PAGE 2, THE COUGAR CRY, MAY 7, 1968
EDITORIAL COMMENTS ?
Not too many years ago, war was something we read about
in history books and watched on the late show or heard our
parents talk about. Today war is a reality. It’s our brothers and
our friends and husbands being sent to fight — and perhaps die —
in Vietnam. For many of us it is having to leave our friends and
families, jobs and schools to fight in a land we had never heard
of a few years ago. It does seem unfair and pointless. But’s it’s
nothing new. We are having to deal with the very things young
people have since the dawn of civilizations. Let us have the
courage to do it in a way that we and those who love us can be
proud of. Let’s try to be more like the young man who wrote
this letter.
Reprinted from Readers’ Digest
A 20-year-old soldier killed in action in Vietnam on February
1 of last year has been honored posthumously with the top 1966
Freedoms Foundation award, for a “last letter” to his parents.
“I Died a Soldier”
Dear Folks,
I’m writing this letter as my last one. You’ve probably al
ready received word that I’m dead and that the government wishes
to express its deepest regret.
Believe me, I didn’t want to die, but I know it was part of my
job. I want my Country to live for billions and billions of years
to come.
I want it to stand as a light to all people oppressed and guide
them to the same freedom we know. If we can stand and fight
for freedom, then I think we have done the job God set down for
us.
It’s up to every American to fight for the freedom we hold
so dear. If we don’t the smell of free air could become dark and
damp as in a prison cell. We won’t be able to look at ourselves
in a mirror, much less our sons and daughters, because we know
we have failed our God, Country and our future generations.
I can hold my head high because I fought, whether it be in
heaven or hell. Besides, the saying goes, “One more GI from
Vietnam, St. Peter. I’ve served my time in hell.”
I fought for Sandy, Nell, Gale (his sisters), Mom and Dad.
But when the twins and Sandy’s kids get old enough, they’ll
probably have to fight, too. Tell them to go proudly and without
fear of death because it is worth keeping the land free.
I remember a story from Mr. Williams’ (Thomas Williams, a
teacher at Strickland’s high school) English classes when I was a
freshman that said, “cowards die a thousand times. The brave die
but once.”
Don’t mourn me. Mother, for I’m happy I died fighting my
Country’s enemies, and I will live forever in people’s minds. I’ve
done what I’ve always dreamed of. Don’t mourn me, for I died a
soldier of the United States of America.
God bless you and take care. I’ll be seeing you in heaven.
Your loving son and brother,
Butch
THE VOICE OF WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Editor Becky Landreth
Assistant Editor Elizabeth Parks
News Editor Debby Lomax
Feature Editor Shirley Steelman
Sports Editor Charles Broyhill
Circulation & Business Manager Jimmy Harris
Columnist Nancy Icenhour
Photography Staff
Staff Sue Sebastian, Thornton Long, Mar
tha Johnson, Jenny Eller, Hal Dean Byrd, Linda Wat
son, Mary Jane Call, Volree Richardson, Carol Caudill
Advisor D. S. Mayes
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Taking Advantage of Others?
Is it fair for people to take
complete advantage of others in
school? People who do this are
not only hurting themselves but
others, too. It’s good to get help
on something a person does not
understand, but each person
needs to get the major portion of
his work by himself. There’s no
sense in one person standing
idly by the wayside while every
one else is trying his best to
understand and do his own work,
for no one is any better than
another.
Tom, Dick, and Bill were all
three taking history and mathe
matics. Dick and Bill worked as
hard as they could to make good
grades. They practically took
notes during every class meeting
in both courses. By doing so they
hardly ever had any serious
trouble with their work, but when
they did, they would compare
notes and work out their own
problems. Tom, though, just
didn’t give a heck about school.
He was going to make it through
school the easiest way possible.
Instead of studying he was always
out somewhere having a good
time. When the time came to get
his homework done, he would al
ways manage to borrow Dick’s
and Bill’s papers to copy. When
test time came around, he would
always get caught in a bad situa
tion because instead of taking
notes and listening in class he
always managed to find some
thing else to occupy his mind.
Tom thought he had the perfect
solution to his little problem—
see Dick and Bill. They always
took notes so Tom decided he
would borrow theirs and cram
for the test the night before.
Many times, though, the notes
did not help him very much,
especially in mathematics be
cause he just simply did not
understand how to work the prob
lems.
Sometimes every person be
comes Tom relying on Dick and
Bill to do all his work. Almost
every day someone needs anoth
er person to help him with his
work. Because many times the
necessity arises when people
have to miss a class, can’t take
notes, or do not understand some
thing. But constantly doing as
Tom did, never trying, is just
not right. What good is an educa
tion to a person if he never puts
forth even the smallest effort to
help himself. He just might as
well have not gone to school in
the first place. In later years
what will he profit by going
through school on someone else’s
work?
Nancy Isenhour
Two workmen sat down to eat
their lunches. One began to un
wrap a package about 18 inches
long.
“What’s that?» asked the other.
“My wife’s away,” said the
first, “so I made myself a pie.”
“A bit long, isn’t it?” his
friend asked.
“Long?” Sure it’s long. It>s
rhubarb pie.”
It is well to realize that time
to think is as important as time
to work.
Turks Play
For Dance
Saturday night, April
27, at the “Y”, the Turks
provided music for a
dance sponsored by WCC
students.