star-telegram.com: Fort Worth

U.S. to honor members of squadron in 'secret war'

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:38 CDT

By CHRIS VAUGHN

Not many men in the military are eager to join a brand-new unit, where they don't know people, don't know what they'll be doing and don't have a proud unit lineage.

But the Navy assured the men it would be good for their careers.

So some men volunteered and a lot more were drafted to join Observation Squadron 67, so named because that was the year it was born.

After a while the men took to calling themselves "the Ghost Squadron" because they felt forgotten, participants in a secret war that neither the U.S. nor the North Vietnamese wanted to acknowledge was being waged next door to Vietnam.

Silenced for decades by their classified missions over Laos, the men finally in recent years began to speak publicly of their war, a decision that would ultimately lead to a rare historic correction by the Navy.

Forty years after the squadron's actions, VO-67 has been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest decoration for combat valor a unit can receive. Some of the surviving 300 members of that squadron will be on hand Wednesday in Washington, D.C., for the ceremony in front of the U.S. Navy Memorial.

"It's special after all these years," said John Forsgren, a young sailor who served in the squadron and lives in Arlington. "But it's also bittersweet. How do you get proud of something that you did 40 years ago? There's a bit of a feeling of 'Why didn't they recognize the unit 30 years ago?'"

The Presidential Unit Citation is reserved only for the most valorous combat units, and it's worth noting that far fewer of them were awarded for the Vietnam War than Medals of Honor. A unit receiving the citation is the equivalent of every man receiving a Navy Cross.

Ensign Laura Stegherr said Navy Secretary Donald Winter received "relevant, new and verified" information about the squadron's actions in Laos that warranted the decoration.

Secret mission

VO-67 wasn't really an observation squadron, though they pretended they were. Their unit patch reflected the ruse, showing an airplane sending signals to the ground. In reality, it was the opposite -- the squadron was listening to what was happening on the ground, not interfering.

"It was so secret that not many top people in the Navy knew the squadron existed or what we did," said Ed Landwehr of Fort Worth, a navigator and bombadier on Crew 4.

The idea came from Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who was unhappy with the results of the bombing campaign in North Vietnam and wanted some other way to interdict supplies into South Vietnam. His answer was "Igloo White," the code name for his plan to create an "electronic barrier" at the Demilitarized Zone.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was largely under triple canopy jungle, hard to detect and busiest at night. Using dropped microphones and seismographic sensors would be a way for the military to gain intelligence on what was moving down the trail, when and how much. Then they could call in airstrikes.

"We didn't find out what we would be doing until right before we deployed," said Herb Ganner of Hurst, a navigator and bombadier on Crew 1.

What the pilots and crews had to do sounds simple enough -- take off from an airfield in Thailand, fly a short distance into Laos and drop the camouflaged sensors along the trail.

The men flew only in the day, usually every other day, and could expect to be airborne no longer than a couple of hours.

But the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the lifeblood of the war for the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong, was a very hostile place for air crews, particularly slow-moving, virtually defenseless ones flying at only 500 to 1,000 feet.

"The missions were short-lived, but they were adrenaline-pumped," Ganner said.

The Navy prepared for a loss rate of upward of 60 percent to 70 percent, which the men found out about while they were in Thailand.

Sharing the moment with Mom

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:30 CDT

Tammy Adcock and daughter Halyn, 1, enjoy a Mother's Day outing at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden on Sunday. They celebrated the holiday by visiting the garden with the rest of the family.

With new home, County Archives have room for more Tarrant history

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:29 CDT

By AMAN BATHEJA

FORT WORTH -- Susan Pritchett doesn't recount local history. She gossips about it.

With an almost lurid enthusiasm, the county archivist spins yarns about when a barely known Elvis Presley spent a night in 1956 in Sundance Square. (The hotel clerk recorded his name as "Elmer Presley.") or the stage directions Harry Houdini sent in advance of a Fort Worth performance ("Require a small trap in center of stage not less than 8 inches square").

Now Pritchett has much more space to tell the tales of Tarrant County's dense past. The County Archives just moved into a new home in the recently renovated Plaza Building.

"There are a lot of stories down here about a lot of different things," Pritchett said. "It's all about us, basically."

Started at closed school

The Tarrant County Archives began as an idea. County commissioners voted to establish a repository to preserve the county's heritage in 1976 but didn't put any money toward a location.

Eight years later, the archives got their first home -- half of the auditorium at the then-closed Alice Carlson School near Texas Christian University. The growing treasure trove collected by the Tarrant County Historical Commission was packed tightly next to records from the Fort Worth school district. The rent was $1 a year, Pritchett said.

"It was all dark and all cramped, and there was no place for researchers to come and really look at anything," she said.

The archives moved to the windowless basement of the Civil Courts Building in 1991. It was a major improvement that allowed researchers, students and the generally curious to get one of their first peeks at the various collections, though the space was still small. To allow visitors to view items properly, Pritchett often had to rearrange furniture.

"The maximum that people could comfortably be there was about four people, and then if you got more than four people you were having to be kind of creative about where you were going to put them," Pritchett said.

As part of a reshuffling of the county's downtown offices, county officials started planning in 2005 to move the archives to the Plaza on Taylor Street between Weatherford and West Second streets.

At 10,762 square feet, the new combined digs for the Archives and Historical Commission are more than twice as big as the previous space, according to county officials.

"It sort of boggles my mind," Pritchett said. "We're going to need roller skates."

Old land records popular

Walking through the archives' stacks is like taking a trip through the attics of Tarrant County's past generations. Marriage licenses going back to 1877 sit near memorabilia from the Fort Worth Cats baseball team. Decades' worth of programs from local theaters and school yearbooks provide a striking snapshot of how fashion, culture and hairdos have changed over the years.

Back in the 1980s, two local title companies donated thousands of old land records to the county. For the most part, only those researching family trees asked for them. About three years ago, natural gas companies learned that those records were great for figuring out who owns the mineral rights across the Barnett Shale. They are now the archives' most requested items.

"I promise you there isn't going to be an inch that isn't leased before long, because [the landmen] come back over and over again," Pritchett said.

In recent years, Pritchett has had to refuse some donations because she didn't have room to store them. With all the extra space she has now, she hopes for a surge in contributions. "We really want things on paper," Pritchett said. "We can't take clothes. We can't take baby bonnets. I value them too, but we're just not set up to knowing how to preserve them or use them."

While some might question why taxpayer dollars go to maintaining this hodgepodge of history, Pritchett fiercely defends it. "One of the things I think that has always made Tarrant County different ... is it has always had a close sense of who it was ... and that can only be continued if people are really aware of how we developed," she said.

If you plan on making a trip to the archives, be prepared to hopscotch across local history with Pritchett. She's got plenty of stories to tell, and she doesn't play favorites. "My problem is I like everything down here," she said.

New postage prices take effect

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:19 CDT

By Bryon Okada

Today the price of a first-class stamp becomes 42 cents -- a penny more.

And, yes, today a forever stamp also costs 42 cents.

There are also other price increases, which you can find at www.usps.com.

According to the U.S. Postal Service: "Consistent with The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, we will adjust our mailing services prices each May. By law, these prices can increase on average no more than the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. We plan to provide 90 days' notice of the new prices each year, to help mailers prepare for the change."

So you can probably count on more increases in coming years.

New stop signs in Fort Worth are hard to miss

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:28 CDT

By GORDON DICKSON

The future of stop signs may be a lot brighter, and flashier.

At the intersection of Altamesa Boulevard and Trail Lake Drive in southwest Fort Worth, two stop signs with blinking red LED lights have been installed to improve visibility for motorists. The lights, which blink about every second, line the perimeter of the octagon-shaped signs.

They were installed April 24. Fort Worth officials say they will test their effectiveness for several months.

Background

The Altamesa-Trail Lake intersection is six lanes wide and known for poor visibility.

The city was considering putting in large red beacons to draw attention to the stop signs. A representative of Tapco, a company that makes signs, asked Fort Worth officials to try the blinking signs.

"We had tried a similar product from Tapco with a plastic ring of blinking lights that was attached to a stop sign eight years ago, and were not impressed with the product durability," said Mark Mathis, city traffic services manager. "But they showed me this new solar-powered unit that is built within the stop sign itself and made out of aluminum rather than plastic. We agreed that Altamesa and Trail Lake would be opportunity to take a serious look at the product."

Features

The lights are focused with a plastic lens to broadcast light only 10 degrees either side of center, so nearby homes aren't hit with glare.

A dimming feature reduces the light intensity at night.

Batteries won't need to be replaced for three years, Tapco officials say.

Solar panels can hold a charge up to seven days without direct sunlight.

Downside

They're expensive -- $1,400 each -- compared with about $50 for a standard 36-inch stop sign.

What's next

Fort Worth officials also plan to install a blinking school zone sign soon at an undetermined location. City officials will monitor the effectiveness of the blinking signs for a few months and decide whether to recommend wider use.

Are they safe?

The number of vehicles not fully stopping at a stop sign was reduced by 29 percent, and the number of stop-sign runners who "blew through" the intersection was reduced by 53 percent, according to a 2003 study of LED flashing stop signs conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute in College Station.

Are they legal?

Federal traffic device guidelines allow cities and states to use illuminated signs, as long as the lights meet color standards and flash 50-60 times per minute.

TCU student likes a challenge, and picked pair

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:26 CDT

By MATT FRAZIER

FORT WORTH -- Think Einstein dancing the Nutcracker, and you have Tess Bernard.

Bernard is one of 1,337 students who received degrees Saturday from Texas Christian University in split ceremonies at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

She graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average, a degree in physics, a degree in dance and the title of senior scholar in both her fields of study.

"All this physics with the large time commitment I know she had to make to ballet, you can [only] be amazed," said Magnus Rittby, professor of physics and astronomy.

A graduate of a Roman Catholic girls high school in Phoenix, Bernard came to TCU on academic and fine arts scholarships.

She began dancing in Arizona at the age of 3, because her mother thought it would be fun. But once she started, Bernard wouldn't quit, even when her mother began suggesting other areas of possible interest, including sports such as tennis.

Practice was three to four hours a day, five to six days a week, through high school, with Barnard eventually favoring ballet instead of jazz because ballet was harder.

"It was the most challenging, and I've always wanted to do the things that were the most difficult," Bernard said. "And I love classical ballet. I did the Nutcracker four times when I was younger."

By her junior year, she had decided to make dance her profession.

Nothing could pull her away from dance -- except Einstein. She found his theory of relativity fascinating and didn't want her high school advanced calculus class to go to waste, so she began taking physics classes at TCU.

Rittby said Bernard was his most outstanding student in Introductory Quantum Mechanics class since he began teaching the course here. Dance professor Elizabeth Gillaspy said she is also astonishing in dance. Bernard has already applied for about two dozen dancing jobs or apprenticeships.

"The biggest and best part of TCU was learning to grow in faith with others as part of a community," Bernard said. "It prepared me for what will come in my life."

Tcu commencement

Roger Williams, former Texas secretary of state, a one-time Texas Christian University baseball standout and former player for the Atlanta Braves' minor-league organization in the early 1970s, delivered the commencement address at both ceremonies. He said that TCU's graduates should not try to guess the future but to instead invent it.

"You are the leaders of this generation, and you can be the ones to show your families, your friends, your co-workers and the world what being a Texan and being an American truly means," Williams said.

Handed out were 1,051 bachelor's degrees. Sixteen students received double degrees. One student received three degrees. Also handed out were 276 masters's degrees and 10 doctorates.

SENIOR NOTES

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:38 CDT

Option gains popularity

A nontraditional Medicaid program, Cash and Counseling -- basically a stipend to hire helpers to allow you to stay in your home and avoid tapping into the overburdened home-healthcare industry -- is spreading across the country. It was pioneered by New Jersey, Florida and Arkansas in the late 1990s with grants from the Health and Human Services Department, the Administration on Aging and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grants were extended to Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia in 2004. At least 18 more states plan to offer the option starting this year. Last year, the federal government made it easier for all states to offer Cash and Counseling by eliminating the requirement to get a Medicaid waiver. In addition, the Administration on Aging gave Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, West Virginia and Vermont money to offer similar programs for poor seniors whose incomes are too high for them to qualify for Medicaid.

-- Stateline.org

Online: www.cashandcounseling.org

Surge in centenarians

About 95,000 Americans are 100 or older, census estimates show, and this closely watched demographic is predicted to more than quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.15 million by 2050. How healthy centenarians stay may have a dramatic effect on federal entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid, healthcare experts say. The annual cost for treating elderly and disabled people under these programs is $400 billion, Congressional Budget Office numbers show. The vital question: Will people in their 90s and 100s have longer periods of mobility and independence or just more years of disability and dependence? "If we don't do a better job, this really large group of people who reach advanced old age will be a burden on our healthcare system," said Dr. Jack Guralnik, an epidemiologist and gerontologist at the National Institute on Aging in Maryland.

-- The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer

Aging and quality of life

Two studies showed this year that certain factors may not only lengthen lives but also provide more late-life years free of disability.

A study of New England centenarians showed that more than 7 in 10 lived with an age-related disease for 15 years or more. Researchers say that means staying active or escaping disability may be more important than remaining disease-free.

A Boston-based study showed that men at age 70 had a better-than-even chance of living to 90 if they exercised moderately two to four times a week and did not smoke, have high blood pressure, weigh too much or have diabetes.

-- The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer

Social Security Q&A

How old do I have to be to begin receiving Social Security disability benefits? I've been severely injured, but I'm still a young guy.

There is no minimum age requirement as long as your disability keeps you from working and is expected to last at least one year or end in death. To qualify for disability benefits, you must have also worked long and recently enough under Social Security to earn the required number of work credits. The number depends on your age when you become disabled. To learn how many credits you'll need, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/dibplan/dqualify3.htm.

I've been getting Social Security disability benefits for a few years now. I'm scheduled for a medical review next month. What should I expect?

You will be asked to provide information about your medical treatment and any changes in your medical condition, as well as information on any work you may have done. Then a disability examiner and a doctor will review your file and request your medical reports. You might be asked to have a special examination, which Social Security will pay for. When the review is complete, Social Security will send you a letter telling you whether you still qualify to continue receiving disability benefits. If the decision is made to discontinue benefits, you have the right to appeal that decision. For more information: www.socialsecurity.gov or 800-772-1213.

-- Social Security Administration

Senior menus Monday-Friday

Tarrant County (817-338-4433) -- Monday: Swiss steak, whipped potatoes, broccoli, bread, cookie; Tuesday: Chicken and sausage jambalaya, green beans, salad, roll, cookie; Wednesday: Egg salad, tomato and cucumber salad, green pea salad, bread, fruit; Thursday: Ham and lima beans, rice, turnip greens, cornbread, fruit; Friday: Oven fried chicken, au gratin potatoes, peas and carrots, roll, cobbler.

PHOTO PUZZLE | Spot the differences at Bedford Boys Ranch

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:38 CDT

The top photograph is the original; the bottom one has been manipulated. Try to find the seven changes our photographer has made. The answers are at the bottom.

ANSWERS

D3: Empty park bench removed; F2: Trash can removed; B2: Tree trunk removed; E4: Bird removed; D5: Brick removed and replaced with grass; E2: Post along sidewalk pathway removed; C3: Two people seated along pathway removed

AREA BRIEFS

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:37 CDT

Apartments damaged in blaze

FORT WORTH -- A 3 a.m. two-alarm apartment fire in south Fort Worth left a dozen people without homes Sunday and caused an estimated $250,000 in damage. It took firefighters about an hour to get the blaze under control in the 16-unit building at Creek Hollow Apartments in the 6200 block of Finbro Drive. Flames damaged four upper apartments, and water damaged a unit downstairs. The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Lt. Kent Worley of the Fort Worth Fire Department.

-- Matt Frazier

Council to continue budget work

MANSFIELD -- The City Council will work again on a preliminary 2008-09 budget tonight and conduct hearings on an office park, gas well permit and uses for a historic home. The budget work session starts immediately after a closed session, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The hearings and council votes, the second of three on each issue, are part of an unusually light agenda for the regular meeting, at 7 p.m.

-- Robert Cadwallader

Ricola! (photo only)

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:37 CDT

Judge Earl Palmer blows a cow horn for a customer at his booth at the Cattle Barn Flea Market at the Will Rogers Memorial Center on Sunday.