"We Should Take a Walk Someday" Part II Do You Believe This? (June Edition)

          The sun shined brightly even as it began to set this past Saturday. Outside, people could be seen walking hand in hand. They felt each other’s warmth as they listened to birds chirping in nearby trees. Little children played nearby in green grass reflecting the coolness of the now setting sun. 

          In the sterile surroundings of an oncology unit in a distant Delaware Hospital a little girl just barely inside of her adulthood sleeps comfortably while her mother and aunt keep vigil.

          Nurses quietly walk the floor doing as they always, caring and showing warmth to those under their care. A smile with a squint brings rest to a weary young one. Children’s eyes forced open with fear are calmed by the brush of their hair with caring hands.

          The unit is quiet except for the occasional chatter between patients and their nurses. Crying can be heard in the distance at times.

          Quietly, a mother and father’s hand holds onto their child’s arm in a reassuring fashion.  As eyes meet, souls are seen.

          A few miles away a farmers market is busy with the hustle and bustle of everyday shoppers that look through vegetables sitting on stands.

          People can be seen eating as they watch television. Engrossed in the next scene, they reach around for their drinks.

          Grown children are eagerly awaited as they travel those last few miles to their home. Away for a long time, they close in on parents who long to embrace them.

          An Angel stands nearby as the soul of a little girl nears flight for its home. In her sleep she dreams of flowers opening and bumble bees flying over the pales of yellows, blues and lavenders.

          Aromatic opened buds reach for the blue above. Her hands brush the tops of yellow fields waving with each slight breeze.

          As she looks up a dove in the brightest of whites dances over head pausing but for a moment as a bright light shines down around fluttering feathers, shining and warming her face.

          Looking down she finds herself walking streets of pure gold towards her new home a mansion of her own. Ahead she sees her father’s face for the first time. He smiles at her.

          Now standing amongst other saints she hears the angels sing to her.

          Bliss felt, she no longer has pain or sickness. Her scars are gone as she is made whole.  No longer is she alone.

          She looks over at her hand filled with the tenderness of someone who for one time loved her in the little girl she once was. 

          There was a familiarity to the care shown to her.

          Then she remembers as she again smiles looking at him and says, “We should take a walk someday.”

 

-Wil

Military Update (May Edition)

1st Lt. Mark W. Carpenter graduated from the U.S. Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He is pictured with his fiancee, Bianca Funer, originally of Ansbach, Germany. Carpenter is a 2008 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School.

We Should Take a Walk Someday "Our Lord's Corner" (May Edition)

     

         The first time I visited Miranda, the sun began to set low in the late afternoon over Schwamm (the meadowland of the Gilbertsville/New Hanover area). It had cast a shadow from behind the house, leaving me in the cool shade as I got out of my car. I wasn’t there to visit her.

          I had heard from my wife, Michele, that Miranda’s mother, a former student of Michele's, had some supplies that could be used at the nursing school from which she had just graduated. The supplies were no longer reusable from the standpoint of patients, but would help to supplement a lab.

          I was so drawn to Miranda Ram Nolte's story (she had been fighting cancer for the past six years), that I had forgotten about the supplies stacked neatly on the front porch. I had brought with me my two novels and thought maybe she would like an easy read.

          Once I got through to everyone who came to the front door who the stranger was, I was let in and was escorted to the second floor and Miranda’s room where her aunt was reading to her.

          Miranda, sitting on her side and under covers greeted me with a smile. I looked at the young girl with no hair and was drawn to her eyes. I believe that they are the windows to ones soul.

          I was nervous, as I introduced myself. I asked if she liked to read and she said, "Yes." I told her about my two books and told her that I would sign them. My older fingers shook as I tried hard to steady myself and put words to the front inside pages of the books. As I looked at her again, I found something very spiritually special about her.

          I was drawn to innocence, where I feel that these young people should not have to go through what they do, as I was reminded of another young girl in Florida who also finds herself in hospice care.

          I was drawn to the strength of this young girl who could still smile. I was drawn to something very magical that said, "know me".

          I was drawn to her talent. Beyond Tae Kwon Do, she can sing and she can write. I learned that she had completed her memoirs, and I wanted to know more about them. Knowing very little, I was convinced that they had to be special and I told her they could be published.

          When I got home I was drawn; God laid a path and I began to follow. I found two videos by her. In one, she was singing, beautifully I might add. The other was on faith, her faith. I immediately knew what she was speaking about. It was her perfect peace with our savior.

          A short time later, I received her memoirs, attached to messages on Facebook. As soon as I opened them, I recopied and began making a book. It was time consuming but flowed easily.

          On April 12th, I went for a visit. I spent somewhere just shy of an hour with her. I showed her the cover, which both surprised and thrilled her. We talked about pictures for her bio for the back of the book and additional chapters that I was going to need.

          When I was finished, I didn’t want to leave. As I Stood she pulled her hand out from under the covers. I reached out and took hold of it just for a moment. I felt her warmth.

          How strong we are physically, mentally, spiritually as humans. Miranda teaches us that, in the simplicity of faith, we can overcome- maybe not overcome death of the physical self- but we can overcome death of the spiritual self.

          In the Gospel, according to John, Jesus said to Martha, ²⁵ “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

          I ask you, do you believe this? What will you do? What have you done in your faith when told you will return home? ...That you will leave your temporary home and leave those you love behind?

          Miranda both teaches and reminds us very simply that, once you let go and let God, that there is absolute peace and tranquility.

          She teaches us as she sang that life is a journey, not a destination, that, yes, we can have peace in the face of both the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death and everything in between.

          Miranda smiles! She smiles and has joy! It is amazing what life in the eyes and a smile can teach us, remind us. I am joined with her in knowing this joy that comes from a simple faith. Now I ask you, do you believe this? 

Editor's Note: Miranda's book, We Should Take a Walk Someday, is expected to be released at the end of the month. We will follow up, in our June edition, with details about where to purchase it.

Beyond The Blue Skies (May Edition)

          It is only fitting when looking for someone to write about for my military article, I take into full consideration that it is Memorial Day.

          Looking into the blue skies over Boyertown we move from the air assets of today’s U.S. Army and now move to the U.S. Air force. More specifically what the Air force was before it was the Air force, the U.S. Army Air force.

          General Carl Andrew Spaatz, a Boyertown native, is the founder of the modern Air force. During WWII, General Spaatz at one point became commander of the 8^th Air force in Europe, May 1942, but I’m not going to speak of General Spaatz in this column.

          Earl R. Fryer was a member of the 38^th Fighter Squadron of the 55^th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air force. Capt Earl R. Fryer was a native of Boyertown also. He lived on the fringes of Boyertown in a place still know as Englesville, nicknamed "Spunktown".

          Captain Fryer, I have learned, was a colorful figure. A fighter pilot, fighter ace, he is credited with anywhere from 5 kills to 6.5 to 8 kills, dependent on the record. The fact remains that he is Boyertown’s lone fighter ace. This brings me to Boyertown and local resident and attorney, Charles Fryer. Mr. Fryer is the nephew of Captain Fryer.

          I met with Mr. Fryer at his home in Boyertown. We sat in chairs near the fireplace facing center room and angled to each other. We found that we both liked to talk and we both liked to listen as he began telling me the story of his uncle.

          Earl Fryer grew up on a farm in Englesville. He had an older brother, Lester, Charles’ father, of whom I was interviewing. A tech sergeant, Lester served during the war in Luxemburg. Charles shared a little more about his father, which will be an incredible human interest story for another edition. There was also the younger brother, Ernst, who also served in the war in Borneo.

          Charles shared about how the family was embarrassed that they didn’t have indoor plumbing, just after the war, and the $10.00 war bonds of the time went to pay for indoor plumbing. “It was a simpler time”, he brought up as he kidded about the outhouse and how it was used to hunt and shoot from.

          “Earl loved his education," shared Charles. At one point, during The Great Depression, Earl was told that he would have to quit school and find work. “He was seen crying with his head down on the kitchen table," Charles continued. To bring in money, Earl ran a produce route until the war to help the family.

          The war brought the Royal Air force down from Canada to the United States, more specifically, the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The Fryer boys piled into a car and pulled right up in front of the building and went inside. Disappointed, Earl found out that he needed a high school education to become a pilot.

          Once home at the age of 26, he went to Reading and finished his high school education. He then joined the Army Air force. While in California as a pilot, he found himself in a whirlwind romance and married a girl from Washington State.

          While an instructor at Hamilton Air Force base near San Francisco, he flew his P-38 underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Returning from his colorful flight, he was met by military police and escorted to the base commander. The story goes that he wasn’t punished- just asked to promise not to do it again- of which he couldn’t do. Charles and I had such a good laugh about this. Two weeks later he was in the European theater of World War II. 

          The Eighth Air force credits Capt. Earl Fryer with 8 kills, which makes him an “ace." 

          Charles shared with me that he had made contact with a Colonel Littlefield who remembered the Captain.        

          Colonel Littlefield, in his conversation with Charles, described one mission where 3 of his 8 kills came in 2 ½ minutes of one dog fight. He also described the Captain of having to bail out of his plane which was on fire over the English Channel. The Colonel described that it was not glamorous or heroic. They went out and did a job not much different than going to the office.

          On his last mission, Captain Earl Fryer, with his wing man, strafed a railroad in Holland. He was hit, his engine was losing coolant. While white smoke was billowing from the engine, he told his wingman “Tell my wife I’m ok.” His wingman had ammo left and wanted to go back and finish the job and the captain told him to take another of their squadron with him.

          Post War repatriation brought Hank Brink with his fiancée back to their farm in Holland. While walking through the woods they came across the remnant of the P-51 mustang with Spunktown on the side. Next to it was a cross marking the grave of Captain Earl Fryer. The Germans had buried him, wrapped in his parachute, next to his plane. They notified the Americans. It took about 2 years, but the remains of Captain Earl Fryer were finally returned to Union Cemetery, in Boyertown, for re-internment.

          This Memorial Day, while we remember those who gave all for this country, we look to those like Captain Earl Fryer and, while we look up, we look beyond the blue skies. 

Willard N. Carpenter & the staff of The Boyertown Bulletin wish to thank Charles Fryer, of Boyertown, for his invaluable and memorable interview.

Puzzles "Our Lord's Corner" (April Edition)

My wife, Michele and I like puzzles. Usually we work on 1000 piece puzzles sometimes 2000 never anything less than 500. At the present time we are slowly working on a 2000 piece nighttime of Times Square, New Year’s Eve, a most difficult challenge.

          Puzzles remind me of life. One goes through it constantly trying to fit the right pieces into the right place at the right time. Sometimes succeeding sometimes, a lot of times failing.

          Life without God and Christ is like a puzzle without the picture and you’re by yourself. There is much more guessing and many more failures. I know the first 19 years of my life was like that. I had not missed behaved but I was struggling to know who I was or what the puzzle looked like. I wanted to do the right thing place the correct pieces of the puzzle into the right place. But I just had no idea of why and how.

          My U.S. Army recruiter had changed that for me. He thankfully went boldly in a non-politically correct way and while on the middle of the traffic jammed Schuylkill expressway witnessed to me as to whom Jesus Christ is. My life change then as the picture of my puzzle came into view for the first time. I know longer was alone in putting the puzzle of my life together. Each piece became easier to place. I may not always be right in the placing of the pieces, but I know that I am not alone while working the puzzle.

          This Easter, April 20^th is the time marking the rising from the dead of our savior, Gods son, Jesus Christ. In John we are taught. John 3 ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His ^[a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This is a very simple concept. We are all sinners, God realizes this, Instead of continual sacrifices of lambs for the atonement of sins, he (God) once and for all sent his son to be the final sacrificial lamb. (Lamb of God). All you have to do is 1) Realize no matter what, God loves you. 2) Realize you are a sinner 3) Know that God will not have sin with him and turn away from sin. 4) Believe that Jesus sacrificed himself, died for your sins. 5) Know that you are forgiven and begin a new life.

          This is the time to get the picture of your puzzle in front of you. Find a partner in placing those small but all important pieces. Find Christ today! You don’t need me there or anyone else. Find a quiet spot or loud...look up, look down...Just for a moment know that you can’t do life by yourself anymore and just have a chat with the Lord, he is listening all the time. Then as you place that final black colored piece into place you will realize it was part of the tunnel behind you in the puzzle of your life.

Looking up to Mark (April Edition)

          Yes, you have the surnames right. Just so you don’t do too much guessing I am writing about my son. Writing about Mark Carpenter on this sunny day in March is not as easy as it may seem it should be. As I look out over the partially snow covered front lawn I asked myself what I was going to write about.

          Stepping back inside, I passed the hallway coat closet on the right and slid open the door. There it was tugging at my heart strings, pencil marks from Mark as he began recording his own height every year beginning in 1999. March 5^th of that year he stood at my chest. The following year, another 2 inches were added. I looked up to 2007 and found that he was easily a couple of inches over my head, where he is roughly at the present.

          Standing and looking at those pencil marks roughly placed I realize that I have my story. Mark Carpenter is a 2008 graduate of Boyertown High school who also marks a large part of the story in his high school life with a trumpet in his hands. Along with Hannah Liesau 2^nd Lt. U.S. Army (Georgia on Her Mind) he also played trumpet under the now retired and well known & admired Mr. Glen A. Brumbach.

          Mark was not limited to a trumpet in growing up in the Boyertown/Gilbertsville area. He was a member of Boy Scouts of America rising to Eagle Scout and the Boy Scouts of America, Venture Crew where he learned that he also loved mountains, new challenges, adventures and rising to new heights while he climbed with his friend Andrew.

          When it came time to further his education we, his mother and I thought he would go to West Chester University and pursue an education in music while playing with a U.S. Army band locally.

          We were proved wrong when he told us he was going to attend a military school. The school he picked was by how challenging it was. He looked at Valley Forge Military academy and College, Norwich in Vermont, Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va. and finally The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.         The northern schools he quickly eliminated because he didn’t feel they were difficult at all and focused on the southern, latter two schools. We felt that Virginia Military Institute was a perfect fit because the band director did his student teaching both in the Boyertown Area School District and Owen J. Roberts School District. A trumpet player himself the two extended their interview and audition time into the afternoon so they could ‘jam’, playing jazz for a period of time after lunch.

          Mark was accepted to both schools and chose The Citadel to study business administration because it was again more difficult. The Citadel, VMI, as well as West Point and other senior military schools operate on the 4^th class system. The Citadel’s knob year lasts the entire year, making it in our opinion one of the most challenging schools.

          Mark played in the Regimental Band. He with the band represented the U.S. at the 60^th Diamond anniversary of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2010 in Scotland.

          It was about this time that he told us that he needed another year of a language and furthering his French may be too difficult. Instead he took Chinese (Mandarin). The U.S. Army arranged this and the Dept of Defense arranged for him to take summer courses in China, where he furthered his business studies.

          We would visit Mark a couple of times a year while he was in Charleston, as well as he would come home on leave for holidays. During those times I recognized that not only did I look up to Mark in stature but also began to look up to the man that he had become. 

          The Citadel is a school where a student does not lie, cheat or steel nor tolerate those who do. Mark is the embodiment of those principles. In his senior year he continued to press upward with his goals. His first choice for where to lead within the U.S. Army was with branching Medical Service Corp.

          After being branched as Medical Service Corp. officer 20 slots for medevac pilots came open in the U.S. during the latter part of his senior year. With high recommendations from the ROTC program at The Citadel, Mark was awarded with one of those slots and following BOLC (Basic Officer Leader Course prepares an officer to function within their capacity as a nurse, doctor, medical service corps officer, etcetera) at Fort Sam Houston, during the fall of 2012, he reported to Aviation school January of 2013.      

          On a personal level, two years ago on one of his summers home Mark went swing dancing in Pottstown. While there he met Bianca Funer, of Nurnberg, Germany, who was an au pair in the town of Wyndmoor at the time. Two years later and the two have become engaged during this past Christmas in Michigan. They plan an October wedding.

          As this paper goes to press, 2^nd Lt. Mark Carpenter will graduate with his wings from the U.S. Army aviation center at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. He now has orders to report to Mountain Dust-off of the 10^th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 10^th Mountain Division, New York, as a medevac pilot.

          Looking again out the front door over the partially snow covered front yard I hear, then see a Helicopter fly over. As it passes under the bright blue hue I see in my mind’s eye, my son and know that yes I do look up to him, the man, the Army officer, soon to be husband, some day father, but always the little boy who tugs at my heart strings, remembering I’m ‘looking up to Mark’.