Today’s column is truly created by random thoughts. Random is defined as having no specific pattern or objective. The actions of the two subjects I write about happened randomly. Both I encountered years ago but in the past several weeks they have become newsworthy once again.
In 1969 I interviewed a minister who had served as a chaplain during WWII. He volunteered in May 1942 and spent 18 months in England training for the invasion. He had learned shortly before our interview that he was the first American chaplain to land on the beach on D-Day. He went in with the second wave, H-hour plus 30 minutes and although wounded in the leg by enemy fire he went back in the water to save a soldier caught in the undercurrent. He received the Silver Star for gallantry in action against the enemy in Normandy, France. Following the war he stayed in the Ohio National Guard as division chaplain of the 37th Infantry Division for 21 years, retiring in 1968.
Although the story I wrote was mainly on the D-Day events, Chaplain Reed told about the days in England as the invasion forces waited behind barbed wire. He said he was acutely aware of the mounting tension in the men. Hardly a day passed that he was not called to counsel a soldier who had attempted suicide, or worse, to bury one who had succeeded. His memories of the landing were sad and horrific but that short bit of information about suicides stuck in my brain.
When the headlines started appearing recently on the number of suicides in the Army rising I remembered that interview. Record-keeping on suicides did not begin until 1980 which means WWII suicides cannot be compared with the numbers today. But today those random acts are not hidden but the reasons are being examined and solutions are being discussed.
The second case was what in today’s television news would be called “breaking news.” I had traveled to Minneapolis, MN to attend the fall board meeting of the National Federation of Press Women in 1982. The speaker for October 1 was a public relations employee for Johnson & Johnson. Just before she was introduced she was called to the phone and when she returned it was clear she was upset. Instead of a talk she apologized and said she must leave immediately because of an emergency in her office.
The unexplained emergency unraveled over the next few days. It began with the death of a person in Chicago on September 29. By the time it was confirmed that death was caused by cyanide-laced Tylenol, over the next two days six more deaths were attributed to the same cause. It was then we realized what a nightmare public relations problem had hit our speaker.
Even though a suspect was found he served more than 12 years in prison, not for the deaths but for sending extortion notes to Johnson & Johnson. Now after 26 years the FBI is investigating new leads in the case.
Because of those deaths by the deliberate contamination of the popular pain relief pill tamper-proof packaging appeared. Today many of us struggle to open boxes and bottles protected from anyone intent on harming us. The extra effort is worth it but more and more we must question if what was put in the container before it was sealed securely was free of contamination. Today it is peanut butter.
If random actions have no specific pattern or objective they certainly have a negative effect on many lives.
Columns
February 17, 2009
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Random" still can have purpose
- Columns
-
-
GARY'S WORLD: Thank our veterans this weekend
A tremendous opportunity presents itself in our community this weekend — an opportunity to honor those who served in the Vietnam War. Personally, after attending last year's first Welcome Home celebration, I wouldn't want to miss this. It was an emotional event for both Vietnam veterans and ordinary citizens. It was a great way to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day in Tennessee, March 29.
-
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Antiques Roadshow" comes to Tennessee
If you are one of the 10 million who watch each episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” mark your calendar. The three upcoming Mondays, March 30, April 6 and April 13, were all taped in Chattanooga last July.
- LION AND THE LAMB: An open letter to Sharon Baier I was happy to read your well-written article, printed in last week's Chronicle. It makes a strong case, in the story of Al and Jennifer, that "To make money, you have to spend money." That misguided couple thought that they ought to cut down on their purchase of supplies, to save money. They did so, week after week, until they lost their business.
- WE THE PEOPLE: Veterans storm the Hill When young men and women risk their lives and sacrifice both physical and mental health for their country, a grateful country should at least provide them with shelter, food, and health care. But there is a lot of hypocrisy between what some windbag says on Veterans Day and what the country actually does for veterans.
-
THEREFORE I AM: Kids stress out parents? Well, duh!
This just in: According to an expert, children can add stress and strain to a marriage. In other news, further expert studies have indicated that the sky is in fact blue, Paris Hilton is a tad spoiled, peanut butter and chocolate taste great together, and the Middle East has issues. Thank goodness we have experts to tell us these things.
-
INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT: With shekels come shackles
When President Obama launched his faith-based initiative at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, he promised not only to sustain the Bush administration’s signature domestic program — but to expand it.
-
THEREFORE I AM: Jim Croce and I will keep you safe and sound
My philosophy of life is simple: When in doubt, follow the advice of a dead folk-rock star. I always found Jim Croce to be particularly handy in this capacity. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. Don’t spit into the wind. Don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and regardless of how badly you may want to, do not, under any circumstances, mess around with Jim.
- STUMPTALK: Stimulating a war on prosperity and freedom Near Bush’s sunset, Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed chairman Bernanke terrified the nation with “the sky’s falling and America is doomed” unless the government steps in with new regulations, institutional takeovers and massive lending.
- WE THE PEOPLE: Thoughts on bringing a recession to heel Responding to the recent full-throated baying of conservative “economic watchdogs,” I slogged into the swamp of their icon Adam Smith’s murky tome, “The Wealth of Nations,” to see if they had finally treed anything of value.
-
LION AND THE LAMB: Reality
Dim blue of early morning shines into the living room
while you flip through television channels. - More Columns Headlines
-
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
On Thailand Trip, Suu Kyi Visits Migrants
Raw Video: Pink Diamond Auctioned for $17.4M
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
