USMC Sgt. Garrett Misener [Update]

Dear Friends and Family,

As most of you have heard by now, my son, USMC Sgt. Garrett Misener, was killed in action in Afghanistan. If you have not seen the news on TV, you can visit pretty much any of the Memphis local channels web sites and see the reports and know the basic details about it. At this time, I'd like to let you all know about the time line and services, etc. Many have been asking and we can not possibly speak with everyone on the phone or even attempt to answer individual emails. So, if you are receiving this email and wonder if someone else has seen it, feel free to pass it on.

What Happened: Garrett, a squad leader of 13 men, was on foot patrol in the wee hours of December 27, 2010 and stepped on or near an IED (improvized explosive device) and was mortally wounded. They med-evaced him to the hospital, but he did not survive. Only one other man under Garrett's charge was injured. He received a concussion and expected to make a full and speedy recovery.

To Date: Garrett's remains have been flown to Dover, Delaware and he arrived there earlier today. In the next few days he will have several things happen including Positive ID, an Autopsy and Burrial Preparations. Unless something unexpected arises with the positive ID or another portion of the burial prep, he should be flown from Dover to Memphis via private jet on Saturday. We will know for sure by either late Thursday or Friday morning.

Services: As long as things go as expected, and barring bad weather or snow, we were instructed to not FINALIZE the service date/time until we knew for sure he would be in Memphis. So at this time, we know that the earliest a service can take place would be Sunday Afternoon. Again, we will know more by Friday.

We will make the service time and date available to all the local stations and the commercial appeal if you don't receive another email like this.

We plan on a service taking place at Bellevue Baptist Church.

As far as flowers, we are trying to think about what Garrett would have wanted. He would not want folks to spend a lot of money on flowers when there are so many in this world who are less fortunate. We believe he would have rather had donations go to some other charity so that others could know the love of Christ.

We will provide names and contact information for the selected donations in the next day or so.

Many have asked what they can do to help us, and quite frankly, there is not much anyone can do other than let us know you are praying for us. However, there is something that can be done by everyone.

Garrett was a squad leader in charge of 13 men. As you can imagine, these men are sad to lose their leader and Garrett will be hard to replace. I would ask each of you to pray earnestly for these 13 men so that they will not be distracted from their duty in Afghanistan and thus be in greater danger of being injured themselves. Pray for strength and endurance for each of these men.

Also, for those of you who knew Garrett, if you have pictures, videos or stories that you would like to share (and we want to hear/see them ALL), please feel free to email them to me, or post them on line and email the link, or you can mail them to me at the below address:

Janne Zaccagnino
293 S. Walnut Bend Rd. Ste 204
Cordova, TN 38018

At this time, we ask you to keep the phone calls to a minimum as we are still trying to reach Garrett's friends and make arrangements for the Services. We are trying to respond to emails, but it may take us a few days to catch up. Please know, we love and appreciate EVERY comment. We will eventually read every word.

Thank you everyone, we covet your prayers.

Janne Zaccagnino

Apple Season

Happily, this delicious cake can be enjoyed year round, not just in apple season, but seeing recent comments on Facebook by various individuals regarding apple season, I thought of sharing this recipe.

Fresh Apple Cake

By Nettie Mae Carter Gaillard and passed on to Barbara Carter.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ Cups Cooking Oil
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 ½ Cups S.R. Flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts
3 baking apples (Granny Smith), peeled, cored and chunked

Prepare apples and chopped nuts then set aside.
Combine the first five ingredients then incorporate the apples and nuts into the mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees in an oblong pan 9 X 13, until cake is golden brown and top slightly crisp.

Glaze:
Heat to dissolve:
1 stick oleo or butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. milk
Bring to boil, then add:
¾ cup sifted powered sugar

Once all is blended, pour over warm cake, allowing cake to cool…glaze will harden. Serve from pan.

Shared by Wayne L. Carter

Out West ~ Day One

Sometime last year, Carl Wayne, sent me an article about bodocks that he’d read online. It came from a blog by Terry Thornton of Fulton, MS. Terry’s blog had an unusual name “Hill Country H.O.G.S. Webpress.” The “H.O.G.S.” part stands for History, Observations, Genealogy, and Stories. I contacted Terry about sending one or more of his writings to be shared in The Bodock Post, and he indicated he would. Sadly, Terry, passed away while Barbara and I were on our Out West trip, recently.

Terry was passionate about Monroe County, Mississippi and would frequently share something of interest about this area of Northeast Mississippi. Earlier this year, he mentioned the work of an artist and included a picture of an old home the artist had painted in Aberdeen, MS, where beautiful old homes abound.

I followed the link Terry provided to the artist’s blog and discovered the world of art through the eyes of Arni Anderson. Arni was in the middle of a year-long project to paint one picture each day of the year in 2010. What fabulous pictures he had, including great portrayals of landscapes, houses, barns, many from Mississippi. The great part about Arni’s blog is that he explains the color medium used, the type of paper or canvas it’s on, and something about where the subject is located.

At some point, I left an appreciative comment on Arni’s blog, and soon he had asked me to be one of his many Facebook friends. One day I read that he would be in the Aberdeen, and he invited his Facebook friends near Aberdeen to join him at a popular eatery one Friday night. I had a Class of ’60 dinner that particular evening and felt obligated to attend it rather than make the trip to Aberdeen. Yet, when I began to look at the route Barbara and I would take for our Out West trip, I realized we would spend our first night in Oklahoma City, near Arni. I contacted him, and he seemed delighted.

Arnie suggested he and his wife meet us at Cattleman’s restaurant in OKC. According to Arni, Cattleman’s is about the best place to eat for miles around. The food was excellent, but the opportunity to meet Arni and Nina was better, still. She’s an Aberdeen “girl” whom Arni had met in college and determined to marry, so determined in fact, that he moved to Aberdeen and worked there until he could talk her into marriage. (I saw on Facebook today, 8/27/10, that he and Nina are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary.)

I was amazed at the many different jobs Arni has done throughout his life to support his family. He’s currently an art teacher in Edmond, OK, and has a few, hand selected private students, too.

Arni and Nina were the first of several folks we would encounter along our route to tour the West by automobile. I feel our friendship is now stronger than ever with our having met face to face. Arni tells me he’s planning an art showing in Northeast Mississippi next year. I hope to see Nina and him, then. Meanwhile, I’ll be keeping a close tab on his blog, www.arnisart.blogspot.com, and following his posts on Facebook.

~ By Wayne Carter/ Associate Editor and Publisher/ The Bodock Post

Blindsided

A sage once said, “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.” If true, the devil will have a tough time setting up shop in my daughter’s brain. I don’t think her mind ever shuts down. Almost since birth, her middle name has been “Go!” When she stops it’s only to think of where next to go or what next to do.

In some ways I’m glad she doesn’t live in Pontotoc, for if she did, she’d keep me far busier doing things she wanted me to do than is my present situation. The seventy miles that separate us is a buffer zone, but sometimes I get blindsided by an unexpected request.

When I read her post on Facebook, Saturday afternoon, stating she was enjoying being off work and had plans to shop in Tupelo, I felt relatively safe from what are often schemes of hers that involve her dad. My world, Wayne’s World if you care to think of it as such, turned rather nicely until about three-thirty Saturday afternoon.

I knew by the ring-tone on my wife’s cell phone that Rayanne was calling, so as the conversations are often of a mother/daughter nature, I scarcely listened to what my wife was saying until the phone was thrust in my face.

“It’s Rayanne,” Barbara stated, “talk to her.”

Well, maybe that’s not the exact words, but that’s what I heard, once the words were filtered by my brain. About the same time I took the phone, a neighbor rang our doorbell, so I had good reason to cut short the phone conversation.

“We’re all in Tupelo,” Rayanne said, “and, everyone wants to go see The Blind Side after we eat. Do you and Mama want to meet us?”

Neither Barbara nor I were bathed and dressed for going out, so I responded we’d talk it over and get back to her. Anyway, going to movies is not something I do with any regularity. Let’s see, Barbara and I went to see The Sound of Music in our early years of marriage and took our small children to see Herbie Rides Again, the last movie I remember viewing in a theater, but I’ve possibly been to one since and don’t remember it.

With the coldest night of the year just hours ahead, going out into the frigid night air to see a movie was not something I desired to do. But, my intuition told me I had better go, as I knew my wife wanted to see the movie, and I have since been lambasted for not taking her to the inflatable city at Cotton Plant during the Christmas season.

Theaters have changed quite a bit from my adolescent years, and I surely don’t remember climbing steps that led anywhere except to a balcony. The Malco in Tupelo is one of those new-fangled, multi-screen theaters. We walked up stairs so we could descend to the desired level to view the movie.

Upon being seated I was glad I had worn several layers of clothing to protect me from the cold outside that had somehow seeped inside. I had stuffed a pair of cotton gloves into a pocket of my jacket, mainly for use going to and from my car. Little did I know they would be all that stood between my fingers and frostbite…inside the theater. For the next two hours, I sat miserably cold, weighing the pros and cons of my decision to make my wife happy. In the past, I have spent two hours being colder and more miserable, but that would have been on a deer stand back in the days when I went deer hunting.

The movie…oh, it was good as movies go, and I could understand most of the dialog. Being an Ole Miss alum, I took pleasure in the story of a former Ole Miss athlete, whose wife was an Ole Miss cheerleader, and who together helped change the life of a Black youth who eventually became an All American tackle at Ole Miss and is now playing professionally for the Baltimore Ravens.

It was a heartwarming movie, and I enjoyed it to the extent that circumstances allowed. I have no plans to see another movie this winter, but having been blindsided once, it could happen again.

By Wayne Carter