It concerned me when we first started to amass our forces in Kuwait for our assault on Iraq in Gulf War II. I care not to debate whether we should be policing in Iraq or not. It doesn’t matter at this point. We’re there and we, as a nation and a government, need to support our military that are hard at work cleaning up this cesspool of evil and criminal intent.

I was a part of Gulf War I. I was serving in the Alabama Army National Guard and was called to duty to document the National Guard preparing for and participating in the war. As a part of my mission, I traveled to Saudi, Kuwait and Iraq. It was quite an eye opener.

But back to Gulf War II…I was talking to my neighbor Howard King on Saturday. Howard is a retired Navy man who, with wife Monika, traveled the world and, by the grace of God, found Manning and made it home. Howard was telling me about a CBS 60 Minutes report he had seen about a program to help the families of wounded Marines in the war.

We hear plenty from the big city media about the death toll, but little about the wounded. For each death, there are many Marines who are wounded, Marines who have lost arms and legs and have many months of healing time in military hospitals. The care they are getting isn’t the issue here. The effect on the families is the problem here.

I tried to picture what my reaction would be if my son was laying in a hospital bed in a Washington, D.C., suburb, facing months of recuperation time. I tried to imagine what kind of financial burden would be placed upon us.

There would be no question that our boy’s mom would be plotting a trip to check on her baby. My son’s wife and daughter would be anxious to participate in his healing. Even with my aversion to hospitals, I would be ready to make the visit to my boy and lend my support to his healing. How long would it take? How much would it cost?

The government does offer some relief to help in these matters, but the financial support in most cases falls short. Many of these families are encountering financial ruin to take care of their loved ones.

There are injuries in all branches of the armed forces. I do not discount the contribution or need at all. I have just been made aware of the needs of the Marines who have taken the brunt of recent fighting in Falluja.

There are several ways to help. A group of Marine spouses have set up an organization to make a difference. You can find out more on the Internet at www.semperfifund.org. I logged on and made a painless contribution. I hope you will too.

• • • • •

On a sunny November Sunday afternoon on Brooks Street in Manning, one long time Manning resident described the scene as a rather eclectic crowd. A slice of Clarendon County society and a collection of visitors from throughout the world gathered to welcome back former Manning resident Bob Carpenter and the renovation and rejuvenation of the massive Davis house.

It was interesting to watch longtime Central Coffee Shop proprietor George Metropol, as he made his way through the crowd, shaking hands with the men and hugging all the women. I watched Mrs. Jean Prothro (Lannes and William’s mom) as she studied the unique collection of art gracing the walls of the Davis House.

I talked with the dean of the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities who came from Greenville to Manning for this event. I talked with a father and son who hail from the West Indies (someplace in the Caribbean) and observed a covey of servers delivering a never ending supply of mushroom puffs and other delights that I didn’t recognize.

You know how people say history repeats itself. I wondered if this was a modern day replay of a party from an earlier time in Manning history.

This activity on Brooks Street is just another example of the great things going on in Clarendon County. The Davis House had become an eyesore on Manning’s magnificent Brooks Street and is being restored to the grandeur of an earlier time.

Another example of the positive growth happening in Clarendon County is the development on Hwy. 261 out to the Interstate. We’re hitting the big time as Arby’s nears completion. But that’s not all.

As I watched all that was going on around me on that sunny afternoon on Brooks Street in Manning I got to thinking about the most exciting growth and change going on here.

The most encouraging growth here is the number of young people who are moving here to live. We were very excited to have Mike and Kate Gellatly make the move from Charleston to join The Manning Times family. But there has been a host of others. We’ve had C.D. and Rebecca Rhodes, Will and Caroline Buyck, Kirk and Erica Salek, and many more young people make the move to the county recently.

This is the most positive trend I see in Clarendon County. As these young people raise families here and dig deeper roots, I know that the future is bright for my adopted home.