Military

The veterans won the first battle hands down.

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series about Bert Gividen, of Orem. Should veterans of combat speak or write about their experiences? Gividen describes how he dealt with that question.

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series about Bert Gividen, of Orem. Should veterans of combat speak or write about their experiences? Gividen describes how he dealt with that question.

Even with a master's degree, the only diploma hanging on Jack Wiseman's wall is his honorary high-school diploma.

Combat turned political

In a spirited and emotional assembly, students at Lincoln Academy Charter School in Pleasant Grove shared a fond farewell and their best wishes to history teacher Charles Durrant.

There wasn't room at the Camp Williams base to host a Freedom Salute Campaign presentation Saturday afternoon so its leaders came to Lehi High School's auditorium instead.

I found myself back at Fort Ord for Leadership School, after which I was advanced in rank to corporal. More money, anyway. I took one week's furlough, drove my car home, was ordained an elder, went through the temple, and took the bus back to Fort Lewis. My orders were to prepare to be shipped to Korea for active duty.

There wasn't room at the Camp Williams base to host a Freedom Salute Campaign presentation Saturday afternoon so its leaders came to Lehi High School's auditorium instead.

Most of his students know him as Mr. Durrant, but later this month Master Sgt. Charles Durrant, a teacher at Lincoln Academy in Pleasant Grove, will trade his history and geography classroom for the mountains of Afghanistan and his students for Afghan military trainees.

Soon to be hung from a tent pole or an army Humvee rather than over the fireplace, stockings full of goodies are headed to American troops serving in Iraq this Christmas, thanks in part to some students from Lakeridge Junior High School.

A service project of the Orem school's National Junior Honor Society chapter, students collected stocking stuffers from neighbors and friends and mailed them Nov.

The Springville Public Library may be getting a new building in a few years, but the leaky roof that drips water on patrons, books and computers couldn't wait that long.

The library got a much-needed helping hand earlier this month when the Utah National Guard's 624th Vertical Engineer Company, which is based in Springville, sent a group over to fix up the old leaky roof.