International, signifying they have met CARF’s stringent set of quality standards. CCRCs/Life Plan Communities enable older adults to remain in one care system for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out—creating both comfort and peace of mind.

Bethany Village

325 Wesley Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Stephanie Lightfoot Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 766-0279 www.bethanyvillage.org

Cornwall Manor

1 Boyd Street, P.O. Box 125 Cornwall, PA 17016 Jennifer Margut Director of Marketing (717) 274-8092 info@cornwallmanor.org www.cornwallmanor.org

Homeland Center

Homestead Village

Pleasant View Retirement Community

Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities

1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 Barry S. Ramper II, N.H.A. President/CEO (717) 221-7902 www.homelandcenter.org

Enhanced Senior Living 1800 Marietta Avenue P.O. Box 3227 Lancaster, PA 17604-3227 Christina Gallagher Director of Marketing (717) 397-4831, ext. 158 www.homesteadvillage.org

544 North Penryn Road Manheim, PA 17545 Amanda Hall Sales & Marketing Manager (717) 664-6207 ahall@pleasantviewrc.org www.pleasantviewrc.org

2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org

Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community 2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Beste Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.beste@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org

Landis Homes

1001 East Oregon Road Lititz, PA 17543 Sarah Short Director of Residency Planning (717) 381-3549 sshort@landishomes.org www.landishomes.org

If you would like your CCRC/Life Plan Community to be featured on this page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.

The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Happy Fat Tuesday This year the revelry of the carnival season will culminate on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in celebrations around the world before the start of Lent.

In the United States, the city of New Orleans is the capital for all things Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

Although the city has roots deeply centered in French heritage, it was not the first American

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city to host this event. French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is rumored to have held the first Mardi Gras in a location about 60 miles downriver.

Years later, settlers, along with French soldiers, would continue the practice by donning masks and enjoying festivities in the newly established town of Mobile, Alabama. www.50plusLifePA.com

York County

Calendar of Events

Community Programs/Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Feb. 2, 10:30 a.m.

Partners in Thyme Herb Club of Southern York County Glenview Alliance Church 10037 Susquehanna Trail, Glen Rock (717) 428-2210

Feb. 6, 7 p.m.

Surviving Spouse Socials of York County Faith United Church of Christ 509 Pacific Ave., York (717) 266-2784

Crispus Attucks Active Living Center (717) 848-3610, www.crispusattucks.org

Feb. 20, 7-8 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Providence Place 3377 Fox Run Road, Dover (717) 767-4500

Eastern Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 252-1641

Feb. 5, 9:30 a.m.

Green Thumb Garden Club Meeting Emmanuel Lutheran Church 2650 Freysville Road, Red Lion (717) 235-2823

If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

Parks and Recreation Feb. 3, 9:30-11:30 a.m. – Cabin Fever Hike II: Super Hike, Rocky Ridge Park Feb. 16, 7-9:30 p.m. – Owl Walk, Nixon Park Feb. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Maple Sugaring Story Walk, Nixon Park

Library Programs Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, (717) 927-9014 Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m. – Purls of Brogue Knitting Club Glatfelter Memorial Library, 101 Glenview Road, Spring Grove, (717) 225-3220 Mondays, 6-8 p.m. – Knitters Group

FACTS from page 9 developing such a following that ale makers tried to restrict the sale of their new competitor.

The Swiss produce a new chocolate texture.

Rodolphe Lindt, a Swiss citizen, experimented with producing a smoother, creamier chocolate, one that would melt on the tongue.

To do this he invented the “conching” machine. To “conche” meant to heat and roll chocolate in order to further refine it. He conched chocolate for 72 hours, adding more cocoa butter until it became smooth and creamy.

It’s called the ‘Food of the Gods.’ In 1753 the Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus, gave the cocoa plant its scientific name: Theobroma cacao, literally “the food of the gods.”

The tree is cacao, the bean is cocoa, and the food is chocolate. This plant bears no relation to coconuts or coca, the source of cocaine.

North Americans experience chocolate.

The first North American chocolate was www.50plusLifePA.com

manufactured in 1765 in the corner of a Boston factory by John Hannon, an Irish immigrant.

America’s most famous chocolatier was a Pennsylvanian named Milton Hershey. In 1894 Hershey presented Americans with the first Hershey bar. He made it out of simple, basic ingredients: sugar, cocoa, chocolate, and milk.

The Hershey bar, which sold for a few pennies, was affordable to most Americans and was an astounding success.

Chocolate is heavenly and healthy. If you’re concerned that this delicious treat may not be all that good for you, take heart — some research indicates that chocolate may be the olive oil of desserts.

Three separate studies indicate that even when chocolate is consumed on a daily basis over a long period of time, it does not raise blood cholesterol levels in healthy individuals, while other forms of saturated fat do.

Those studies confirm what most of us already know — namely, that chocolate tastes good and may even be good for us!

Delta Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 456-5753 Dillsburg Senior Activity Center – (717) 432-2216

Golden Connections Community Center (717) 244-7229, www.gcccenter.com Weekdays, 9 a.m. – Games Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Pinochle Fridays, 9:15 a.m. – Computers 101 Golden Visions Senior Community Center (717) 633-5072, www.goldenvisionspa.com Heritage Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 292-7471 www.heritagesrcenter.org Northeastern Senior Community Center (717) 266-1400, www.mtwolf.org/SeniorCenter Red Land Senior Center – (717) 938-4649 www.redlandseniorcenter.org September House – (717) 848-4417 South Central Senior Community Center (717) 235-6060 http://southcentralyorkcountysrctr.webs.com Mondays, 9:15 a.m. – Stretch Yoga Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – Watercolor Art Class Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Line Dancing Stewartstown Senior Center – (717) 993-3488 www.stewsenior.org Susquehanna Senior Center – (717) 244-0340 www.susquehannaseniorcenter.org Mondays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Chorus Practice Tuesdays, 6-10 p.m. – Bluegrass/Country Music Jam Session White Rose Senior Center – (717) 843-9704 www.whiteroseseniorcenter.org Windy Hill On the Campus – (717) 225-0733 www.windyhillonthecampus.org Feb. 20, 12:30 p.m. – Monthly Book Club Yorktown Senior Center – (717) 854-0693 www.yorktownseniorcenter.org Just a snippet of what you may be missing … please call or visit their website for more information.

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It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay’ Randal Hill

Were those lines meant to be ironic? At that point Otis Redding was really all about change.

He had wowed the (overwhelmingly white) crowd at the recent Monterey Pop Festival.

Aretha Franklin had taken his “Respect” to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop chart.

He had been listening to Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

He talked of starting his own record label.

•••

Born in 1941, Redding had grown up in Macon, Georgia, the home of Little Richard and James Brown, both early major influences. Redding left school at age 15 and went on the road to sing with the Upsetters, Little Richard’s former backup group.

Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

On Oct. 4, 1967, Redding met with Cropper in a Memphis recording studio to polish Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.” “We knew we finally had the song that would cross him over to the pop

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May 2, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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DAUPHIN COUNTY

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Redding died at age 26 when his small private plane slammed into a Wisconsin lake.

He and his five-piece band, the Bar-Kays, had been heading to Madison for a club date. One band member survived the crash.

Steve Cropper ended up tinkering with Redding’s work by adding sound effects of gently lapping waves. The result was a fine point on what rock historian Dave Marsh once declared was “as whole, as fully realized and mature, as any record ever made.”

Music fans obviously agreed; by the end of the century, “Dock” had earned a phenomenal 6 million spins on the radio.

Please join us for these FREE events!

19th Annual

Looks like nothing’s gonna change/ Everything still remains the same

May 9, 2018

19th Annual

Otis Redding was at peace — sort of — when he began his best-known creation on a friend’s houseboat in Sausalito, California.

On one lazy, sunny afternoon in 1967, Redding strummed his acoustic guitar and softly sang whatever lyrics drifted into his head.

He was going somewhere with a tune; he just didn’t know where.

Later on, Redding market,” Cropper hooked up — as would say later.

But only Redding lead singer — with another Macon and Cropper outfit, Johnny believed in the future Jenkins and the classic. The power Pinetoppers. They people behind Volt had scored a regional Records (Redding’s hit called “Love label) hated what Twist,” and Atlantic was offered and Records was showing condemned the interest. song as being too In October 1962 “pop” for Redding’s Atlantic invited hardcore fans.

Jenkins to do Where was that “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” signature Otis some recording in Otis Redding Memphis. Jenkins Redding soul? And February 1968 didn’t drive, so what was with that Redding chauffeured adlibbed whistling of his friend in a borrowed station Redding’s that showed up at the end? wagon.

Three days after finishing recording The Memphis house band that “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” day included a future Redding collaborator, guitarist Steve Cropper.

The Jenkins session never came together, but in the studio that afternoon Redding cut an original soul ballad called “These Arms of Mine.”

It became the first of 21 hit singles he would record in his brief lifetime.

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl

June 6, 2018

15th Annual

Sittin’ in the morning sun/I’ll be sittin’ when the evening comes

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CHESTER COUNTY

Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton

Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars • Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available (717) 285-1350 (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240

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February 2018

17

Soldier Stories

Robert Naeye

April 9, 2018 May 30, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wyndham Hotel York

NEW LOCATION!

2000 Loucks Road York

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel 1741 Papermill Road Wyomissing

Please, join us!

This combined event is FREE for veterans of all ages, active military, and their families.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits Community Services Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops/Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Principal Sponsors:

Near Chu Lai, Army Nurse Treated Civilians, Soldiers — and Vietcong

In the December 2017 issue of officer’s training school at Fort Sam 50plus LIFE I told the story of Ann Houston in Texas. She learned basic Thompson, who served as an Army navigation skills and how to shoot nurse during the early period of direct 45-calibre pistols. She also performed American involvement in the Vietnam tracheotomies on goats to learn basic War. combat surgery.

Now I turn to her friend and fellow But she agrees with Thompson that nurse, Linda her Army training Goodhart, who was woefully served in Vietnam inadequate for the four years after grim realities of Thompson, from wartime medicine.

October 1969 to “I wasn’t October 1970. expecting to go to Although Vietnam, so I didn’t she now resides think about it,” she in Central recalls.

Pennsylvania, But her Philly Goodhart hospital would was born in often treat very sick Philadelphia patients or victims in 1947 and of gunshot wounds graduated from Linda Goodhart today, right, with or domestic abuse.

Ann Thompson, a fellow Vietnam nearby West “You really nurse, in Goodhart’s backyard.

Chester High got to see terrible School. She went things, so I felt, ‘I directly into a three-year nursing can do this, no problem,’” Goodhart program at Philadelphia General says. “I thought it couldn’t get much Hospital, where she received her worse than this — then I found out it diploma. could.”

The Army helped pay for her Goodhart took a flight across the training in return for two years of Pacific to Saigon. When she arrived, service and four years of active reserve the heat and humidity hit her hard.

— although she was never specifically Making matters worse, nobody told about the additional four years. at the airport had her name, so she “The Army was my way of saving had no idea where to go. But she money for college,” says Goodhart. eventually figured things out by asking Like Thompson, Goodhart attended questions.

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LIFE

April 9, 2018

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

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February 2018

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NEW LOCATION!

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wyndham Hotel York 2000 Loucks Road, York

The Veterans’ Expo & Job Fair welcomes volunteers!

If you can help with registration or stuffing attendee bags for all or just part of the day, we’d love to have you.

Contact Kimberly Shaffer at (717) 285-8123 or kshaffer@onlinepub.com for more information.

www.50plusLifePA.com

A few days later she was flown by helicopter to the 91st Evacuation Hospital in the area of Chu Lai Air Base, about 100 miles south of the demilitarized zone. The pilot flew over the South China Sea to avoid enemy fire.

She spent her first three months in the South Vietnamese ward, treating primarily civilians and children. She was overwhelmed by the sight of so many patients.

“It was difficult at times dealing with that population because you couldn’t speak their language, but eventually we could figure out what they wanted,” says Goodhart.

Goodhart recalls one tragic incident where she and her colleagues were treating a comatose boy about 2 or 3 years old. His brain was swollen from malaria.

As was common in Vietnam hospitals, family members came to stay with the patients. The boy’s mother spoke very good English, so a nurse took her to the intensive care unit to translate for an enemy patient.

Shortly thereafter, the boy went into cardiac arrest. The doctors and nurses tried everything they could to save him, but he didn’t make it.

“When the mother came back, I had to tell her that her son had died and that we did everything we could,” recalls Goodhart.

The mother spent the night holding her baby. The next day the mother thanked Goodhart for trying to save her child, and Goodhart broke out in tears. But that was the last time she cried in Vietnam.

Goodhart’s evacuation hospital was relatively small, with about 70 beds and 20-25 nurses. But her Army base also had a surgical hospital.

Goodhart’s hospital was located on a gorgeous beach, but with 12-hour shifts six days a week, she had little time to appreciate it.

Conditions were often primitive.

The hospital’s only air conditioning was in the ICU. All personnel were given daily doses of antibiotics to fend off infections. And they had to contend with pouring rain without adequate clothing and footwear.

Goodhart asked her parents to send her a heating blanket, which she used to prevent items on her bed from collecting mildew.

Officers had to pay for their meals. www.50plusLifePA.com

The Army food wasn’t great, but Goodhart came home in October The movie M*A*S*H came out in it was edible. To spice things up, 1970 and attended college in 1970, when Goodhart was on leave Goodhart wrote home and asked her in Hong Kong. She says many of the Connecticut. She later went on parents to send bottles of A.1. characters were similar to doctors and to earn two master’s degrees in “Pretty soon people started sitting nurses in Vietnam. The movie was set healthcare from Yale University. She with me so they in the Korean War, moved back to Pennsylvania in 1980 could use my steak to work in a nursing administration but it was really sauce,” she says. about Vietnam. job at the Lebanon VA Medical Her parents also Center.

One thing sent her copies of After meeting at a Vietnam nurses the movie (and The Philadelphia group more than 25 years ago, in television series) Inquirer, which depicted accurately 1997 Goodhart and Thompson would generally traveled with other nurses to Vietnam. was what arrive about a week The trip was pleasant and cathartic, happened when late. wounded soldiers and most of the locals were very “I would read friendly. She even got to reacquaint were coming in these stories and herself with one of her Vietnamese fast and furious. think, ‘This isn’t The doctors would patients. what’s going on Besides their friendship born of have to practice here.’ The secret “meatball surgery,” common hardship and experiences, war in Cambodia Goodhart and Thompson got together meaning they’d Goodhart at the 91st Evacuation have to sew up was secret to the with three other Vietnam War nurses Bunker near Chu Lai Air Base, 1970. news people and to patients and move to coauthor the book Another Kind of the people in the them on.

War Story, which is available through United States, but it wasn’t so secret Amazon.

“One of the biggest problems to us because we’d get those folks [at is that when we had new doctors Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist the hospital].” coming in, they wanted to practice living in Derry Township. He is the The hospital had a triage system their specialties; they wanted to former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope that prioritized military personnel practice stateside medicine,” says magazine. over civilians. Abdominal wounds Goodhart. “We would say, ‘No, you usually came first, and brain injuries can’t do that.’” often came last. Patients with less severe injuries were kept either in “the Stories of ordinary men and women rear” or at another hospital.

“Our philosophy was that if they called to perform extraordinary military service. live 12 hours, they’ll live for the rest From 1999–2016, writer and World War II of the time. But if they get too well veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox preserved the too quickly, they get to go back to the firsthand wartime experiences of more than fight. That’s what Army medical is for 200 veterans through Salute to a Veteran, his — to preserve the fighting strength.” monthly column featured in 50plus LIFE. Goodhart frequently cared for enemy prisoners. There was always a Now, for the first time, 50 of those stories— military police officer present — two selected by Wilcox himself—are available to if prisoners were numerous — so own in this soft-cover book.

Goodhart felt safe.

North Vietnamese POWs Simply complete and mail this form with your payment sometimes showed genuine to the address below to order Salute to Our Veterans. appreciation for the care they On-Line Publishers • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 received. Goodhart befriended two Name_ _______________________________________________________ North Vietnamese captives who were later shot in cold blood by South Address_ ______________________________________________________ Vietnamese soldiers while being driven to a POW camp.

City_______________________________ State_ ____ Zip_ ______________ In stark contrast, Goodhart Phone_ _____________________ Email______________________________ describes Vietcong prisoners as “very scary people” who would sometimes Number of copies_ ______ (Please include $20.80 for each copy) threaten to slit the throats of the doctors and nurses. These guerillas Credit card #______________________________________ Exp. date________ were often from the local area, so Signature of cardholder_________________________________CVV #________ from their perspective, they were Or send a check made payable to On-Line Publishers, Inc. defending their homeland against You can also order online at www.50plusLIFEpa.com! foreign invaders.

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