The Opinion Blog

Heather Lakes' Holiday Tribute a Patriotic Model

Wednesday’s editorial:

Gloria Calverley of Little River knows that it doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to show patriotism, and she has taken charge of helping her community of Heather Lakes set an example on Memorial Day. For the second year, motorcyclists will ride through Heather Lakes in a “Roaring Tribute” prior to a light breakfast and ceremony at the Heather Lakes clubhouse.

Watchword for May: Respect

Sunday’s first editorial was cribbed in part from one that ran 15 years ago:

Ready for a busy few weeks?

May is just around the corner, and it brings with it a slew of events and visitors. How the events play out and our reaction to them could determine not just their individual success, but our reputation as a tourist destination and the repeat business of the hundreds of thousands who will grace our shores this coming month.

Raid on Tokyo Cheered U.S. Early in WWII

Thursday’s editorial is a little different, a reminder of the feat of bravery and courage that took place 71 years ago today by U.S. bombers in World War II:

The mission was top secret, and during their training in Florida and South Carolina, the Army Air Corps pilots were ordered not even to discuss among themselves their guesses about the mission. Their leader, James H. Doolittle, again told them they could drop out “for whatever reason and nothing would ever be said about it.” No one left.

Help A Veteran Helps Established Organizations

Wednesday’s editorial:

Hugh Robinson was highly trained as an Army Air Corps fighter plane pilot in 1945 and ready for his combat assignment when Germany surrendered and World War II effectively ended in Europe. “The Army said ‘we don’t need you any more,’” and Robinson’s military service was over. “It was the greatest disappointment in my life. My mother was pleased, though,” Robinson recalls.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Thankfully, cooperation has improved over the past couple of decades between Myrtle Beach and Horry County, as Sunday’s editorial notes:

The Sun News editorial on March 28, 1993, three days before the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base’s closure:

There will be a finality to the Wednesday afternoon ceremony that no one wanted or expected, or was prepared to encounter. It happened, however, and we must deal with the future, even as we remember with fondness the past.

There is, of course, hope for the future amid the bickering of the civilians left to struggle with what happens next. The three competing plans for redevelopment have left the community without the voice of unity it desperately needs.

WWII Veterans Sought for Next Honor Flight Myrtle Beach

Wednesday’s editorial:

Bert Cassels of Pawleys Island recalls that he did not know much about Honor Flight when he first learned of the program dedicated to taking World War II veterans to see their memorial on the National Mall in Washington. Cassels, a retired naval officer, knew plenty about the contributions of the 19 million men and women who served in various branches of the military, including the Merchant Marines; he learned about Honor Flight from a PBS program. “We owe them a lot,” Cassels says of all those who served in WWII.

More Publicity Than Public Concern

 

AP photo

Is there any purpose left to Lindsey Graham’s continued and now-obstructive alarm calls about Benghazi other than energizing his base and raising his profile ahead of next year’s election? We don’t think so:

 

Dead horse, meet S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Clearly, a number of things went horribly wrong at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in a pair of terrorist attacks on U.S. compounds.

A Good Day to Thank a Vet

On the anniversary of the Iwo Jima invasion, how about thanking a vet?

Sixty-eight years ago today, the first of what would be more than 70,000 Marines poured ashore on Iwo Jima, a Pacific island held by a fortified Japanese force determined to keep it or die trying.

Four days later, already having suffered heavy losses in a battle that would not be over for more than a month, U.S. forces raised the flag on Mount Suribachi in a moment that would capture American grit and become a patriotic icon that still resonates.

At Last, a Memorial for Lt. Floyd

Thursday’s first editorial:

If some S.C. lawmakers have their way, the meeting of S.C. 9 and S.C. 410 near Green Sea will soon be the Lieutenant John Ronald Floyd Intersection. It’s about time.

We often roll our eyes when we see that S.C. lawmakers have decided to name another stretch of local asphalt, as much of the time the honor is bestowed upon other politicians or influential citizens. We’ve got nothing in particular against these folks and their achievements, but they’ve certainly got the power, wealth and sway to ensure that their legacies are remembered. Naming a road after these luminaries, especially those still living who might yet embarrass themselves and the state, is often simply an exercise in reciprocal back-scratching.

Horry Veterans Affairs Helps Locals Navigate System

Wednesday’s good works editorial highlights the efforts of the local Veterans Affairs office, which served more than 8,000 veterans last year:

Wendell Allen, Veterans Affairs officer for Horry County, at work in the former Cochran School building in Conway, is not far from his boyhood home. Allen was “born and raised about two miles down the road” on what is known as the old Lonnie King farm where his father was a sharecropper.

Following a distinguished career in the Air Force, Allen was hired as Horry County’s veterans officer in 2008 and “the first thing I did was move” the office from its downtown Conway location to the former school building, also the headquarters of the Parks and Recreation Department.