GBU Mountain News LXXX November 11, 2014 (PDF)

GBU Mountain News

GBU Mountain News

November 11, 2014 - LXXX
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independent - unbiased – professional
November 11, 2014 – LXXX

I

2014 Veterans Day
“…that there will be no veterans of any further war -not because all shall have perished but because all shall have learned
to live together in peace.”
President John F Kennedy, Veterans Day 1961

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Veterans Day – History and Frazier Park’s
Celebration
By Gunnar J Kuepper
Tuesday, November 11, was Veterans Day, and there
were speeches and parades in thousands of towns,
counties, and state capitols throughout the United States.
From New York City to Frazier Park Americans
expressed gratitude and honored the nearly 20 million
veterans.
A veteran is anybody who has been a uniformed member
of the armed forces, from the Army, to the Navy, Air
Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. Many of those
fought wars in foreign countries and became VFWs
(Veterans of Foreign Wars).

honor all veterans. Veterans Day honors all American
veterans living and dead.
The 2014 Veterans Day Celebration at the Cody Prosser
Veterans Memorial in the Frazier Mountain Park was
organized by the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post
9791 and Richard Sheffield with Veterans for Trees. The
program included the Singing of The National Anthem
by Barbara Edsall, the Prayers with Pastor Fred Rose,
the Recognition of All Veterans in the Audience,
Planting of a Tree, as well as other Tributes to the
Veterans. The event ended with refreshments and a Chili
Hot Dog feast for the community.
As in the previous year, the Kern County Fire
Department came with a 100-foot Ladder Truck from
Station 55 and displayed a giant flag.

Opening Session in the Frazier Mountain Park

The annual celebration in the Frazier Mountain Park was
attended by nearly 100 people, mostly Veterans and their
families. Those included a World War II Veteran, now
living in PMC, participants in the Korean (1950-53) and
Vietnam (1959-75) Wars, as well as the more recent wars
in the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm 1991),
Bosnia (1994-96), Afghanistan (since 2001), and Iraq
(Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003-11).
World War I stopped in 1918 on November 11 at 11 a.m.
with the surrender of Germany. The conflict had claimed
16 million lives, including 116,000 Americans. In 1919
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11
a national holiday, the Armistice Day. On that day many
people wore red poppies to remember bloody battles at
Flanders Field were bloody battles were fought.
World War II (1939-45) claimed more than 100 million
lives, including 400,000 Americans. The celebration of
Armistice Day on November 11 continued. In 1954 the
name was changed from Armistice to Veterans Day to

Two of the speeches in the tiny Frazier Mountain
Community were truly exceptional. Terrence Alexis, a
well-traveled executive with National Cement, covered
the current situation and challenges of Veterans. Lily
Hallmark, a Junior at the Frazier Mountain High School
wrote and presented an outstanding essay about the
struggle of war and what those who fought the wars, the
Veterans, had to endure. Both presentations are published
in its entirety on the following pages.

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Veterans in Today’s World
By Terrence Alexis
On behalf of National
Cement, I am very
grateful to our local VFW
(Veterans of Foreign
Wars) for your generous
invitation to join with
you once again to share a
few words as we
remember and celebrate
the service and the
sacrifices
of
our
Veterans.
Each year, I have come to
look forward to this opportunity as on this day, in this
month we join with the rest of the nation as we pause at
this Monument to pay tribute and honor YOU - the
Veterans amongst us who have served this country of
ours with distinction.
Sadly, the wishes of John F. Kennedy has not come to
pass when he stated, “on this Veterans Day of 1961, on
this day of remembrance, let us pray in the name of those
who have fought in this country's wars, and most
especially who have fought in the First World War and in
the Second World War, that there will be no veterans of
any further war--not because all shall have perished but
because all shall have learned to live together in peace.”
From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to
Kandahar, from Berlin to Baghdad, our veterans have
borne the costs of America's wars -- and they have stood
watch over America's continued quest for peace.
Not all Veterans have seen war, but a common bond they
share is an oath in which they expressed their willingness
to die defending this great nation. It can be said that the
greatest wars are the battles that America does not have
to fight because of the heroes who gave their lives to
advance the right of Americans to live in freedom with
the pursuit of happiness.
You see, when our men and women sign up to become a
soldier or a sailor, an airman, Marine, or Coast
Guardsman, they don’t stop being a citizen. When they
take off that uniform, their service to our nation doesn’t
stop, either. Like so many of their predecessors, today’s
veterans come home looking to continue serving
America however and in whatever way they can.
Unfortunately, they are confronted with two very
unfortunate realities which must change.
First, it is difficult for them to transition back into society
and gain employment as companies have been slow to

recognize the skills and value Veterans bring to the
workforce. Historically, the unemployment rate for
Veterans in this country has been above the national
average.

At National Cement, our commitment to Veterans goes
beyond making a speech once or twice a year. We have
managed to tap into transferrable skill sets such that in
one of our departments over 70% of the employees have
served either in the Air Force, Navy, Marines or the
Coast Guard.
Our Veterans, their families and friends may be the only
ones who know their names, or the true measures of the
sacrifices they made to serve our country and in
peacetime, especially, it is easy for us to forget that these
men and women were on duty, in lonely outposts around
the world. Our veterans have missed the births of their
children, wedding anniversaries and graduations. They
have spent holidays in soggy rice paddies in Vietnam,
amid the stinging sands of the Iraqi desert, and in the
cold and rugged mountains of Eastern Europe. So much
so, that Abraham Lincoln felt compelled to make a
promise to veterans in his Second Inaugural Address in
1865, when he said that America would "...care for him
who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his
orphan."
As Americans, we need to be there one for another but
when it comes to our Veteran’s, we need to be there
PERIOD! When A Veteran falters, What should we do?
WE LIFT HIM UP.... In this country, we take care of
our own –- especially Veterans who have served us so
bravely and sacrificed so selflessly for YOU and for ME.
Which brings me to the next important challenge our
Veterans face --- that of timely and competent medical
care.
We have all heard about the extremely long wait times
Veterans must endure through the Veteran’s

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Administration to receive medical care. With 8.3 million
Veterans needing care for a host of ailments each year at
the VA Hospitals around this country, these wait times
are simply unacceptable. It is hoped that the new
Secretary of the Veteran’s Administration, Robert
McDonald will soon implement sweeping reforms to
rectify this problem and if not, Remember --- we have a
moral and ethical duty to remind the lawmakers of the
cost of being a Veteran.
Although technology has changed considerably since the
Veterans of World Wars I and II fought against tyranny
such that we have smart bombs, satellite communications
systems, and stealth fighters and bombers that can enter
enemy airspace cloaked in virtual invisibility, the cost of
war has not changed.

And in public ceremonies and in private prayer, we give
thanks for the freedom we enjoy because of their
willingness to serve.”

On behalf of National Cement, I thank you for your
presence today and for giving me this opportunity. May
God bless the United States of America and our
Veterans.

Those serving in our armed forces today do not have an
easy job as our nation continues to face threats far and
wide and sometimes from factions here at home. We
have to overcome new threats to our security and
prosperity almost daily --- such as the recent beheadings
of Americans by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
known as ISIS. But if there is anything our Veterans
teach us, it’s that there is no threat we cannot meet; there
is no challenge we cannot overcome.
At the plant, we have a program called The Unsung
Heroes where each quarter for the past several years, we
shine the light on an employee who have gone above and
beyond the call of duty and made a meaningful
difference either at the plant or in the local community.
But folks, it can not be denied that our Veterans ARE this
nation's true unsung heroes.
In closing, in the words of the great poet Walt Whitman,
“as we raise our flag and as the bugle sounds taps, we
remember that the men and women of America's Armed
Forces serve a great cause. They follow in a great
tradition, handed down to them by America's veterans.

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The Importance of Veterans
By Lily Hallmark
Words
are
so
important.
They
define our cultural
and society. They
express so much for
us, but yet sometimes
they can’t express it
all. The word war
doesn’t
explain
everything about war
to us. The definition
of war is “a state of
armed
conflict
between different nations or states or different groups
within a nation or state”. And yet the definition of war
doesn’t express war. War is so much more. War is
struggle, fighting, courage against all odds, passion, and
so much more I can’t even express. The definition of war
also doesn’t explain what war brings afterwards. War
leaves behind torn cities, dead soldiers, changed nations,
and veterans.
A war can, and normally will, change everything and
everyone involved. The fighting that takes place destroys
cities. Those cities have to rebuild their spirit and their
infrastructure. So many soldiers fight for what they
believe in, they fight for the love of their country, and
others are forced to fight against their will. Yet no matter
why those men and women fought, they either come back
dead or alive. Throughout history, so many have lost
their lives in war. Wars have changed nations. Nations
will build stronger armies and advance their technology
due to war. During a time of war nations utilize the help
of every able-bodied person they can. A nation’s spirit
and ideals towards others will change with war. After all
the fighting is over, the aftermath of war is torn cities,
dead soldiers, changed nations and veterans.
War is eminently important at the time it is fought. The
outcome changes history. After the war though, cities
recover, the dead are honored but not forgotten, and
nations learn to deal with the changes brought on by war.
However, the changes within our soldiers coming back
are the worst of all. Our men go through so much and in
result they come back as changed men.
Our Veterans have endured so much and they are so
important to our country. Our Veterans are the ones who
fought to protect us, they fought for our freedom, they
fought to give us the life we deserve, they fought for our

beliefs and they risked their lives for us. Everything
terrible that is in a war, our Veterans went through for us.
There is no greater show of love for your country or for
your people then to risk your life for them. Our Veterans
risked their lives and so much more to protect us when
they don’t even know who they're fighting for. Sure, they
know that they’re fighting for the United States of
America, but what they don’t know is how much they
mean to us.

Hiroshima Bombing Aftermath
Photo Credit: U.S. Navy Public Affairs

When you think of war you know our soldiers are
somewhere else fighting. When you actually take the
time to think about it you realize so much more. That’s
when we start to appreciate them more, and even then we
can never appreciate our Veterans as much as they
should be appreciated. Our Veterans have risked their
lives to fight for us, and they have lost so much. They
have lost friends on the battlefield, they are away from
their families for months and months at a time, they see
and experience things that shape them for the rest of their
lives. They endure so much for us, and it is just amazing.
Our veterans are fantastic people who have done so much
for our country. They fought for people they don’t even
know, they risked their lives for those same people, and
they did everything they could to protect those very same
people. Thank you to all our veterans, as they are the
ones who every day save this country, these people, and
our ideals.

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Honoring Our Veterans
By Congressman Kevin McCarthy
Every November 11th, our great
nation thanks those who have served
in our Armed Forces and reflects
upon the sacrifice of that service. In
times of great crisis and need,
willing citizens have answered the
call to shoulder the burdens of
conflict and war for the preservation
of peace. Those we honor today have
faced dangers most of us cannot
comprehend. Separated from family
and friends, they were sent to every corner of the earth to
fight for America and its principles. And they have
continually demonstrated a heroism that is both unique
and has been a defining aspect of our Armed Forces since
the birth of our Republic.
Communities throughout the country often reflect upon
this time through experiences with family and friends.
For us, we remember and celebrate the meaning of
Veterans Day together honoring our brave veterans that
call our community home. The blessings of living and
working with the finest men and women our nation has to
offer cannot be understated.
Unfortunately, this year our nation discovered just how
far short our government has fallen in caring for our
veterans. The scandal of secret waiting lists and an
unprecedented amount of backlogged disability claims at

the Department of Veterans Affairs was shameful and an
indignity to our veterans. While this scandal broke onto
the front pages of national papers and evening news-casts
the past few months, the troubles, inadequacies, and
failures of the VA have been a source of frustration to
our veterans for many years now.
Since I came into Congress, I have focused my efforts on
reviewing and auditing the VA and implementing real
changes that help our veterans. Finally, just a few short
months ago we were able to enact change that begins a
fundamental reform of the Department of Veterans
Affairs. Our duty is to make sure that scandals like this
never happen again. The reforms that we passed in
Congress and signed into law are a promising first step to
making an efficient VA happen, and more must be done.
I am committed to building on these reforms to guarantee
our veterans see the highest quality of care that they were
promised and deserve.
We are grateful and thankful to our veterans on this day,
but we should thank them each and every day for the
great blessings of liberty and human dignity we enjoy
and that have been preserved by their efforts. May our
veterans always enjoy the peace and freedom they fought
to protect and preserve, and may our country never cease
to honor them.

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Content
1. 2014 Veterans Day
 History and Frazier Park’s Celebration by
Gunnar J Kuepper
 Veterans in Today’s World by Terrence Alexis
 The Importance of Veterans by Lily Hallmark
 Honoring Our Veterans by Congressman Kevin
McCarthy
2. All Things Local
 Important Phone Numbers
 Upcoming Events
 5th Annual Festival of Books organized by the
Rotary Club of Frazier Park by Dennis Turner
 Traffic Collision in Lake of the Woods
 Traffic Collision in Lebec
 Local Business Directory and Job Openings
3. All Things Regional
 Host a Holiday Card Making Party for the
Military
 Kern County Library Creates Community
Conversation about Veterans
4. All Things Global
5. People
6. Law Enforcement Corner
 Kern County Sheriff’s Office – Frazier Park
Incident Log October 31 to Nov 7
 Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD)
 California Highway Patrol
o What You Can’t See … Can Kill You by
Adriaan Garcia, CHP Fort Tejon
 Bakersfield Police Department (BPD)
7. Cooking & Food
8. Animals Matter
9. Our Library
10. Incidents & Accidents - Homicides, Arrests, Traffic
Accidents, Fires & Rescues throughout Kern County
11. Arts – Music – Theatre
12. Business Affairs
13. Teens
 Youth Essay Contest Promotes Heritage and
Hunting Ethics
14. Nature, Science & Technology
15. Weather
 Frazier Park Weather Forecast
16. Kern County

17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.

 Board of Supervisors Meetings
Safety & Disaster Preparedness
Media Affairs
Legislative Affairs
Where to Go – What to Do
Op-Ed
Health & Fitness
Classifieds

In dealing with your adversaries:

"Stand ye still, and watch the
salvation of the LORD."
Exodus 14:13
Chronicles 20:17

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New – New - New
In November we will start publishing
a printed version
of the GBU Mountain News
If you are interested
to support that effort, or
want to apply for an opportunity to advertise,
please contact us at
GBUmountainNews@gmail.com
The electronic version of the GBU Mountain News will continue to
be published at least once a week.
The printed version will focus on important local and regional
developments. In the beginning the weekly printed
GBU News will be a most interesting digest of significant topics.

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All Things Local

5th Annual Festival of Books organized by
the Rotary Club of Frazier Park

Important Phone Numbers
Fire
911
Ambulance
911
Sheriff or CHP
911

By Dennis Turner, Rotarian
On Saturday, October 18, 2014, the Rotary Club of
Frazier Park & Mountain Communities hosted their 5th
Annual Festival of Books at the park and community
building in Frazier Park.
This year, thanks to very generous donations and
sponsors, which included 4th District Supervisor David
Couch, local businesses, and community members, we
reached our goal of setting out over 1,000 new books,
along with a good number of gently used books.
These books were artfully arranged on tables inside the
community building. A clown with balloons, autograph
books, a gift bag, and origami greeted the children upon
their arrival.

Frazier Park Sheriff Station
661-245-3440
Southern California Edison
800-655-4555
Southern California Gas
800-427-2200
Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE)
800-743-5000
El Tejon Unified School District
661-248-6247
Frazier Park Library
661-245-1267
Fire Station 56 (Lebec)
661-248-6426
Fire Station 57 (Frazier Park)
661-245-3706
Dentist Porazik, Lebec
661-245-1434
The Photographer (fires, accidents, weddings, & all other disasters)
661-487-1655

Upcoming Events in the Frazier Mountain
Communities


November 12 – 15: Used Book Sale at the Frazier
Park Library
 November 13: Board Meeting Frazier Park Public
Utility District (FPPUD)
 November 14: Special Meeting of the FPPUD &
the Lake of the Woods Water Company
 November 15: Winter Coat Drive Distribution at
the Lutheran Church Shepherd of the Mountains
 November 16: Classical Piano with Andrew Wong
in Gorman
 November 24: School District Board Meeting
####

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief
that the only thing we have to fear is...fear
itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified
terror which paralyzes needed efforts to
convert retreat into advance.
Franklin D Roosevelt
Inaugural speech March 4, 1933

Outside, a large craft table, face-painting and storybook
characters, dressed in costume, read to the children and
their parents under the huge oak trees, while Clifford-the
Red Dog, and McGruff-the Crime Prevention Dog,
roamed about the park. Children joyfully listened to
stories, received autographs for their books, and did
trick-or-treat with the readers after their stories.
Children also personalized their trick-or-treat bags at the
crafts table, made book marks, and got their faces painted
by more costumed characters. After all the fun outside,
children went back inside where they enjoyed snacks,
music, and chose their own selection of 6-8 books each,
to take home free of charge. Parents signed up for door
prize drawings, and children in costume received an extra
gift.
As in past years, families came for a few minutes and
ended up spending 2-3 hours enjoying the festivities, all
of which promoted literacy in our community. Many
families have been attending this event since its
inception, and say they wouldn’t miss it for anything.

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