Over the last several months, Wisconsin ‘s hunters became the eighth largest army in the world.

More men under arms than in Iran .

More than in France and Germany combined.

These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed.

That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan’s 700,000 hunters.

Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that. The hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world.

The number of Hunters in the state of Texas would be the largest standing army in the world by its self. The point?

America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower.

Hunting — it’s not just a way to fill the freezer. It’s a matter of national security.

Staff photo by Eric S. Swist

 

By Carrie Thornton

Conroe Courier

If you asked them five years ago, Tom and Debi Logan wouldn’t have believed their son would become a hero.

And, Marine Cpl. Joseph “Joey” Logan, 22, who died Jan. 19 in a military helicopter crash in Helmand province, Afghanistan, along with five other Marines, almost didn’t.

After graduating from Willis High School and then enlisting, Logan severed the tendons, nerves and ligaments in all of the fingers of one hand in an accident in June 2008, just after he graduated from Willis High School. Although surgery repaired the damage, he lost complete feeling in his fingers.

Falling into depression, Joseph saw his life as a Marine slowly fade from view, but his father was determined to prevent the accident from severing his son’s future. The remedy? A four-month fishing trip from Montana to British Colombia, Canada.

“It helped him because he wasn’t thinking about it anymore,” Debi Logan said. “He was just thinking about having fun with Dad.”

During the trip, Joseph Logan unintentionally maintained his physical therapy, Tom Logan said. By repeatedly using a fishing rod and casually squeezing stress balls, Joseph Logan did not need additional therapy when the trip ended, and he was set for deployment and ready to serve his country.

Before the Marine Corps

At Willis High School, Joseph Logan spent most of his time hanging out with friends. Tom Logan said he was a “tough kid,” with a personality built for the Marines, although it wasn’t a childhood dream of his.

Because he got into trouble in school at times, his parents — both retired from the Houston Police Department — pushed a military future for him, and one day he came home and told his mother, “I want to be in the military.” And after researching other branches, Logan knew the Marines was for him, specifically piloting helicopters.

Becoming One of the Few

Joseph Logan served two deployments in Afghanistan, and Debi Logan said he volunteered for his second tour.

“’Are you crazy?’ is what we thought,” Debi Logan said with a laugh. “But we were still so proud of him.”

She said her son excelled in training, earning first in his class in technical training. Awards received during years served include an Air Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and NATO ISAF Medal.

“He absolutely loved it,” Tom Logan said. “He got to go to so many places, and I’m pretty sure he’s circled the world two or three times.”

Military in His Veins

The Logan family is in the business of protecting the United States. Tom and Debi Logan served in the Air Force and retired from the Houston Police Department, and three of their five children now serve in the U.S. military, including Joseph Logan. Third Class Petty Officer Tommy Logan, 32, serves in the Navy, and sister Andrea Logan, 20, serves as a First Class Private in the Marines.

“She said, ‘If Joey could do it, I can do it,’” Debi Logan said.

Joseph Logan is survived by his wife Melissa Rushing Logan, who lives in Montgomery County; his other two siblings Tricia Nickel and Robert Logan; grandparents Carol and Gene Miehlke; grandmother Sylvia Logan; nephews Shane Logan, Austin Logan and Daniel Nickel; niece Rebecca Nickel, as well as several other relatives.

Joseph Logan’s casket will arrive in Houston at 10 a.m. Monday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. It will be escorted up Interstate 45, then the caravan will go west on FM 1097 and turn right on Longstreet Road. Then it will turn left onto Dairyland Drive, circling Midway Drive before returning to the funeral home.

Visitation with the family is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6-8 p.m. at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home in Willis.

The funeral will be Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m. at the North Montgomery County Community Center, 600 Gerald St. in Willis. Memorial donations can be made in Joseph Logan’s honor to the Friends of the Fallen, P.O. Box 2081, Dover Air Force Base, DE 19902.

(This story was close to us as we lived in Willis for several years and have a daughter that still lives there with her family.  Our home was within a few miles of the Logan’s.)

sponsored by the

First United Methodist Church of Lufkin, Texas.

January 25, 2012

The residents of Hemphill Care Center are thankful for Gods blessing of another year. We have slowed down just a bit after all the busyness of the holidays. Our year got off to a great start with the Lakes Area Hospice Clowns stopping by. They entertained us with their gospel and fun songs. We observed Elvis’s birthday and ate one of his favorite treats, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, while we were being serenaded by Elvis singing some of his greatest hits such as Blue Suede Shoes, Don’t Be Cruel etc.

Our January bingo games were sponsored by the Church of Christ, Carletta from Texas Home Health and Parkway Baptist Church. Thank you to these faithful volunteers for the wonderful prizes they provide.

Early in the month our Garden Club friends helped us make bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter and birdseed. Then we have had the pleasure of watching our feathered friends get a treat out our dining room windows.

We enjoyed worshiping and singing with Hemphill’s First Baptist Church, Fairdale Baptist Church, Bethel Chapel Baptist church, Community Fellowship Church, Parkway Baptist Church, Hemphill’s Church of Christ, Little Flock Baptist Church , The Pineywoods Pickers, First United Methodist Church and Bethany Baptist Church. Our hearts are always blessed when we get to worship together.

A Memorial Service was held here last Sunday afternoon in honor of Don Caraway, who was a dear friend and a former professional football player. We express our love and sympathy to his wife Kathy. Our condolences also go to the families and friends of John Horn and Elouise McLemore.

Our resident council selected Freddie Keel as our volunteer of the month, Lillian Pearce as our resident of the month and Debra Frost and Lois Thomas as our employees of the month. This month we celebrated Maintenance Day with our favorite maintenance man Perry Bice.

Residents who celebrated their birthdays this month include Verle Wright, Lillian Pearce, Darwin Stroud and Dorothy Horn.

We are looking forward to C.J. Michaels the One Man Band. He will be here Friday afternoon for a toe-tapping good time.

The residents and staff say a great big thank you to Lances Grocery for providing a wonderful pizza party for our enjoyment to help us celebrate New Years eve. Our thanks also go out to the Hornet Express Video for loaning us wonderful movies to watch every week.

Our families and friends are welcome to stop by for a visit anytime. May God bless each one of you who helps us to have a life on the bright side.

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Biography for Mary Howell

Mary Howell is a cerebral palsied quadriplegic who has resided at Hemphill Care Center in Hemphill, Texas since November, 2009.  She lived with her parents until their deaths and then lived in her home with 24/7 caregivers.  Mary has spent her life turning defeat into victory.  Her determination and strong faith in God have been an inspiration to all who know her.

Mary attended Hemphill High School, Wharton Junior College and served as the Editor of the Sabine County Reporter.  She has received numerous awards from the Texas Press Women and the Texas Press Association. for her writing.  Mary wrote and published her autobiography in 2007, Life On The Bright Side.

She has received various awards for her services in the community. She was named as an outstanding citizen, communicator of achievement, and Texas Handicapped Professional Woman of the Year in 1986.  She was among the “Nine Who Make A Difference” selected by KTRE-TV in 1986..

Mary’s love for God makes the difference in her life, enabling her to turn sadness into happiness and apparent defeat into victory.

Today was interesting.  Last night the President gave another speech on TV.  One of the guys asks, “who watch and listened to the President last night?”.   It was interesting that not one of us watched or listened to the President of the United States give his State of the Union speech.  No one was interested in what he had to say.  He has no creditability.

It is a shame that this President has so little respect in our small circle.  Maybe it is different in your circle of acquaintances.

Texas lakes are drastically low, but one sportsman’s group and state wildlife officials are taking advantage of exposed shorelines at Lake Fork to help get it ready for better days.

The Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently planted hundreds of buttonbush plants Nov. 30 on the east side of “Fork,” a popular East Texas destination for anglers.

LFSA funded $1,900 to the task, while TPWD contributed $650.

“We’re just trying to add vegetation to the lake that will be self-propagating,” said Micheal Rogge, president of the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association. “They make excellent fish habitat.”

The plants already are at least a year old, and they’re expected to establish themselves right away, unlike 1,000 seedlings that LFSA planted earlier this year but were eaten by wildlife.

“The deer, hogs and nutria — they all thought it was like a buffet,” Rogge said.

According to a TPWD news release, buttonbrush, a native woody shrub commonly called “buckbrush,” was chosen in an attempt to establish woody cover for fishes.

“When inundated by water, it helps provide great bass fishing,” the news release stated.

Buttonbush shrubs are well adapted to locations where water levels fluctuate substantially, which will likely be the case at Lake Fork.

TPWD officials said this type of habitat would become increasingly important as Dallas begins withdrawing water from the lake.

Not our son-in-law!

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How about letting someone else at the controls!

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Now my sweetheart is making it look easy!

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Finally, I get to help.

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Now we’ve got some good help.

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