'Thimble Berry - of the Rose Family' Front Page Photo by Nancy Jensen    Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Honoring The Fallen And Those Who Serve by U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (AK) - 05/31/04 Rolling Thunder: An awesome experience by Dan Hart - Ketchikan - 05/31/04 Our democracy needs you by Steve D'Agati - Arcata, CA - 05/31/04 "Beating a dead horse" or "arguing a moot point" by Kody Ansharr - Ketchikan - 05/31/04 Read More Viewpoints Publish A Letter May 2004 Click on the date to read the stories & to view photos published on that day... S M T W T F S 25  26  27 28   29  30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31            Today's Front Page Front Page Archives               This is Memorial Day. This year's celebration takes on added meaning, with American troops facing hostile fire in Iraq. Memorial Day began in 1866 in Waterloo, New York, where flowers were placed on the graves of Union soldiers who died in battle - a practice that gave the holiday its first name, Decoration Day. Since 1866, Memorial Day has been a time to remember those who have faithfully served in America's armed forces, so many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of freedom. We must never forget freedom's price. America has paid - often in blood - for the comforts, blessings and prosperity we have today. From the Civil War through Vietnam, some 566-thousand U.S. service personnel have died in combat, more than half of them in World War II. Currently, there are 1.4-million men and women on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Each generation has paid a tremendous price for freedom. May we never forget.   Ketchikan: Special Election - Tuesday - June 8, 2004 - Sales Tax Levy; School Capital Projects Sales Tax Voters will decide if the general sales tax will be increased 1/2% which will be dedicated to bondable school capital projects & insurance on school building & facilities. Download a sample ballot...

Columnist Fish Or Cut Bait by Bob Ciminel: Remembering Flags and Friends - Memorial Day is a time when Americans pay tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in defense of our freedom. In my mind, that also includes the men in gray and butternut who 'Rolling Thunder' Arlington National Cemetery Photo by Dan Hart - Ketchikan, AK Read Dan Hart's comments... fought for the Confederacy. It is politically incorrect to attribute anything good to the Confederate States of America. Liberal historians and the NAACP insist the South was fighting to preserve slavery. Maybe it was, but I refuse to pass judgment on the dead. There is one thing I am certain of, regardless of his political views or his position on slavery, the Confederate soldier was fighting to end the war and go home. It happens in every war; politicians and generals focus on grand strategies, field commanders focus on tactical objectives, and the grunts could care less; they only want to go home. If it means killing the enemy and destroying his cities, then that is what they will do. It is not patriotism or the moral high ground that drives soldiers to fight; it is an overarching desire to go home. And that brings me to the point of this article. I want to tell you about a veteran who did not go home. - Read more... Monday - May 31, 2004

The June Allen Column is made possible in part by these sponsors. Cick on each name to visit each web site. June Allen Column Alaska's Deepwater Highway; A part of Alaska history - When the first Alaska state ferry sailed northbound through the Inside Passage of Alaska on its maiden voyage in January of 1963, there was rejoicing along the entire route from Ketchikan to Haines at the head of Lynn Canal! At last! Cars and even trucks and vans could now travel to and from isolated island-bound towns all along the 450-mile length of Southeastern Alaska's Panhandle. At either end they could roll off the ferry's ramp onto terra firma, connected to road systems north or south! The roadless towns of the famed Inside Passage finally had a "highway" from Prince Rupert B.C. to Haines, Alaska - even if it happened to be paved with salt water and used marine charts instead of road maps. - Read the rest of this story by June Allen... Friday - May 28, 2004 Ketchikan's American Legionnaires; Here's to 'the boys' of Post #3 - Ketchikan's Cruise Ship Industry; A light-hearted look at its origins Ketchikan's First City Players; Did you hear that applause? A biography of Alaska's herring: A little fish of huge importance... Read more stories by June Allen...

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