11 NOV 05: THE OVERLOOKED VETERANS

Today is Veterans Day. I've never quite understood why there's no matching Rookies' Day, but anyway....

You may not realize Columbus ranks among the top ten cities in the U.S., in the percentage of residents who are military veterans. Perhaps it's because Fort Benning is so close - or perhaps the "meals ready to eat" there are especially good.

Did you see the award a former Army paratrooper received at Fort Benning Thursday? John Slovenz received a medal for saving the life of a fellow Fort Bragg jumper in 1961. So why did it take 44 years for him to receive this honor? Did the Federal Emergency Management Agency deliver it for some reason?

But I'd like to salute a different sort of veteran - the Columbus Veterans, who have lived here for decades. They're the working people who could have moved to Atlanta and made much more money. Yet they stayed here for some reason -- perhaps because they feared their car might break down during the move.

I took a count the other day, and realized only six people are on Columbus TV newscasts who were on the air when I moved here in 1997. The number would be seven, but WCGT doesn't seem interested in simulcasting Robbie Watson on TalkLine anymore.

WRBL has only one person on the air who was there eight years ago -- Teresa Whitaker. And this is the station showing "Survivor?!"

(No, Phil Scoggins doesn't count. He was in private business in 1997 -- back when WRBL actually spent money to put Brad Means and Amanda Rossiter's picture on billboards, so people would know who they were.)

Columbus is one of those smaller cities that's considered a jumping point, as TV news anchors or reporters advance in their careers. Newspaper reporters here don't seem to do that - but then again, Kaffie Sledge may be waiting for Cynthia Tucker in Atlanta to retire.

(So Richard Hyatt, Sandra Okamoto and Tim Chitwood at the Ledger-Enquirer can be considered Columbus Veterans -- and did you notice Chitwood was rewarded recently? He was given more work to do, covering Columbus Council meetings.)

Columbus Council also seems to be a place filled with local veterans. Seven of the ten Councilors have been in office for eight years or more - and they've been very successful in shifting the blame for things onto the City Manager's shoulders.

Columbus radio has a few veterans, who haven't moved on to nicer mikes in Atlanta or Nashville. Take Scott Miller, still broadcasting Columbus State University sports events. He talks about finding that "lucky spot" - and maybe his home qualifies as one.

The local business world, of course, is filled with Columbus Veterans - people named Heard, Bradley, Amos and such. Critics might label them "good ol' boys." But keep something in mind: they could be BAD ol' boys.

In one way, I've become a veteran. This weekend marks 21 years since I moved to Georgia from Oklahoma - which I think makes me finally of age to drink a full-throttle sweet tea.

Yet in some ways, I have NOT become a true Georgian. For instance, I still push buttons - instead of mashing them....

BLOG UPDATE: Thank you, WRBL, for getting more details Thursday on the midtown Post Office situation. And thank you for probably getting the idea for your story from our post here on Tuesday....

A postal security agent said the lobby hours at Wynnton Station Post Office are being reduced because of recent attempts to break into post office boxes. If people are that desperate for junk mail about cheap loans, they can have some of mine.

A postal security agent noted the Baker Village Post Office also has reduced lobby hours, because of people tampering with post office boxes. What are these criminals after? Social Security checks? Business payments? Or maybe offers of credit cards with lower interest rates?

We need to correct the upcoming change in hours at Wynnton Station. Next month the lobby will close at 6:00 p.m. weeknights, and not reopen until 6:30 a.m. So that means even more hours with no access to post office boxes - or as they're saying at Yahoo Mail: more banner ads.

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION closed at our post time - and we have a winner! Voters say Georgia is smarter than Alabama, by a margin of 5-1. But then again, so few people voted that our polling page may have been too complicated for the Alabama voters.

Now a wrap-up on other things which made news Thursday:

+ A meeting at East Columbus Magnet Academy discussed a big brawl among dozens of students last weekend, and whether street gangs were involved. If this happened on ice at the Columbus Civic Center, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion....

(One 13-year-old boy believes he was beaten up near East Columbus Magnet Academy last week because he's part of a rap group. If he stays with that group, he'll learn in a few years those bruises give him "good cred.")

+ The Columbus Chamber of Commerce announced American Consumer Products will locate a factory on Mutec Drive, employing at least 150 people. This plant will make things such as soap and shampoo - so if you ever have to travel there, follow the orange smell.

+ J.C. Penney at Peachtree Mall reported it has fewer than ten "holiday hire" positions left to fill. I'm guessing it's down to the lingerie models....

+ Oxbow Meadows showed off its new "treetop trail" - a walking trail tied to trees, and hanging five feet off the ground. It's just one more step toward bringing "Survivor: Columbus" to town.

+ A turn around the AM dial brought a surprise, as WEAM-AM is broadcasting Atlanta Hawks basketball. I assume this is like an infomercial - because what tight-budgeted Columbus radio station would pay to carry these games?

(Nearly 14,000 people attended Thursday night's Atlanta loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. We don't know how many fans bought tickets after seeing Los Angeles on the schedule, and assuming it was the Lakers.)

+ Former Alabama star Shaun Alexander told ESPN Radio he considers himself the best running back in pro football - only hours after he appeared on "The 700 Club" and was praised by Pat Robertson for "no pride, no arrogance, total humility...." Which place do you think is asking the more probing questions?

+ Instant Message to Michael Vick: The Green Bay Packers' quarterback you're facing this weekend is named BRETT Favre. You must have confused him with BRENT Musberger the other day....

BIG PREDICTION: If D.J. Shockley plays, Georgia beats Auburn Saturday night. If he doesn't play, Auburn beats Georgia. There -- are all of you satisfied?

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