Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Charles I. Davis, left, in World War II, and more recently with wife Ann, right.

 

Come Friday, two of “America’s Greatest Generation” will be honored at a special birthday party at 2 p.m. at Bayou Crawfish Restaurant in downtown Many. They are Charles I. Davis who will be 93 on Dec. 15, and Douglas W. Curtis, who turned 92 on Oct. 31. Both are veterans of World War II. My good friend Tedd Dumas and I are honored to have put the event together for these fine gentlemen.

Mr. Davis served in the U.S. Navy from Dec. 16, 1941 until Feb. 26, 1947. He joined after the bombing of Pearl Harbor because he said it “p—ed me off.” He is a native of Alexandria, but has lived in Sabine Parish for years.

He was fortunate to serve with his brother Albert Anthony Davis, who joined the Marines, and both were assigned to the USS Helena. The Helena sank when it was torpedoed on July 6, 1943 and his brother died. But Mr. Davis miraculously survived the tragedy, spending 36 hours in the sea before being rescued.

Mr. Davis served at Cape Esperance, Guadacanal, Solomon Islands, New Georgia, Kula Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

He observed from afar when the flag was raised on Iwo Jima, and he noted during his recent visit to Tedd Dumas’ “Open Line” radio show, that the famous Iwo Jima flag-raising photograph we all know and love was actually a staged shot for the cameras after the fact.

Mr. Davis saw the worst of World War II, and for years, he rarely spoke of his wartime experiences. We are grateful that of late he has consented to share some of his stories from those years. He was interviewed last year by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans for inclusion in their permanent archives. He also has been busy recently recording and producing DVDs for his children and grandchildren to share with them his amazing life and war experiences.

During his distinguished five years-plus of service, he received medals for Combat Action, Unit Commendation, American Campaign, Asiatic Pacific Campaign, Victory Over Japan and World War II Victory.

“I have learned that talking about what happened helps me,” Davis said. He, like many battle veterans, has endured Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since his war years.

After serving in the Navy, Davis came home and went to work for the Fire Department in Alexandria. He stayed there for 25 years until his retirement in 1969, when he and his wife Ann moved to Toledo Bend Lake.

Life today is good for Charles Davis and he appreciates every minute of it. “I’m thankful for every day I live,” Davis said. He is quick to also credit his wife with his happy outlook on life. “Ann has been so good for me,” Davis says, “She is a ray of sunshine in my life.”

The other World War II birthday honoree, Mr. Douglas W. Curtis, is a hometown guy with deep Sabine Parish roots that date back to 1822.

Doug was born the second son of Alvin W. Curtis and Myrtle Wright Curtis of Negreet, LA on Oct. 31, 1926. His older brother, Alvin W. “A.W.” Curtis Jr., became his best buddy and hero. Their later born siblings were Dr. John C. Curtis, Mary Lou Curtis Small, Helen Curtis McCollister and Wilbert Curtis.
When A. W. became school age at six and started to enter Negreet School, Doug at age four, cried and threw a fit to go, too. His behavior wore the principal and first grade teacher down and the decision was made to let him start with A. W. They said if he couldn’t keep up, they would send him home. It all went well, and he and A. W. finished the eleven grades together and graduated in May of 1941.

Only two months after the brothers’ high school graduation, in July 1941, all United States men over the age of 21 were required to register for the draft. A.W. Curtis enlisted in the Marines and was sent to Hawaii, where he served to the end of the war.

Doug, at sixteen, went to work in the logging industry, later married Geraldine Moore, and they had their first son on the way when he received his draft notice to report for training on Jan. 1, 1944. He was sent to Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, AR, to train for the infantry. While he was in training, the flag was raised on Iwo Jima, and Gen. McArthur announced that the Philippines had been liberated.

Curtis shipped out of Oakland, CA, and had been on the boat 30 days in route to the Philippines when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and Gen. McArthur took over command of the Japanese government in Tokyo. Doug was later sent to Japan, where the U. S. was preparing for invasion, and served there until the end of the war. He was discharged on Aug. 27, 1946.

By that time, he and his wife had two sons – Douglas W. Curtis, Jr. and John Wallace Curtis. In 1948, a daughter, Linda Curtis Sparks, arrived and fifteen years later, another daughter, Phyllis Curtis Longmire, was born to the family.

Following his discharge, Doug returned to Sabine Parish and went to work at Patterson’s Grocery. He purchased the store about ten years later and became a third generation grocer, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and several great uncles in Sabine Parish.

Doug sold the store to his son John in 1971. His older son, Doug Jr., was already in the grocery business in Northeast Louisiana at that time. For the next 30-plus years, Curtis owned and operated a restaurant in Natchitoches, farmed, and often worked in the store for John.

In 1981, he married Sandra Barnhill and helped her raise her children to adulthood. They are Robert Lynn King, Twila Kay McElhaney, and Kimberly Jean Hicks.

When asking his children what they know of his military experiences, they say their father rarely ever talked about it. And if you inquired of him, Curtis would say, “Well, I left the U. S. hating mayonnaise, and when I came back, I loved it.”

His children give him lots of credit, though, for what they learned from him. He took his children to church at an early age, he wanted them to have a good education, he encouraged them to be involved in sports or the band, and he taught them all to love their community with a generous spirit and through their actions. Above all, he instilled in his children an extremely strong work ethic.

Sixteen million Americans served in World War II. Of those, 291,557 were killed in battle, 113,842 others died in service and 670,846 received non-mortal wounds. Of those who served, about one-half million are still living. These old veterans are passing quickly though, dying at a rate of about 372 per day.

We are glad to have the honor to celebrate two brave men of this community on Friday, Dec. 14.

A very special guest to the World War II Honorees’ Birthday Party will be Alejandra “Alex” Juan, Communications Director and State Women Veterans Outreach Coordinator of Baton Rouge. She is coming for the event and will present Mr. Charles Davis and Mr. Douglas Curtis with special commendations. She is a devoted wife and mother, avid community volunteer and a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran who served her country with both honor and distinction.

She met husband Craig while in service and they served as a dual-military couple for over a decade. The Juan family, including sons Nick and Noah, were named Louisiana Air National Guard’s “Family of the Year” in 2012. Alex was also named “Advocate of the Year” by the Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response Center in 2013. In April 2013, she ended her military career as Captain and a Public Affairs Officer.

Her list of military awards is extensive, and includes Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal and many more.

In 2013, Juan became the first female veteran to take the helm of the USS KIDD Veterans Museum in Baton Rouge. Under her leadership, the museum enjoyed its largest attendance rate recorded in over 25 years. In addition, she is credited with starting many successful innovative programs, such as Yoga for Veterans and Art Therapy classes.

In 2015, Alex was named as both an “Esprit de Femme” honoree by the LSU Women’s Center and as the “Emerging Museum Professional” by the Louisiana Association of Museums. In 2018, the Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response Center named her a “Champion of Change” honoree for her vision, perseverance and dedication to helping further the STAR mission.

Juan was hand-selected to spearhead the Women Veterans Outreach Coordinator position where she has played a crucial role in helping to identify and address the unique needs of a growing women veteran population.

Currently the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs serves over 287,000 Louisiana veterans and their families.

We welcome Alex Juan to Many and appreciate her participation in our World War II Birthday event.

The Bear Facts

Derrick Brooks found these two bear pictures on his wildlife camera recently. The camera was set up on his deer lease off the Vaco Road, just past Antioch Baptist Church.

Thanks to Dean Funderburk for supplying the photos. In addition, she saw a bear early one morning behind her house near Florien.

Signs Along Life’s Highway

With the holidays approaching, it’s time to think about all those wonderful dishes that can be made with Louisiana Sweet Potatoes. Saw this billboard recently in Shreveport.

It’s here and it’s FREE! Willie Stewart Family & Friends appear this Saturday at the Sabine Theater [Many Community Center] for their big Down Home Christmas Pickin’ featuring all kinds of wonderful Christmas music, fiddle instrumentals, spoon-playing and maybe even a few steps of Clancey Stewart’s great clogging!

The seasonal ensemble – made up of Willie, his son Bo, grandson Kelly and Kelly’s wife Clancey, as well as Willie’s fiancée Debbie Hillman, Steve and Mark Birdwell of Marthaville, and my wife Laurie Gentry – will present traditional carols, fun holiday songs and much, much more for a toe-tapping good time this coming Saturday.

You’ll hear a spirited “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Clancey and Willie’s bluesy “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Bo will shower down on “Blue Christmas,” “Christmas in Dixie,” “Silver Bells” and others. Of course, the bedrock classics – “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Joy to the World,” “O Holy Night,” “Away in a Manger,” the haunting “What Child Is This?” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain” will be presented throughout the evening, along with many, many more holiday songs.

It’s sure to be a night to remember, so come out to enjoy the free fun at Sabine Theater. It’s this Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

Five more Christmas Selfie spots have been added to the Town of Many for a total of eight Christmas scenes throughout town where family and friends are encouraged to use the settings as backdrops for family pictures.

The Selfie Spots are proving to be a big hit! Here are the locations:
Town of Many City Hall – 3 Selfie Spots: a living room setting with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree; an outdoor scene of Christmas trees and three of Santa’s reindeer; and Santa’s sleigh awaiting Santa’s arrival. There are additional spots along San Antonio Ave. at Century 21 Real Estate, Bayou Crawfish Restaurant, which features a Cajun Christmas scene, and at the Chevron Station.

Buddy Wood State Farm Insurance on the Fisher Rd. features an outdoor bench, Christmas signs and presents for a cheerful Christmas scene, and the final Selfie Spot is at Waskom Brown and Associates on Hwy. 171 Bypass.

The reaction to the Christmas Selfie Spots, which are offered for the first time this year, has been very positive with many area families stopping by and snapping their Christmas pictures.

Freeman said, “…We are so pleased to offer this new Christmas experience for our area families. They are so popular that we are planning to offer even more Christmas Selfie Spots next year when we have yet another ‘DeLIGHTful Christmas’ in Many.”

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Many with lights all along San Antonio Ave. and LOTS of activities scheduled during the week ahead as part of our town’s “A DeLIGHTful Christmas Festival.”

The second annual Studio B Christmas Spectacular is a dance event everyone looks forward to each Christmas season. This year the Christmas Spectacular will be at the Sabine Parish Fairgrounds on Dec. 13 from 7 to 8 p.m. Choreographer Becky Miller promises a program with lots of talented, charismatic children dancing their hearts out for this big Christmas show.

The Many High School Band will present its annual Christmas Concert on Friday, Dec. 14. The musicale will begin at 7 p.m. at the Many Community Center. Band director Scott DeBose says the evening will feature Christmas songs of good cheer that are sure to put the audience in a Merry Christmas frame of mind.

But, the BIG EVENT happens this Saturday, Dec. 15. That’s when Willie Stewart, Family & Friends will present their second annual “Down Home Christmas Pickin’” at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] at 7 p.m.

This two-hour show is a Christmas present from Willie and his band to Many and Sabine Parish. Though an admission charge was initially placed on the event by the Many Cultural District, Willie and the guys said, “Absolutely not – we want admission to be free, especially this time of year.”

Those who love stringed instruments like mandolin, guitar, fiddle, bass, autoharp and great harmony vocals should plan to arrive early for a choice seat. Theater doors will open at 6 p.m.

The musical production will feature lots of traditional Christmas carols, Country Christmas songs, and spiritual Christmas hymns.

Clancey Stewart, the granddaughter- in -law of Willie Stewart and wife of Kelly Stewart, is the featured performer at the Christmas Concert event. This talented young musician is the present Louisiana State Fiddle Champion and a past Arkansas State Fiddle Champion.

Popular area musician Laurie Gentry, wife of Robert Gentry, will also perform and accompany Clancey on the spoons as well as other musical instruments.

People who love the sounds and music of Christmas now have the opportunity to hear the long loved tradition of Christmas Caroling as an important part of A DeLIGHTful Christmas this year in Many.
Community Christmas Caroling takes place at 6 p.m. twice a week across the street from Many’s City Hall.

Different church choirs in Sabine Parish appear to sing the songs of Christmas each Wednesday and Saturday night.

Becky Miller, a hardworking member of the Many Christmas Committee, came up with the new idea and has worked hard to recruit area choirs and people who love to sing.

This new project is proving to be a big success with choirs of 25 and more members showing up to sing the Christmas carols, while others gathered sing along or just listen to enjoy the Christmas carols.

Hot chocolate is served, and the Community Christmas Caroling sessions offer enjoyment to families as they listen to the Christmas music while their children have fun playing with other children and visiting the hot chocolate stand.

The remaining nights for Community Christmas Caroling are tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 12, Saturday, Dec. 15, Wednesday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 22. All concerts begin at 6 p.m.

Thank you for your faithful readership of Observations. We appreciate it! I always welcome your thoughts and suggestions for future articles, so please give me a call at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com and let me hear from you. Recently archived columns are located below. Older ones are archived on our Facebook page under Photos, where they are listed by date. To print this week’s column, simply right-click anywhere on the content and select Print.

-30-