A soldier's poems come home; and the governor takes a ride
Kathy Moody of Eldersburg recently received a pack of mail from her son, Lance Cpl. Gary Adelhardt Jr., who has been in the gulf area with the 2nd Marine Division since last November.
Tucked among the letters and notes in the pack was a poem written by the 21-year-old soldier on Jan. 24. It is titled "My War" and reads:
The starry sky shivers
In the frigid night
And the Midnight sun gleams
On the sandy expanse
As I stand in my
Majestic minisculness
I am not alone
From the war that wages
I defer no experience
Save the illogical logic
Of movement on map
The red liquid shapes of
My sworn enemies afar
I am not alone
Death reigns supreme
And life is a gift
Sacred in its taunting guise
A rapture of senses
To be torn asunder
That is my fate
I am not alone
"He has always tried to express himself through poetry," Moody says. "You could say he's an introspective type of person."
Adelhardt was assigned to the front lines in the military theater. His mother assumes he is in the middle of the ground war.
"I have a lot of mixed emotions about him being there," says Moody. "I'd just like to see them get it over with."
THE BAND PLAYS ON
Baltimore County Executive Roger B. Hayden, State Sen. Norman R. Stone, D-7th, of Dundalk and several members of Hayden's staff are to perform as "The Baltimore County Band" at a fund-raiser for the families of U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf war. The event will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight, March 8, at the Essex VFW Post 2621, 206 Riverside Ave.
Hayden will play trumpet; Stone and Jim McKinney, saxophones; aide Nick Spinnato (formerly the principal of Sparrows Point Senior High), drums; and county custodial supervisor John Cichetti, keyboard.
McKinney said the group members have talked about their mutual interest in music but never got together until the chance to help the service members' families came up. The dance is being presented by Essex Day Inc. a nonprofit group.
Tickets are $12 per person and include the costs of food, snacks and drinks. Call 687-8041 for tickets and further information.
RALLY FOR TROOPS
A rally to honor America's troops will be held Sunday at Cox Point Park, on Riverside Drive in Essex.
Scheduled to start at 1 p.m., the rally will include entertainment, patriotic displays and refreshments. Those attending will be able to sign a giant greeting card, which eventually will be sent to a Maryland unit serving in the gulf.
Admission, parking and entertainment are free. Proceeds from the sale of food and other items will be donated to the U.S.O.
(A flier for the event states: "This rally is neither pro- not anti-war, but is organized for the purpose of showing our support for our troops and their families. There will be no flag-burning allowed.")
GUV HUMVEES ALONG
During a visit to Aberdeen Proving Ground Monday, Gov. William Donald Schaefer hopped behind the wheel of a humvee, a versatile, jeep-like vehicle deployed in the gulf war, and took it for a five-minute spin on a dirt test-track.
"I haven't been so happy since Nov. 6," Schaefer said as he emerged from the vehicle, which had a machine-gun mounted on its roof. He apparently was referring to his re-election last November.
A reporter asked Schaefer if he was afraid of a comparison to the televised tank ride that Michael S. Dukakis took during his 1988 presidential campaign. Dukakis' ride was ridiculed as a weak attempt to show support for a strong military.
Schaefer, who has hinted at a run for the White House, brushed aside the comparison to Dukakis. He then proceeded to praise the proving ground, a major Army weapons-testing site in Harford County, for its role in the development of high-tech tanks and other armored vehicles used in current gulf war.
Along with Reps. Helen D. Bentley, R-2nd, and Wayne T. Gilchrest, R-1st, Schaefer saw an M1A tank and a Bradley Fighting Vehicle fire "live" rounds. The two vehicles are playing key roles in the allied offensive in Iraq and Kuwait.
"Maryland should be so proud," Schaefer said of the work at the proving ground. "The equipment that we are giving our men and women in Saudi Arabia is superb."
Patrick Ercolano, Bruce Reid, Larry Carson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
If you know of an interesting story about how the war is affecting life on the home front, please call 332-6478.