“I At Last Know What Modern War Is”: A Doughboy’s Perspective of Life on the Western Front By: David Bennett

On September 10, 1918, Private First Class Miles F. Sawyer penned a letter home to Plymouth, North Carolina, after experiencing his first combat rotation with the 119^th Infantry Regiment in France. His letter provides insights into a man coming to grips with modern warfare.

Sawyer made his first march into the trenches under the cover of darkness. It was an eerie and terrifying experience as flares illuminated the landscape while machine guns raked the trench parapets and artillery shells burst all around them. “The night was black,” Sawyer wrote, “I had no idea where we were going.” “It seemed miles that we followed the zig-zag trench. The constant detonations of bursting shells filled me with alarm until I grew accustomed to them and made up my mind that they weren’t for me.” When Sawyer finally reached the frontline he could not resist peering over the parapet and into No Man’s Land. “A thrill passed thru me,” he wrote. “I at last know what modern war is…The horror of war cast a shroud over me.” Sawyer spent the rest of his letter highlighting the consequences of industrialized warfare.

Conditions in the trenches were difficult. Sawyer found that he could only sleep during the day when the air was warm and quiet. The nights were cold and disturbed by bombardments and enemy raids. There was little potable water at the front so he was reduced to boiling water gathered from shell holes. Lice became a constant companion.

Lack of comfort was inconsequential when compared to the omnipresence of death: “I have experienced the hell of this war; the deafening burst of shells that shake you from head to foot; that constant strain of a possible gas attack and the fatigue and long vigils…we have feelings of horror pass over us when our comrades fall; we wince when we see them suffer pain.”

Though he suffered, Sawyer believed that he was fighting for freedom and justice. If necessary, Sawyer wrote, he would give his life for the cause of freedom.

Fortunately, Sawyer survived the war, but not unscathed. On September 29, 1918, Sawyer was severely wounded in combat when the 119^th Infantry Regiment broke the Hindenburg Line at its strongest point. He eventually recovered from his wounds and was honorably discharged from the Army with partial disability.

Sawyers House of Furniture

Daycation June 30, July 1st and 2nd 2017

Gun Tips -- by Lloyd "Duke" Hodges

When are you right and when are you wrong?  What I am writing about is, in my view, did you select the right firearm for your purpose.  A known trainer has said that a gun is not comfortable, it is comforting.  Yep, that is true at least in my case.  My carry piece and spare mags weigh in at a shade over three pounds.  However, after some hours it is uncomfortable.  The leather belt I use has begun to soften and stretch so I am thinking about options.  The nice part of having options is that I can ponder and at the same time enjoy my leather work hobby.  I think that by doubling the leather on the carry side, the holster will stay in place and close to the body.  We will see.  One drill for hand guns and long guns is to hold it at arms length for a minute.  If you feel strain you are either out of shape or you may have too much gun.  Without getting into who makes what there are choices in small, medium, and large guns.  You are the one who must decide what is best and if the ammo is available.  AND, does the piece fit in  and or does it get lost in your hand?  Generally speaking, I feel that situational awareness comes to the fore.  This means to me that I know where I am and know where and how to access my gun.  Now, ladies you have the purse for additional items.  Since you ladies are visual and me being just an ordinary guy I barely understand you all are organized and know exactly where your stuff is.  Well, stuff gets moved around and therein is a problem to guard against.  The only thing in the trigger guard should be the index finger any other object is not acceptable.  Some guns can discharge with little pressure.   Uncontrolled discharge will land you in a heap of legal trouble.  Oh, by the way,  guys, shoving a gun into the pocket can also cause pain and a lot of damage.  Get a pocket holster and forgo the grief.  By the way,  I am looking forward to meeting you readers and speaking with you on 6/27.

Lloyd Duke Hodges

Looking for a Home? Call Lynn Bulman

Chowanoke History -- by Duvonya Chavis

Mounds generally are telling of the size or population of a Native society that existed during an early period in history.  While an untold number of mounds across the United States, literally tens of thousands, were constructed long before colonialism, only about 500 Adena sites or mounds have been uncovered by archaeologists. These mounds were noted in Ohio, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Others have been written about,  particularly in the Mississippi and Ohio regions. Mounds were constructed by American Indians to house the remains of the dead and contained shells, many artifacts and revealed burial practices. Some mounds still exist and are as large as a thousand feet in diameter and 65 feet high while the Serpent Mound in Ohio is over 1,300 feet long, 4 -5 feet high and 20 to 25 feet wide.

These mounds are reflective of a society having a large population and an exceptionally high level of political or social refinement. Accomplishing the construction of such a massive structure would not have been possible otherwise. Large mounds were also an indication of a sedentary society that had a sophisticated control of resources. All across America, these mounds existed.

The Chowanoke had a very large mound in one of their villages and was described in detail by Dr. Richard Dillard. While this was not the only mound that existed as several smaller mounds have been noted among the Chowanoke, this one apparently deserved a noteworthy description. Dr. Dillard wrote “One of the largest and most remarkable Indian mounds in Eastern North Carolina is located at Bandon on the Chowan, evidently the site of the ancient town of the Chowanokes which Grenville’s party visited in 1585 and was called Mavaton…..the mound extends along the riverbank five or six hundred yards, is sixty yards wide and five feet deep, covered with about one foot of sand and soil. It is composed almost exclusively of mussel shells taken from the river, pieces of pottery, ashes, arrowheads and human bones….”

Studio 511

Stella Knight Attorney

Secrets of the Coral Castle - Carolina Tradewinds Radio

Special guest Best Selling Author Rusty McClure joins me to discuss is book Coral Castle: The Mystery of Ed Leedskalnin and His American Stonehenge. 

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Black man with a gun - Carolina Tradewinds Radio 9 pm

There is a lot of negativity in the gun community today.  We are going backwards.  I address it, peal it back and dare you to admit if you have contributed to it.  Massad Ayoob joins me to show us how the courts work and why things have happened with the Zimmerman case, the Michael Brown Case and the Philando Castile case.  Can you handle the truth?   Michael J. Woodland on AR's and training.   Happy Birthday to Kenn Blanchard.   

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Dr Crime June 2017

Dr. Crime is a pseudonym for a social scientist holding a Ph.D. degree in sociology and in criminology. He has worked in all major parts of the criminal justice system. Drop him a note at the website www.keepkidshome.net if you or your child is in trouble, he may be able to help, give him a call (252-339-0000).

Dear Dr. Crime: Our NC Legislature may change our law about juvenile or adult court for bad kids. I say kick their something so they will learn that pain follows bad behavior. Putting bad kids in juvenile court won’t protect me and will cost us more tax money. Please tell our legislators to back off the “Raise the Age” bill. Upset Taxpayer

Dear Taxing: By now the NC General Assembly will have decided this, but the issue of punitive vs. behavior change policy remains. This is a perfect example of my argument that we should decide what we want to accomplish and follow the objective, empirical research by those wonderful criminologists. Here the outcome is to produce fewer victims in the future, reduce the harm to everyone involved, hold down costs, and impact the kid so he/she can make it a better world. Giving him/her what they deserve is not a social outcome we should allow to, alone, determine judicial policy. I get as mad as you but let’s use research, not emotion, guide us.

Some of the empirical basis of my argument follows. The US Dept. of Justiceⁱ, using large cities from 1994-2000, studied changes in policing, adult incarceration, juvenile detention, and waivers of juveniles to adult court for the impact on reduced juvenile violence. They reported little or no evidence of beneficial effects from incarceration of juveniles with adults, the detention of juveniles, and waivers of juveniles to adult court. If our NC law passes, how much will we spend on juvenile cases changed to adult cases if as juvenile cases such future cases might be prevented? Just months ago a studyⁱⁱ reported national estimates of judicial services as follows: (in 2010 dollars, for single crimes) $22,000–$44,000 (homicide), $2000–$5000 (rape and sexual assault), $600–$1300 (robbery), $800–$2100 (aggravated assault), $200–$600 (burglary), $300–$600 (larceny/theft), and $200–$400 (motor vehicle theft). These figures do not include all the other costs! The US Dept. of Justiceⁱⁱⁱ studied the consequences of youth being victims of such crimes and found the impact of such crimes carries into adulthood and causes adult behaviors that are tragic and costly. Such outcomes include the victim becoming a criminal, using drugs, having mental health problems. How often do they reoffend if sentenced as an adult? Sentencing Partners^iv, a private law firm, reported on a large number of federal offenders and found that in the highest criminal history status 80% committed more crimes, usually within 2 years of release from prison or probation. Does this matter? Economists^v, over a decade ago, found the overall crime cost to our nation to be more than one Trillion dollars a year (in 1999 bucks that is + $ 1,000,000,000,000, which could give us a great tax break!) If my logic is wrong, that everyone is better off in terms of life events if we prevent crimes rather than get our retribution, write to me and explain your logic.

Dear Dr. Crime: Is it true that crime rates for females is lower than the same rate for men? If that is true it is because we women are better people than men!!! Smart Administrator.

Dear Administrator:

The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)^vi gives data showing the differential offending and differential selection by police of females in official arrest statistics. The probability of arrest for females was: (1) 28 percent lower for kidnapping; (2) 48 percent lower for forcible fondling; (3) 9 percent lower for simple assault; and (4) 27 percent lower for intimidation than males. The report assigns some of the explanation to police norms about women, but it remains a clear difference. I have made a note to research the relative goodness of humans by gender and will report back to you another time.

Dear Dr. Crime: How do I find an attorney to help me? Messed up fellow

Dear Mess: There are several honest ways. One is the NC State Bar Association. Go to https://www.ncbar.gov/ . Another is the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). Go to https://www.nacdl.org/. If your issue is a criminal matter for which you have been arrested, I recommend the (NACDL). Or you can get in contact with me and I will refer you to an attorney I know. My most important advice is to get your attorney as soon as possible.

Dear Dr. Crime: What do I do if I see a crime in process? Citizen

Dear Citizen: Call 911 on your phone and hang around to give information to the police.

i NCJ 249261. Office of Inspector General. 2015. Audit of the Office of Justice Programs Adult and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry and Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Grants Awarded to Beaver County, Pennsylvania

ii Hunt, Priscillia; Anderson, James; Saunders, Jessica. 2016. The price of justice: New national and state-level estimates of the judicial and legal costs of crime to taxpayers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, Aug 20 . doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9362-6.

iii Menard, Scott . 2002. Short- and Long-Term Consequences of Adolescent Victimization . Youth Violence Bulletin; Feb 2002; 1-16 [US Department of Justice (DOJ)].doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/e318082004-001.

iv Sentencing Partners. 2016. Joaquin and Duncan, L.L.C., Texas, USA.

v David A. Anderson 1999. The Aggregate Burden of Crime The Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 42 (October 1999).

vi Lisa Stolzenberg ; Stewart J. D'Alessio. 2004. Sex Differences in the Likelihood of Arrest. Journal of Criminal Justice Volume:32 Issue:5 Dated:September/October 2004 Pages:443 to 454 NCJ 207251

Tonight on Carolina Tradewinds Local Voices Program - Send out Cards 6:30 pm

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Graceland

Midway Auto Group June 2017

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY: WORDS OF THE DESERT FATHERS

“The Fathers went out into the desert, not to flee the world, but to confront themselves.”

Generally considered the father of Christian monasticism, Anthony the Great was born the son of peasant farmers in central Egypt c. A.D. 251.   In about his twentieth year Anthony heard read in church the Gospel “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and come follow me.”  Applying the passage to himself, he departed into the desert and devoted himself to a life of asceticism.  In the course of time Anthony’s reputation attracted followers and c. 385 he came out of his solitude to act as their spiritual father.  Five years later he again retired into solitude.

The Apothegmata Patrum (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers), much read and venerated among the Orthodox peoples, is a collection of words  collected by disciples of Anthony and of holy men and women of the ancient Desert who followed in his way; these have been passed down through the centuries.  The unflinching honesty and obedience to the word and spirit of the Gospel from which these ancient sayings spring may be difficult for the modern reader to assimilate.  There is no attempt at discursive exposition in the Sayings; the monks were mostly simple, unlettered men.  Their words were practical, given succinctly to a particular monk or a small group in a particular situation; they are not general principles to be applied indiscriminately.  They proceed from lives of radical simplicity and common sense: in the words of Mother Benedicta Ward, translator of a popular selection of the Sayings, “The essence of the spirituality of the desert is that it was not taught but caught; it was a whole way of life.  It was not an esoteric doctrine….  They did not have a systematic way; they had the hard work and experience of a lifetime of striving to re-direct every aspect of body, mind, and soul to God.”

And in the words of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh:

Modern man seeks mainly for ‘experience—putting himself at the center of things he wishes to make them subservient to this aim…, even God becomes the source from which the highest experience flows, instead of being Him Whom we adore, worship, and are prepared to serve, whatever the cost to us.  Such an attitude was unknown to the Desert; moreover, the desert repudiated it as sacrilegious…

“These were men and women who had reached a humility of which we have no idea….  They were ascetics, ruthless to themselves, yet so human, so immensely compassionate not only to the needs of men but also to their frailty and their sins; men and women wrapped in a depth of inner silence of which we have no idea and who taught by ‘Being’, not by speech: ‘If a man cannot understand my silence, he will never understand my words.’ ”

……………………………..

Words of St. Anthony the Great (born circa A.D. 251)

The brethren came to Abba Anthony and said to him, “Speak a word; how are we to be saved?”  The old man said to them, “You have heard the Scriptures. That should teach you how.”  But they said, “We want to hear from you, too, Father.” Then the old man said to them, “The Gospel says, “if anyone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:39).  They said, “We cannot do that.”  The old man said, “If you cannot offer the other cheek, at least allow one cheek to be struck.” “We cannot do that either,” they said.  So he said, “If you are not able to do that, do not return evil for evil,” and they said, “We cannot do that either.”  Then the old man said to his disciple, “Prepare a little brew of corn for these invalids.  If you cannot do this, or that, what can I do for you?  What you need is prayers.”

………………………………………

A brother said to Abba Anthony, “Pray for me.”  The old man said to him, “I will have no mercy upon you, nor will God have any, if you yourself do not make an effort and if you do not pray to God.”

………………………………………

He also said, “Our life is with our neighbor.  If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.”

……………………………………..

Abba Anthony said to Abba Poemen, “This is the great work of a man:  always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath.”

……………………………………………….

Abba Anthony said, “I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?’ Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Humility.’”

Inquiries c/o St. George’s Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 38, Edenton, NC.  (252) 482-2006.

Collins Maintenance

Walkers Palms

We just received a large shipment of windmill palms and crepe myrtles.  This shipment contained 5' - 9' windmills and large crepe myrtles. Natchez (white), Centenial Spirit (deep red), Miami Pink, and Catawaba (purple).  The crepe myrtles are 10' - 15'.  We have a huge inventory of cold tolerant palms, yuccas and agaves in stock ready to go into the landscape

Glover Law Firm

River City Flea Market open from 7am to 2 PM

Come on out and check out all the fun!

300 N Hughes Blvd, Elizabeth City, North Carolina 27909

See all this and more in one place at River city Flea Market Saturday!

The most exciting thing happening in Elizabeth City on a Saturday!

We got FRESH LOCAL veggies ! We will have...New Hope...Rocky Hock...Camden and Currituck County fresh veggies. Stop by and support our LOCAL folks...Turbett Family Farm... Soap by Liby...Eddy Hughes...Neddie's Streetside Cafe...Camden Country Store...and all our LOCAL vendors joining us Sat. June 24th ! See y'all at the Market.

Daycation June 24th and 25th 2017

Auto Insurance -- by Danny Glover

There are basically 4 ways your automobile insurance can increase.  Most insurance premium increases last three years from the time they begin, which normally occurs at the first premium increase following the occurrence of the event that triggers the increase.

1. You add a new, inexperienced or bad driver to your policy.
2. An At Fault Accident.  In most cases, if you are at-fault in causing an accident or collision, your insurance rates will go up.  If you are not at fault, your rates will not go up.  Even when you are at fault, your rates will not go up IF ALL of the following conditions are met:

• There is property damage only;
• The amount of damage is $1,850 or less;
• There is no conviction for a moving violation in connection with the accident;
• No licensed operators in the household have convictions or at fault accidents during the experience period. (An insurance company may require that the insured be covered by that company for six continuous months.)

3. Ceded to the NC Reinsurance Facility.  This one is the most complicated, and the most unfair one.  All of the automobile insurance companies that do business in North Carolina belong to the N.C. Reinsurance Facility. This consortium provides a mechanism for pooling of insurance risks who cannot obtain coverage by ordinary methods. Premiums, losses, and expenses are shared by the member companies in proportion to their respective North Carolina automobile liability insurance writings.  What this means to you is this: an insurance company can decide, for basically any reason, that you are a “risky driver”, i.e., car color, tattoos, piercing, number of claims paid, numerous dismissed driving tickets, etc.  When you are “ceded”, then your premiums go up drastically.  Your only recourse is to shop your coverage around to different carriers in hopes that those carriers will not view you as a “risky driver” that needs to be ceded.
4. Conviction of a Moving Violation.  The North Carolina SDIP (Safe Driver Incentive Plan) provides a points system for driving convictions that equates to a certain percentage increase in your premium rates.  You can find that rate increase chart by googling “NCDOI SDIP”.  A good lawyer can either get your ticket dismissed so that you get no SDIP points (which are different than DMV points), or get it reduced to something that will carry no, or fewer, SDIP points.