By Sgt. Jasmine Chopra, USA Special to American Forces Press Service

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, April 4, 2008 – He was a husband, father, soldier and leader, but today Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the 3rd Infantry Division\’s 51st Medal of Honor recipient was remembered here simply as a hero. Task Force Marne soldiers who organized a remembrance ceremony for U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, April 4, 2008, stand in the courtyard where Smith gave his life in defense of others five years ago. For his selfless service, Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2005. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jasmine Chopra (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S troops held a remembrance ceremony the courtyard where five years ago to the day, Smith gave his life in defense of others. On April 4, 2003, Smith was setting up a short-term enemy prisoner of war holding area near the Baghdad International Airport when his unit was attacked by enemy soldiers. Outnumbered, with wounded soldiers and damaged vehicles, Smith told his men to get back, as he manned a .50-caliber machine gun from the exposed turret of an armored personnel carrier damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. He fired at the enemy and unleashed some 300 rounds allowing his other soldiers to reorganize and mount an attack. Smith and his men defeated the enemy. During the attack Smith fell mortally wounded. A disciplined, no-nonsense platoon sergeant with the division\’s Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, Smith received the nation\’s highest award for bravery in 2005. \”He was a soldier who took care of soldiers … he lost his life doing it,\” said Brig. Gen. William Grimsley, who commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team at the time of Smith\’s death. Now the deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Grimsley recommended Smith for the Medal of Honor. He was one of several leaders who knew Smith and took time out from operations today in order to attend the ceremony. In 2003, Capt. Christopher Doerr, of the 3rd Infantry Division\’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, was a 23-year-old brand-new second lieutenant. \”I\’ll always treasure the fact I got to serve with and know Sgt. 1st Class Smith,\” Doerr said. He admired Smith\’s expertise, precision and dedication to mission accomplishment. \”He was an expert engineer, the best in the battalion,\” Doerr said. \”The way he motivated his soldiers, they didn\’t necessarily like him, he wasn\’t their friend, but he made them train to standard. \”It all makes sense now, why he pushed us, why we did the things we did. Now we are here because of that,\” Doerr said. Smith had been in combat when he was a young private first class in Desert Storm. In Kuwait, just days before invading Iraq, Doerr asked Smith to tell him what war was going to be like. \”He said, \’war is hell,\’ and he showed me that first hand,\” Doerr said. \”He laid it all on the line and that was not a fluke … he was concerned for the safety of his men and others and he put that above his own personal safety, and I think you\’ve got to say he\’s a hero for that.\” More than 200 people attended the remembrance ceremony, including Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multi-National Corps – Iraq, who in 2003 was the deputy commander for maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division. Large-scale pictures showed Sgt. 1st Class Smith in desert camouflage uniform days before the battle. Diagrams, mounted on an armored personnel carrier like the one Smith used, detailed his heroic action. Visible from the courtyard was the bullet-riddled tower that the enemy had fought for but failed to seize. A bugler played Taps and, after the ceremony, soldiers walked the site and reflected on the sacrifice he had made for our country. (U.S. Army Sgt. Sgt. Jasmine Chopra is assigned to the Multinational Division – Center Public Affairs Office.)

Bills Point of View:

When I received an email from one of the readers of my blog about Gloucester High School participating in Q102 Radio promotion called Pimp Your Prom I was hesitant to post the announcement. The word \”Pimp\” I thought was offensive and I couldn\’t understand why a radio station would choose such a word for a contest. According to Roget\’ Super Thesaurus, the word means whoremonger, agent, flesh peddler, madam, hustler.

I checked the list of schools participating in the contest such as Paul XI, Cardinal Dougherty High School, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Eastern Regional, Williamstown High School, Holy Spirit High School, Glassboro High School, Gateway Regional etc. I thought it must be okay or there wouldn\’t be so many schools involved. And I noticed Williamstown High School actually held a Pep Rally on campus to further advance the school\’s ranking on the nomination list.

The radio station\’s promo for the Pimp Your Prom contest states, Sony Pictures and Q102 want to take Over Your Prom! The nominations are in! Vote for your high school now! The school we select will have Q102\’s Jessie Jordan and Rocco hosting your prom along with DJ Richie Rich. We\’ll bring tons of giveaways, concert tickets, artist meet and greets and more! And we will even get some of you live on the radio! We\’ll also hook up one person from the winning school with formal wear and limo transportation to and from the prom!

 

So against my better judgment on Friday with all good intentions I wrote a blurb about the contest and posted it on ClearysNoteBook. I was still uncomfortable with the use of the word Pimp. But maybe I was overreacting.

 

Throughout the weekend I received several comments on the post. It seems the terminology was also upsetting to others. For example: 

Michael Kazmar (GHS Class of 81) wrote, \”Wow! How things have changed at old\’ GHS. When I was there (1980-81 proms) the students on the prom committee, along with our advisers (Mr. Tomarchio, Fran Thomas, for example) took care of selecting the entertainment, the centerpieces and the venue. We then sold tickets and got our tuxedos and gowns with saved-up earnings from our part-time jobs. We decorated the room and then got in our own cars or those borrowed from our parents (a limousine, are you kidding?) Our own hard work and passion for a good time for all was the result! We didn\’t need a radio station to \”pimp\” our prom.
It is really, really sad that the word \”pimp\” or \”pimping\” is glorified and used so loosely and associated with a student activity at my old school. \”

 

Another remark received on the topic was from Scott MacAdams.

\”I have to agree with Mr. Kazmar. My first response was disgust and I must admit I hesitated to respond because I thought it may not be the politically correct thing to do. I, too, went to public school but I am sure not proud to be associated with that crap. Yeah, it\’s the society we live in but I don\’t have to like it. No wonder the American graduation rate is horrible. There are some wonderful people I know as teachers, but for the most part the system has failed. America took the Word of God out of the public schools in 1963. Think there is any correlation to the decay in society. I am proud of Mr. Kazmar and his response, I\’m just not happy with myself on this one having had a second of hesitation in saying what I truly believe.\”

And then Sunday evening this comment without a name,

\”Does anyone recall that just a few years ago the Q-102 DJs came through Gloucester City making fun of us? I will not forget and that is why I think this is a shame. I also have to agree with this \”pimping\” word becoming fashionable. It is leading to many negative behaviors. Please reconsider this.\”

 

I had forgotten about the incident involving Q-102 DJ\’s who said, and I am paraphrasing, \”all Gloucester girls are toothless, fat and ugly\”. Or words to that effect.That was the last straw, so to speak. I had forgotten about that episode.

I have decide not to give the contest anymore publicity on ClearysNoteBook and I have removed the announcement from the site.

I haven\’t spoken with the school administration so I don\’t know if they approved the contest or not. Although one would presumed they did since the administration would have to allow the radio station access to school property.

 

Unpopular as it may be among students to withdraw the school from the contest, I believe it would behoove our school board and administrators to reexamine the school\’s participation in the \”Pimp Your Prom\” contest.

 

If for no other reason the word \”Pimp\” is demeaning to all women. A word that should not be associated with Gloucester City High School or the community of Gloucester City.

Media release, April 6, 2008

Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey softball team picked up a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference wins on Sunday sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Richard Stockton College. The Lions edged the Ospreys 2-1 in the opening game and won the second, 7-0.

TCNJ is now 14-10 on the season and squared its NJAC record at 2-2. Richard Stockton saw its modest four-game winning streak come to an end falling to 17-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference.

Game 1: TCNJ 2, Richard Stockton 1
The first game started as a pitcher’s dual as Richard Stockton’s Kaitlyn Corica (Iselin, NJ/JFK) and TCNJ’s Ashley Minervini (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) each kept the opposition’s bats quiet in the first two innings.

The Ospreys opened the scoring in the top of the third as junior Jamie Heller (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) singled and later scored on a passed ball.

That lead was short lived as sophomore Ellen Seavers (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) drilled a two-run homer run to left center scoring freshman Colleen Cawley (Riverton, NJ/Holy Cross). Those runs put TCNJ in front, 2-1.

Minervini tossed a complete game for the Lions to earn the win as she gave up one run on six hits with nine strikeouts.

Corica suffered the loss for the Ospreys despite giving up only two runs on a pair of hits.

At the plate for the Ospreys, Danielle Accardi (East Brunswick, NJ/Mount St. Mary) and Natalie Berrios (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) each finished with two hits.

Game 2: TCNJ 7, Richard Stockton 0
TCNJ jumped out to an early lead in the second game as sophomore Rachel Greeby (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) drove in run in the first with a single.

The Lions added two more runs in the second as junior Kelly Armstrong (Jackson, NJ/Memorial) raced home on a throwing error and Steph Cintron (Northvale, NJ/Old Tappan) scored on a ground out by Cawley.

TCNJ made it a 4-0 game in the fourth as Camille Heller (Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade) doubled, was pinch ran for by Cintron, who eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Kathy Sikora (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee).

Cawley added another run for TCNJ in the sixth as she singled in a run with a base hit to left field.

In the seventh, freshman Amy Ullrich (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) hit her first collegiate home run with a two-run shot to left field.

Freshman Alex Sietsma (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) started for the Lions and pitched 3.1 scoreless innings before leaving the game after being hit by a line drive. Minervini closed out the game picking up her second win of the afternoon.

Accardi took the loss for Richard Stockton dropping her record to 7-2.

Greeby had a bid game at the plate for the Lions with four hits, while Cawley had three.

Berrios and Barb Kutch (Mt. Holly, NJ/Rancocas Valley) each had two hits for the Ospreys.

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TRAENKNER Wayne A., Jr.

On April 4, 2008. Age 24. Of Paulsboro. Loved, surrounded and cared for by his parents; Wayne A. Traenkner, Sr. and Rosanna Huber. Proud father who loved his son; Trenton W. Vansant. Beloved brother of Amie CaHill, Nicholas Ellis, Melissa Ellis, Jamie Huber, Brandon Traenkner, Christopher Newman, Jeffrey Busan, John Palmer and Sarah Traenkner. Survived by many devoted family members who loved him dearly.

Wayne was a 2001 graduate of Gloucester City High School.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend his viewing on Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 pm at the McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, (At Brown Street) Gloucester City. Methodist Service 8 pm in the funeral home officiated by Pastor Gary Brennan of Westville United Methodist Church. Cremation will be private at the request of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Wayne\’s memory to his father, Wayne Traenkner, Sr. c/o: P.O. Box 358, Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through our funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Wayne A. Traenkner, Jr.

http://www.buckmasters.com

By Jesse Betteridge

— I have been bowhunting the same area in Utah for 18 years. We have seen some great bucks over the years, and I have even had a few chances to take some big bucks. Actually, 20 or 30 chances are more than a few, but that\’s been my luck for the past 18 years.

I get an archery tag every year, and have been hunting with the same group of guys for the same length of time. Just so you know a little about me, I\’m the hunter in the group that always seems to get so excited that I can\’t shoot straight, so I miss deer and elk all the time. The stories always sway from my buddies\’ success stories to how many deer I\’ve missed. One season my buck fever was so bad that all eight of my arrows were dead on at trees and rocks, not the bucks.

continue

The Champs of the 2008 Guns and Hoses Wing Eating Challenge was the Gloucester City Police Team consisting of Brian Morrell, Doug Ziegler, Bob Lee, Jimmy Little, Billy \”Goober\” Johnson and Steve Burkhardt. They consumed a combined total of 480 wings.

Above Desmond Chiodi (sunglasses) and Pat Hagan.  

 The opposing team representing the Gloucester City Fire Department, Jerry Hubbs, Chris Oliver, Chris Ryan, Curt Dillon, Pat Hagan and Anthony Bramble ate a total of 477 wings.

 Understandably the \”Hoses\” are asking for a recount.

 The event, which raised $2300 for the Camden County hero Scholarship Fund, was held Saturday at O’Malley’s Pub, Route 130 and Klemm Avenue. The Camden County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums were on hand to lead the teams into the arena.

Also present were Mayor Bill James, Councilman Nick Marchese, and Camden County Sheriff Bill Billingham (left, oops typo, Chuck Billingham). His twin brother Bill is the famous Karate champion and a NJ State Trooper. (click on photos to enlarge)

The Master of Ceremonies was Gloucester City Firefighter Dan McGlinsey, below.

 PhillyFireNews.com was the sponsor.

Photos by Ron Trout, of PhillyFireNews.com 

Click to View Album

There were three women competing in the recent Breast Stroke division of an English Channel swim, a brunette, a redhead and a blonde.

It was a fierce race with the brunette and the redhead exchanging the lead across the long stretch of water. As they stroked closer and closer to the shores of France, the blonde fell further behind.

Finally, the brunette came in first, with the redhead a close second. Everyone cheered and the two women congratulated each other on such a fine race. But the blonde swimmer was still nowhere to be seen.

Much, much later, the blonde woman finally reached shore completely exhausted.

After being revived with blankets and coffee, she agreed to speak to the eager press.

\”Can you please tell us what caused you to finish so far behind the other racers in today\’s race?\” the first reporter asked.

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The blonde shook her head, then remarked, \”I don\’t want to complain, but I think those other two girls used their arms!\”

submitted by brother George
More Chuckles

Media release, April 5, 2008

Princeton, NJ…The College of New Jersey outdoor track and field teams continued to turn in post-season worthy efforts as the Lions wrapped up the two-day Sam Howell Invitational hosted by Princeton University on Saturday.

Men’s Highlights…
TCNJ’s 4×100 relay team was the only NCAA Division III team in the field and placed seventh with a time an ECAC qualifying time of 44.23 seconds. Running the event for the Lions were freshman Jule Brooks (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), freshman Kyle Gilroy (Oak Ridge, NJ/West Milford Twp.), sophomore DeShard Stevens (Jersey City, NJ/James T. Ferris) and Steve Murray (East Windsor, NJ/Hightstown).

Junior Al Wonesh (Columbus, NJ/Northern Burlington) claimed a ninth-place finish in the 400 intermediate hurdles as he finished the race with a time of 56.52 seconds. That time was also an ECAC qualifying time.

The Lions had two more individuals boast ECAC marks as freshman Tim Blashford (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) cleared 4.30 meters in the pole vault and junior Pasquale DiGioacchino (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards) was 13th in the 400 meters with a clocking of 50.65 seconds.

TCNJ had a strong showing in the 800 meters with three runners placing in the top 20. Freshman Dennie Waite (Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank Regional) was 17th (1:57.41), senior Galen Johnson (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) was 18th (1:57.57) and senior Josh Krowicki (Hilltop, NJ/Triton) was 20th (1:57.60).

Women’s Highlights…
TCNJ had two NCAA provisional times as junior Martine McGrath (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) won the 10,000 meters in a time of 36:08.02 and junior Stephanie Herrick (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) finished fourth in the 1,500 with a time of 4:36.71.

Senior Jessica Bonelli (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) had a busy and successful meet as she posted two ECAC marks in individual events and another as part of a relay. Bonelli placed sixth in the 200 meters (25.79) and was seventh in the 100 (12.79) in addition to being part of the 4×11 relay that placed fifth. Joining Bonelli on the relay team that earned a spot at the ECAC Championships were sophomore Priscilla Senyah (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial), junior Kristen Tricocci (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) and sophomore Meghan Miller (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial).

In the 400 meters, freshman Meryl Wimberly (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) placed ninth with a time of 58.12 seconds and she was immediately followed by sophomore Jianna Spadaccini (Butler, NJ/Butler) in 10th place with a time of 58.48. Both of those times met ECAC standards.

Senyah added a second ECAC mark in the 100 high hurdles with a time of 15.46 seconds, while sophomore Michelle Wallace (Emerson, NJ/Emerson) and junior Megan Donovan (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) also achieved ECAC worthy times. Wallace finished the 3,000 meters in 10:40.57 and Donovan earned hers in the 5,000 with a time of 18:40.98.

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