The Warren Land Real Estate Photo CD Mailing Campaign
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Google, Yahoo, Wal-Mart, Paramount Pictures, Sony, and Walt Disney Pictures are some of about 40 companies that I sent information about my more than 70 acres of farm real estate for sale.
My wife and I brainstormed ways to find buyers for the land. We did the traditional action of hiring a realtor. Then, we tried to figure out if there was anything that we could do to find a buyer
The Warren Land Photo CD Project
The Photo CD of Warren Land for sale was mailed to several various American businesses for consideration.
We took our cameras and shot photographs of the rural real estate of more than 70 acres. I put the photographs on a cd. I sit down and took a yellow legal pad and an ink pen and proceeded to write a letter to include with each photo cd, that I mailed.
Letter Method Decision
Yes, I could of typed the letter on the computer and printed it out on a printer. My belief was the reader might consider that I took the time to sit down, collect my thoughts and write from the heart by putting my words on paper.
Granted, penmanship is always an issue. I have been complemented through the years on my clear, distinct, legible penmanship, so I felt confident that my words would be easy to read. I have always been naïve and optimistic to a fault. My belief is that your writing should show conscious effort of thought and composition. I believed hand writing the letter using a black ink pen would reveal my effort.
“Location, Location, Location”
“Location, location, location,” seems to be the mantra of realtors. The property borders Missouri State Highway 176. It is farm real estate that serves as pasture for cows. It is near Table Rock Dam and James River, which I figured were a plus for a potential sale.
History of Successful Replies
I remained optimistic as time passed. In high school history, I worked on a term paper on FDR. Former Vice President, Harry S. Truman had retired to Independence, Missouri. I sat down and wrote the former vice president for his comments on FDR’s administration. When your a kid, anything is possible. A few days later, I received the polite “Thanks, but No Thanks” form letter. I was disappointed, but I did get a response. In 1971, people still wrote and read letters and they would reply.
The Nixon Nothing
In college, I believed Republican President Richard M. Nixon got a raw deal. In those days, I was convinced that the Democrats had set up Nixon. I wrote a long,letter and dropped it into the mail to San Clemente. I never got a response.
In college, I took history and politics seriously. My new roommates were Democrats. I threw my full youthful vigor behind the “Georgia farmer, “( who also happened to be a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis) President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. Watergate had left the stink of Dirty Politics on America.
The Official President Carter Photograph
The American people were ready for change. Georgia Governor Carter represented the change because he came from “beyond the Washington D.C. Beltway Area.” His campaign had played up his “country roots” and the fact that he had begun as a “Georgia peanut farmer.” The message was he was “outside” of the traditional negative influences of “the old boys club politics” of the nation’s capitol.
I, like many Americans, believed President Carter represented a new era for America. A politically active young college student, I wrote a letter and sent it to the White House. I got a nice letter on official White House stationary that thanked me for my congratualations and best wishes. The White House letter writer took the time to include a copy of the official 8 by 10 color photograph of the president. I bought a frame and the photo quickly became one of the prized possessions of my college dorm room.
Official Concern Over The Reagan Letter
I left college and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. I grew up with a passionate belief in the ideas of democracy. Even in uniform, I kept my eyes on local, state and federal politicians. My first year or two in the military, I bought into the belief that the Republican party was pro military. President Ronald Reagan became the Grand Old Party’s pro-military poster child. Like many military Americans of the day I believed the ideology.
I believed Ronald Reagan to be the best candidate. When he won, I wrote the new president a letter of congratulations. I was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. It seemed everyone in the 2101st Communications Squdron at Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas knew about my presidential reply before I did.
The White House logo in the corner of the envelope, instead of the U.S. Postage stamp, must have signaled Strategic Air Command alert klaxons all the way to headquarters at Omaha, Nebraska. While the letter came through the standard U.S. Postal Service channels I have no idea how the simple reply became such a cause for concern.
Many branches of the U.S. Government will tell you they are concerned with the opinions of the American public. One of the major reasons that the U.S. Military is sensitive to feedback from the public is the reaction. Compliments are always welcome.
Complaints go through channels. Americans who are unhappy with any of the military services tend to write their Congressmen or their U.S. Senators. An inquiry from a Congressman or U.S. Senator to any of the military services demands an answer. In my experience through the years, these inquiries are always handled seriously and with the utmost attention to detail.
As a young “slick sleeve” airman, with no stripes on my uniform, I was not aware that a simple letter to an elected official would initiate a chain of interest and events.
I explained to my first sergeant that I had written a letter to congratulate the new president.
The Official President Clinton Photograph
I had been on active duty for several years, when President Clinton moved into the Oval Office. I wrote President-Elect William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton a letter to congratulate him on his election. I received a nice response and an 8 by 10 color photograph of the new president.
Sound Off To Politicians
I grew up with a belief in Democracy. I believe citizens should write their elected officials from time to time to let them know how we view their actions. A letter may still be the best way. The irony of the ease of mobile text messages is that the speed and amount might tend to make them a cliché. Email is a method that might be read or might just be a delete keystroke away.
Letters require effort. You bring together your materials, collect your thoughts and then, write.
One Leg At A Time
My naïve nature comes from my mother telling me time and time again, “Son, people are all alike. From the poorest man to the president of the United States; they all put their pants on the same way – one leg at a time.”
I have found Momma’s belief to be true through the majority of my years. People are basically alike. We all have hopes and dreams. We all have fears. Great men and women just like the average citizen puts their pants on one leg at a time.
Letter Lessons
I learned if you write the White House, you can expect to receive a reply.
If you write a former Republican president – don’t hold your breath.
I never received a reply that I sent to former Republican President Richard Milhous “Tricky Dick” Nixon, who went to San Clemente. I took great effort, in the days before computers, to make sure I had the correct mailing address, so I’m don’t believe the letter went to the U.S. Postal Service Dead Letter Office.
Letters to American Businesses – A Gamble ?
If you write an American business, my experience teaches, a reply may be based on the probability of a gamble. The hope for a reply might be as unstable as a payout from a slot machine or a lucky roll of the dice.
I mailed out about 40 photo cds to different companies. I received a nice thank you, but we have other interest letter from Walt Disney Pictures. I am grateful that Walt Disney Pictures took the time and effort to reply. There were a couple of other companies and individuals who took the time to reply. One company even returned my photo cd for possible use.
American Businesses Lack Of Feedback
Unfortunately, the majority of American businesses didn’t take the time or effort to respond. Thus, I don’t know if any one at these companies took the time to open the mailer and watch the compact disc or if they simply tossed the mailer in the trash can by their desk.
The Death Of Etiquette
In my lifetime, I have watched the decay of courtesy in my lifetime. Even as a boy surrounded by the Ozarks mountains, my remote location in the United States, did not prevent me from hearing about Emily Post and the idea of etiquette. In my lifetime, I’ve watched Americans become more impatient and as a nation we have become increasingly rude, almost to the point of being vulgar in the most innocent of situations.
Thank You
Still, naïve man that I am, I have learned that some people and American businesses still take time to read a letter from an American of seemingly little or no consequence. I thank them for taking their time to read my letter.
I understood, when I created the photo cds that some people would not take the time to watch them. I had hope that they might even hold on to the disc and use the photos as possible screen savers or clip art.
The Democracy Of Writing
A major concept of America comes down to one determined citizen and a sheet of paper willing to take the time to write. I may not have the eloquence of Benjamin Franklin or the wit of Mark Twain, but I have a Voltaire heart and the determination of Samuel E Warren Jr. Thus, I write on.
Future Potential Of Farm Real Estate
I believe somewhere in America or somewhere on the globe, a citizen, a real estate investor or a financier will study the information on the land, look at the photographs and be willing to see the possible future potential of the land.
“Think Outside The Box”
I believe this will probably take a prospective buyer, who goes beyond the traditional conventions of society and comes up with solutions that allow him or her to “Think Outside The Box.”
- Possible Outside The Box Ideas
- Consider the site as a location for Underground Secure Storage of Domain Servers
- Consider the site as a secluded retreat for a company’s management training
- Consider the site as a secure location to experiment on the genetic engineering of food stuffs.
- Consider the site a natural location to develop and warehouse natural landscaping products.
- Consider the site a geographic location for a series of mid-west warehouses to speed up distribution of commercial products throughout the United States.
- Consider the site for a factory to develop heavy equipment like tractors, bulldozers, aircraft or railroad engines. The Union Pacific Railroad tracks are only about four miles away in Galena, which would allow a manufacturer the ability to ship out large cargo to other points quickly.
- Chicago, Kansas City and Jefferson City were once massive railroad centers that allowed for efficient distribution of livestock and merchandise to other points quickly. The growth of these metropolitan areas would not make it as easy to ship massive inventories of metal and mining materials as easily as in the past. This location would be an alternative.
The Results
The results of the Warren Land Photo CD Mailing Campaign were significantly less than I had hope for. I remain optimistic that American businesses should look at this land as a location to develop an area to their specifications. I believe the Obama Administration is working hard to restore the American economy to a level of stability and future growth.
Sam
“ I Have Returned !”
“ I Have Returned !”
- Maria Cristina Saldana Warren
“I Have Returned ” Christy Warren Assumes Command At MacArthur Landing Memorial Park,in Palo, Tacloban City, Leyte, Republic of the Philippines – After 21 years in the United States, Christy Warren “returns home” to her native country and her family. Like General MacArthur and the Allies, she pursued her determination to turn her objective into reality, Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
MacArthur Landing Memorial Park
Tacloban City, Leyte, Republic of the Philippines
January 1, 2012
July 20, 1990, Christy Saldana married United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Samuel E. Warren Jr., at Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines. Permanent Change of Station Orders for the Warrens came through and with Mount Pinatubo sending aftershocks through Clark, the Warrens left for the next Air Force assignment.
Leyte Landing Plaque -Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. October 20, 1944- Before General Douglas MacArthur, Philippines President Sergio Osmena and the other members of the official party waded ashore four hours of heavy naval gunfire strafed and bombarded targets, while 6th Army troops hit the designated beaches, Meanwhile, X Corps troops landed on the four-mile stretch of beach between the Tacloban City airfield and the Palo River, XXIV Corps troops, 15 miles to the south, came ashore on the 3-mile beach between San Jose and the Daquitan River. By 1:30 p.m., Red Beach Sector was secure. General MacArthur, President Osmena and the official party waded ashore.
Mount Pinatubo erupted. Christy’s teenage brother, Ramon, and her teenage sister, Marife, had been living in Angeles City, near Clark. In the days following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Christy was unable to find out any information about her brother and sisters in the Philippines, She feared the worst. But, she never gave up hope.
Taking Command – United States Army General Douglas MacArthur and the official party wades ashore at Palo,Tacloban City, Leyte, Republic of the Philippines October 20, 1944 to signal the Allies active Liberation Of The Philippines from the enemy and hasten the end of World War II. These statues commemorate the determination and heroism to allow Filipino citizens to rebuild their government and lives. Three days after General MacArthur and the official party waded ashore, the Allies engaged the Axis Powers in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, whish is considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and some criteria suggests the Battle of Leyte Gulf to be “the largest naval battle in world history.” Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
For 18 years, Christy pursued every lead, clue or idea to try and find her family back in the Philippines. By 2008, computers, the Internet and the technology of Local Government Units in the Philippines came together. She signed an electronic guest book for Tanauan and the administrator Eugene Ramos replied by email that he thought he knew her brother, Ramon.
Quickly, communications with her family back in the Philippines was restored and soon the idea of a trip evolved into the idea of a move: a “return to the Philippines.”
The Grandchildren of Pedro Saldana of Palo, Leyte and the children of Ramon Q. and Nenita Quezon Saldana of Barangay Cameri, Tanauan, Leyte. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. Front Row Left to Right – Ramon Q. Saldana Jr., Maria Cristina “Christy” Saldana Warren, Back Row – second person) Peter Saldana, (Front Row- third person) Mariafe Saldana Roa,. (Back Row – first person)R.G. Saldana, a great grandson of Pedro Saldana and the son of Sunny and the late Linda Saldana of Bulacan, Manila. The woman in the pink blouse is Liling Redona, a first cousin. The man in the white striped polo is Ninoy Roa, the husband of Marife Saldana Roa. Not in the picture is Sunny Saldana, of Bulacan, Manila, the eldest son of Ramon Q., and Nenita Saldana as well as Samuel E. Warren Jr,, the photographer and husband of Christy Saldana Warren. The family stands in front of the MacArthur Landing Memorial Park plaque.
The Warren sold the family farm in Stone County, Missouri and began working the paperwork through the Philippine Consul General in Chicago. December 17, 2011, Christy, Sam and pets, Sarge, Smiley and Sunshine boarded the American Airlines flight out of Springfield, Missouri.
Freedom Fighters Legacy – Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. Only the capital city of Warsaw, Poland suffered more destruction than Manila in the Philippines in World War II. Manila and Stalingrad, Russia are considered the sites of the fiercest urban warfare of World War II.
These statues of General Douglas MacArthur and the official party are a constant reminder that the freedom to live your life and the liberty to make the choices on how to live your life is a God-given birthright that no human, government or nation can take away. The statues welcome visitors, who may not be aware of their birthright, but should always find the courage and inspiration in life to rise up and enjoy each day of their life. The Freedom Fighters’ Legacy is each person should have the right to freedom and liberty to live their life and that legacy should be inherited by each generation.
A Memorial For A Filipino Promise Plaque – Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines during the invasion by Japan. In Australia, on the radio, General MacArthur promised Filipino citizens that he would return. Meanwhile, freedom fighters opposed to the occupation began aggressive guerilla tactics designed to drive out the invaders.Subversive groups organized on Luzon, the Visayas and in Mindanao. The United States military used submarines to smuggle food, guns, ammo, explosives and radios to the freedom fighters resistance movement to defeat the invaders. By the end of World War II, there were 277 guerilla units in the Philippines composed of some 260, 715 people. The heroic acts of the freedom fighting guerillas provided information to the Allies and effective acts of sabotage that paved the way for General MacArthur to keep his promise and allow the Allies to achieve the Liberation of the Philippines.
December 19, 2011 – Philippines Air Lines Flight 107 landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and after 21 years in the United States Christy could finally hug her brothers and sisters.
United States Army General Douglas MacArthur, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, promised Filipino citizens, during World War II: “I Shall Return.” The general kept his word and the Allies brought an end to World War II in the Pacific.
Like General MacArthur, Christy Saldana Warren always intended to return to her native country and her family. She never gave up her faith or hope.
Photo by Christy Saldana Warren
January 1, 2012, she stood on the beach at the MacArthur Landing and faced the statues that are symbolic of the men who “returned” and waded ashore in the Philippines, October 20. 1944.
Facing the General MacArthur statue, Christy smiled and saluted. Christy words rang out on the morning breeze: “I Have Returned !”
“Thank You ,General MacArthur for the lessons in courage and determination.
Thank You, God, for the faith to never lose hope to turn the dream into the reality” – Christy
Stroll Through The Surf – Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Fate had General MacArthur’s landing craft run ground off the shore of Leyte. The determined general ordered the ramp lowered and he stepped into the waves of Pedro Bay. A United States Army Signal Corps photographer clicked the shutter that captured the famous moment in history that would one day become large statues that would commemorate the steps in The Liberation of the Philippines from the enemy and the horrors of World War II. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr,
Once More For The Photographer – Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. Historical rumors claim that when General Douglas MacArthur saw the original World War II photograph taken by the United States Army Signal Corps photographer that the general was so pleased that he reenacted the landing to try and improve on the historical moment.
MacArthur Landing Memorial Park Continues To Attract Visitors and Tourists. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr. October 20, 1944 A Day By the end of A-day, the Sixth Army had moved 2 mi (3.2 km) inland and controlled Panaon Strait at the southern end of Leyte. In the X Corps sector, the 1st Cavalry Division held Tacloban airfield, and the 24th Infantry Division had taken the high ground on Hill 522 commanding its beachheads. In the XXIV Corps sector, the 96th Infantry Division held the approaches to Catmon Hill. The 7th Infantry Division took the town of Dulag, which forced Gen. Makino to move his command post 10 mi (16 km) inland to the town of Dagami. The initial fighting was won at a cost of 49 killed, 192 wounded, and six missing, according to Wikipedia’s Battle of Leyte article. The monument is a reminder that the Liberation Of The Philippines began with the Leyte Landing.
World War II In The Philippines
Sources of Information
Wikipedia Battle of Correigdor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corregidor_%281945%29
Wikipedia The Battle of Manila http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_%281945%29
Wikipedia United States Army General Douglas MacArthur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur
Olive Drab United States Army General Douglas MacArthur Returns To Leyte, Philippines October 20, 1944 http://olive-drab.com/gallery/description_0081.php
You Tube United States Army General Douglas MacArthurs Return To The Philippines Speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6WioCDbC-A
Wikipedia Manila Massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Massacre
Military History Online Failure And Destruction Of Clark Field In World War II http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/articles/failureanddestruction.aspx
Wikipedia Clark Air Base http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Air_Base
Wikipedia Bataan Death March http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March
Wikipedia History of the Philippines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines
Wikipedia Battle Of The Philippines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Philippines_%281941-42%29
Wikipedia Japanese Occupation Of The Philippines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_the_Philippines#Resistance
Wikipedia Hirohito http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirohito
Wikipedia Philippines Campaign http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_campaign_%281944-45%29
Wikipedia The Battle of Leyte Gulf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf
Wikipedia United States Navy Fleet Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey Jr., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Halsey
Pacific Wrecks.com http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/philippines/clark/index.html
United States Army Center of Military History http://www.history.army.mil/
United State Navy Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/
United States Marine Corps History Division www.history.usmc.mil/
United States Air Force = National Museum Of The United States Air Force http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_the_United_States_Air_Force
United States Coast Guard Historian’s Office http://www.uscg.mil/history/
United States Merchant Marine http://www.usmm.org/
Armed Forces Of The Philippines http://www.afp.mil.ph/
President of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon http://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_L._Quezon
President of the Philippines Manuel Roxas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Roxas
President of the Philippines Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Marcos
Listverse Top Ten Little Known Events of World War II
http://listverse.com/2011/03/02/top-10-little-known-events-in-world-war-ii/
Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary Editorial
A Day That Will Live In Infamy
Pearl Harbor
70th Anniversary
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
The Folded Flag Of A Grateful Nation - Photo by Samuel E Warren Jr
I grew up hearing my mother remark, “Sunday, December 7, 1941. I will never forget that day. I was in a theater in Springfield, Missouri. They shut off the movie and the house lights came up. They announced over the loud speaker the attack on Pearl Harbor.” Opal M. DeLong Warren always told the same story every time anyone mentioned, “Pearl Harbor” or “World War II.
She later got on a Greyhound bus, on a whim, and got off in Houston, Texas. It was during the war and she knew no one. She saw a newspaper ad for welders. In a few days, she was a welder at the Todd-Houston Ship Yard in Houston, Texas. “We were always sad when we launched out a new ship. We were proud to see the ship finished, but it was sad to think of the boys who would serve on that ship were sailing off to the war,” Opal said. She helped to build United States Navy and United States Coast Guard Ships.
Samuel E. Warren was a short-haul truck driver and the son of an east Texas farmer, until December 7, 1941. After that day, Uncle Sam “drafted” Sammy and he served in the United States Army Signal Corp in the European Theater of Operations and the Pacific Theater of Operations.
The attack on Pearl Harbor signaled the United States active involvement in World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed lives long after the war ended. My father never spoke of his service in World War II, I got my information from my mother and my dad’s military records.
On active duty, in the United States Air Force, I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor and read the names on the wall. To stand at the site of the sinking of so many American battleships is an experience, even years later, that I can only describe as filling you with “a sense of humility.”
Standing at Pearl Harbor, made me extremely “proud to be an American.” As an American, on active duty and in uniform, standing at Pearl Harbor, reminded me that freedom and liberty are living ideals that have to be defended everyday in peace or war, in uniform or out. Many men and women from my father’s generation paid “The Ultimate Price For Their Nations.”
In my generation, many men and women have paid “The Ultimate Price For Their Countries,” in Vietnam, Panama, Granada, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
If human civilization sincerely believes that a nation should defend the ideas, concepts and ways of life of a democracy in the interest of freedom and liberty, then, Pearl Harbor will always serve as a reminder that a nation’s blood and treasure will be required to defend that way of life. A nation’s sons and daughters will have to be willing to put on the uniforms and take up arms to defend freedom and liberty. Seventy years after, The Attack On Pearl Harbor, the United States Naval Base remains an active reminder of the commitment and professionalism required to protect and defend freedom and liberty with each rising sun of a new day.
God Bless The Men And Women Who Gave Their Lives In Defense Of Their Nation A Pearl Harbor, Sunday, December 7, 1941
God Bless Our Allies Who Share Our Passion For Freedom And Liberty
God Bless The Men And Women Of The United States Armed Forces Who Maintain The Legacy And Vigil Of Freedom And Democracy.
Sam
World War II Military Trivia – During World War II, The United States Government in the Philippines had 26 bases. United States Army Fort Stotsenberg and United States Army Air Corps Airfield, Clark Field would eventually be combined into Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines. One of those bases was a United States Coast Guard station at Capas Tarlac on the island of Luzon.
Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary Links
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/pearl-harbor-attack-remembered-at-70th-anniversary-ceremonies-120-survivors-to-participate/2011/12/07/gIQAzLukbO_story.html
http://www.pearlharborevents.com/pearl-harbor-day-70th-anniversary-commemoration.html
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/06/photos-archival-footage-reveals-horror-of-the-pearl-harbor-on-70th-anniversary-of-the-attack/
History Link 101
http://historylink101.com/index.htm
(Editor’s Note: In your prayers for men and women in uniform, remember the military historians, who chronicle the deeds of America’s sons and daughters. If you have the time, you might want to remember those American military combat photographers that document the actions of America’s sons and daughter in peace and under fire in the heat of combat. Sam)
Stone County Missouri’s First Snow of 2011 Tuesday. December 6. 2011 the sun
Stone County Missouri’s
First Snow of 2011
Tuesday. December 6. 2011 the sun rose over a blanket of white in Stone County, Missouri. Definitely, time to throw another log on the fire.
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Happy Thanksgiving – November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving 2011
from
Stone County, Missouri
What Breed Of Pets ?
Reader Participation Article
What Breed Of Pet ?
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
In the Ozarks, on the farm, usually dogs and cats are pets that no one loses sleep over what type of breed the pets are. As a kid, people would ask, "What kind of dog is that? " The usual reply was, "He is a mutt," or, "We call him Heinz 57 because he is a mixture of everything." The dog might of been the family pet or the working farm stock dog, but people seldom knew the actual recognized breed. The same is true of the family cat.
On the farm, you would usually end up with pets one of two ways. The most frequent was a stray would show up at your door or around one of the buildings. You put out some water and something for the animal to eat and after a day or two, the stray had became a pet. The second way that you would get a pet is you would be looking for a dog or cat or someone would offer to give you one.
As far as strays go, people would sometimes drop a dog or cat near where you live and suddenly a new animal would stroll into your yard. At one time, a total of 47 stray cats had strolled up to my mother’s house over a period of about four years. The 47 number is no exaggeration. I counted them one evening after putting cat food out for them. And, one day I remembered to use the camera, but in that photo there was only about 20 something crowding around three cast iron skillets of cat food. Regardless, of how many stray cats came into the yard, momma always put out cat food for them. For years, she served as a one woman rural animal shelter.
Sometimes where you live can be a major factor in a pet’s life span. My mother’s house is close to a busy state highway, which usually kept the cat population to around 20. At one point, in about two years’ time, her cat population was down to about three because the cat’s always seemed to underestimate the speed of oncoming vehicles on the highway. Dogs usually suffer from the same risk factor of miscalculating the speed of oncoming automobiles.
While the risks to country pets maybe different than the risk to city pets, people in the city probably know what breed of pet they have. I’ve looked at different dog and cat websites, but I can’t tell what breed of dogs we have. Perhaps, readers can look at the photos and tell me what breed of dog, Sarge, Smiley and Bobbie are. I think Sarge is a black female Great Dane mix; but I’m not sure. If readers have an opinion of what these breeds of dogs are – please, email me at samuelwarren55@gmail.com
Thanks,
Sam
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Veterans Day – November 11, 2011
Veterans Day – November 11, 2011
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Happy Halloween 2011 Pumpkin carved by Samuel E. Warren Jr. Photo
Happy Halloween
2011
Pumpkin carved by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Sam Hain Greetings
from
Samuel E. Warren Jr.,
of Stone County, Missouri
Warren Land Sells !
Warren
Land
Sells !
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by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
My Official Date Of Public Release – October 30, 2011
Three years ago, I asked the question, “Is it possible to sell farm land using the Internet ?”
Now, I have my answer.
“No.”
Warren Land, the 70 plus acres of farm land in southwest Missouri, sold in August 2011.
I waited until my birthday, October 30, to answer this question because I wanted to take the time to answer this question based on my experiences.
The Pessimists
The pessimists and naysayers all snickered that our 70 plus acres of farm land would never sell.
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Childhood Change Inspires Confidence
I was a boy in the early 1960s, when the land in Taney County, known as Branson, was going for about a nickel an acre. The Baldknobbers had just started regular music performances in Branson and Silver Dollar City had just opened their gates. Ideas like “The Nashville of the Ozarks” and a tourist attraction of how people lived in the 1800s had yet to catch on.
As a boy, I had seen the land in neighboring Taney County and I knew the cliffs and bluffs made it
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difficult for farmers to raise livestock. There were even stories that sometimes a cow would stumble and fall to her death at the bottom of a cliff. I had seen the hills and knew there could be truth in the falling cow stories.
As a youth. I, Michael Cutbirth and Jack Gordon joined the Ozarks Chapter of the Order of DeMolay, which would meet for six months at a time in the Forsyth Masonic Lodge and six months at a time in the Branson Masonic Lodge. In attending these meetings, we had to travel on average about 60 miles round trip from Galena, Missouri to either Forsyth or Branson. Thus, I had a front seat to the changes that happened in rural Stone and Taney counties from the 1960s through the 1970s and had traveled the highways long before the Missouri Department of Transportation began major highway projects to widen the roads, install overpasses or bypasses.
Branson Blossoms
Bulldozers gave Branson a facelift and redesigned the farm terrain to go with the ideas of creative citizens and suddenly unnoticed farm land had a new lease on life. The Plain Jane of Ozarks Real Estate was suddenly the supermodel in training. Of course, the opening of Table Rock Lake also served as a necessary augmentation to boost interest in the local real estate market.
Having witnessed Branson, Missouri blossom, in my lifetime, and go from wall flower to debutante, I didn’t put much faith in the pessimists and naysayers’ warnings. If the forgotten farm land of Taney County could transform into a Midwest mecca of country music, then, Stone County, next door, should also be able to shake off real estate puberty and gain a place in the sun.
Seek Out A Successful Real Estate Agent
The tough decision was to part with land that had been in my family since the mid to late 1940s.
My wife, Christy and I decided to sell the 70 plus acres of farm land in southwest Missouri in an attempt to return to the Republic of the Philippines, where we could be surrounded by her large family.
Once the decision was made, then we decide to look for a real estate agent. Like most people we begin looking at newspapers, browsing the internet and talking to people trying to find a realtor or real estate agency. At the start, it came down to a yellow page in the phone book.
Dismal Real Estate Setting
The October 3, 2007 American Financial Fiasco described as the collapse of “Big Banks on Wall Street” became history, but the effects of that financial catastrophe were still being felt when we decided to try and sell our land. People were complaining that banks weren’t loaning money and so people couldn’t or wouldn’t buy real estate. Even though, we didn’t list our land for sale until 2008, people were still complaining that the banks were not loaning money to people to buy real estate.
Find Your Land’s Selling Points
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Be honest with yourself about the land. I grew up playing in the hills and hollers of Warren Land, so I knew I had an emotional investment in the property.
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But, what would a buyer want in the land ?
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There is one big pond and two small ponds on the property.
There were no phone lines or electric lines
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on the property.
Several acres at the back of the property had been used to raise tomatoes commercially for about three years in the 1970s. In the 1960s through the 1980s, The Christmas Tree On The Stone County Courthouse Lawn either came from Warren Land or the adjoining DeLong Land – cedar trees love the soil of DeLong Land and Warren Land.
In 2010, about 17 deers were taken during the deer hunting season in Stone County and based on what hunters told me, basically, 10 of those deers had been taken on Warren Land.
From the 1980s through the 1990s, my mother had also let hunters hunt wild turkeys on Warren Land.
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Every three or four years from the 1980s through 2003, my mother, would contact a local logger and allow them to go in and cut down trees.
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Thinning out trees allows young ones the chance to grow. The last time walnut logs were taken off Warren Land, one was selected to reportedly be sent to China to be used to build a dining table.
There are some crude All Terrain Vehicle trails on Warren Land. There were four gates on Warren Land and three of those gates opened out on to the main highway: State Highway 176.
The Choice Of The Wrong Realtors
At least, a local real estate agency should seem like a good idea because they know the local area and should be familiar with the local property. I made all the wrong decisions in selecting a real estate agent. It was little comfort that I picked the first agency out of the yellow pages of the telephone book.
I should have realized that the selected agency was perhaps, too close, to Table Rock Lake, which should of suggested that they are probably more interested in selling lake front property than farm land.
Although the first real estate agents smiled when I told them about the history of the land and how tomatoes had been raised there and logs were cut for building and furniture; I should of realized that the realtors seem more interested in selling residential or commercially developed land or lake front property than farm land.
I also should have realized that when everyone starts singing the same song – I should listen to who is singing the song and how often they sing it. The realtors gave me the classic Top Ten response of the day about, “You do realize that in this economy property is not selling.”
I heard the song and dance about property not selling so often it should have been one of Billboard’s “Top Ten.”
The first real estate agency produced no results.
My Own Real Estate Initiative
You Can’t Sell Anything If You Don’t Tell People. The first realtors put up three signs around the property and they posted a small photo on their Internet page. Time passes and the realtors don’t call us to tell us of any offers. The phone does not ring.
I take my Nikon camera across the road and spend several days off and on shooting photos of the property. Then, I burn the photos to a CD. I thought outside the box, so I went on line and searched out the addresses of companies that I thought might be interested in using the property to build a warehouse or for other development.
Wal-Mart, Google, Yahoo, Paramount, and Walt Disney Pictures were some of the corporate entities that I thought might be seeking a location in the Midwest and rural land to develop for their own concerns. Then, I mailed out around 40 CDs.
I got a nice letter from Walt Disney Pictures that thanked me for thinking of them.
None of the other businesses bothered to respond.
My idea may have been a long shot, but when you consider the foundation stone was laid for the White House in Washington D.C., the original property was reported to be a swamp, so prime real estate is not always a consideration for building. Since Warren Land, already had a history of being successful agricultural land, why couldn’t it be used as a shooting location for movies made in the Midwest or as a warehouse facility for a corporation ?
The first real estate agency produced no results.
My Next Bad Decision – The Second Realtor
My next bad decision was to go with a national real estate agency. Again, the realtor sang the old, “real estate really isn’t moving in this economy. And, it will probably be a year or two, at least, before we see any property start to move” song. The realtor posted a small photo of the land on their Internet website.
Time passes and I called the realtor a couple of times. By the second time, I had called the realtor, the person talked “down to me.” Country boy that I am, it did not set well with me that the person’s tone of voice sounded like a school teacher scolding me.
The year passes.. The national real estate agency gave us no results. National advertising on television, in newspapers, on billboards and on the Internet should never be confused with the success of the realtor. I was glad to be rid of them.
Low Opinion Of Realtors
By the third year, my opinion of American Real Estate Agents ranked right down in the gutter with national Republican political candidates, the American Republican party, in general, and poisonous snakes in the Ozarks, in particular. I have no use for snakes, very little use for Republicans and American realtors overall were quickly battling in my mind for a spot between the snakes and Republicans.
Still, I believed what my mother had told me that land is an investment.
The Right Realtor
By the third year, Donna, my cousin, asked if we really wanted to sell the land. I told her yes. Then, she said, I have the name of a real estate agent for you. Donna looked me in the eyes and said, “If you really want to sell the land, call Katie. If the land can be sold, Katie can sell it.” I made the phone call.
When Christy and I began we knew nothing about realtors or real estate agencies. Three years later, Christy and I were being to feel like Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents responsible for doing in-depth sensitive personal background checks. We were to the point that we didn’t want smiles, promises and the standard catch phrases. We wanted to find a realtor that wanted to make a sale.
This time we knew the questions to ask and we expected honest answers. We didn’t want to hear the old, “Woe Is Me This Is A Bad Economy,” song. We didn’t want to hear the old, “American Banks Are Afraid To Loan Money To Buy Land” song.
Katie Philipps, our realtor, called us with two different offers within about a month. In three months, Katie had us a buyer ready to buy the land. Thus, the 70 plus acres of Warren Land in southwest Missouri sold. We found the right realtor.
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Epilogue
The naysayers were wrong.
The pessimists were wrong.
No, I don’t believe in 2011 the Internet is a good choice at this time to sell farm land.
Blackberries begin to ripen in a psture of Warren Land that was used to raise acres of commercially -grown tomatoes in the 1970s. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
If you talk to a realtor, who gives you the “Gloom and Doom” song about “this is a bad economy to try and sell land in” – then, you should seriously consider looking for another realtor. In 2011, it maybe a “bad economy,” but times change and sooner or later people will start buying land again.
While Warren Land – proper- the 70 plus acres sold, the Warrens still live on the few acres of Warren Land across State Highway 176.
Open Air Photography Studio - One added benefit of Warren Land through the years was Warren Land always provided a variety of natural settings for photography. Whether the goal was to shoot landscape, livestock, wild life, wild flowers or bring a prop into nature Warren Land always proved to be the Ultimate Open Air Photography Studio. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
The moral to the story is if you have farm land to sell : talk to people and get yourself a good real estate agent if you want to sell your farm land.
Sam
Gaddafi served up as Dinner Dummy Dumplings
Editorial: Gaddafi served up as “Dinner Dummy Dumplings”
Libyan Citizens:
Celebrate !
Celebrate !
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
In the 1970s, Americans snickered at Gaddafi. No one took him seriously. He was a windbag egghead wannabee terrorist trying to get his picture in the newspaper or on a magazine.
On the global scene, he was a banty rooster strutting and crowing hoping to grow up to be a recognized and respected Rhode Island Red Rooster of the Middle East.
Alas, his global obituary came down to “Dinner Dummy Dumplings.” He got his neck wrung – big time.
When Libyan citizens finally plucked his feathers, they even temporarily stored his carcass in a freezer. Ah, the irony of the “chicken terrorist” who left the hen house long enough to attempt to flee the freedom fighter foxes on his trail.
I was on active duty in the 1980s when President Reagan exercised “Common Sense” and “Responsibility” and gave the orders for the Gaddafi Surprise. I came into the office in the morning and everyone was talking, and people were looking at the newspapers that the U.S., had hit some targets.
Before the attack, Gaddafi had a major case of Ayatollah Khomeini Diarrhea Of The Mouth and was blaming the United States for all the evils of the world. He parroted the popular phrase of the era about the United States being “The Great Satan.”
To his credit, President Reagan issued the orders and everyone on the globe got to give their ears a rest. As I remember, the attack killed Gaddafi’s wife, a son and left him with some shrapnel in his body. Gaddafi shut his big mouth for a long time.
Thus, when the Libyan people finally executed Gaddafi, I am one of those politically incorrect people, who applauded their actions. Gaddafi was an evil man who got what he deserved – in spades – just like Saddam and Osama bin Laden.
In the Ozarks, only a fool would cry if you kill a poisonous snake. You never just let the poisonous snake slither away because it is a real world threat that can slither back and injure livestock or kill pets or family members with it’s venom. You take a chopping ax to the snake, blow off the snake’s head with a double barrel shotgun, run over it in a hay baler, or run over the snake with a farm pickup and no one calls the Stone County Coroner to determine the snake’s cause of death. Thus, when you see a news story a few days later that officials are looking to prosecute Gaddafi’s assassins – I wonder why ?
Give Gaddafi’s assassin or assassins a medal, shake their hands, pat them on the back and thank them for having the guts to do what many people in the world wish they could do for years. In Gaddafi’s case, the suspected assassin or assassins were doing necessary house cleaning – they simply took out the trash.
Naturally, you want to give the assassin or assassins a courteous reminder that under normal circumstances in the civilized world you can’t go around killing your average scumbag.
Gaddafi was a human. He was also a rabid dog that didn’t get put down by shrapnel in the 1980s when he was trying to make a name for himself as the Global Bad Guy. In theory, The Rule Of Law applies to everyone. In reality, some sickos may look human, but their actions make them anything but human.
Terrorists, young or old, in my opinion, are the exception to The Rule Of Law because they are the poisonous snakes that spread their fatal venom around the globe; so allow the world to look away long enough – for someone to wield the ax, squeeze the shotgun trigger or slam the pickup accelerator to the floorboard and squash a terrorist snake once and for all.
Creatures like Gaddafi should have their official death certificates contain a statement like: “He stayed too long at the party and was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” And list the Official Cause Of Death: “He upset too many people for too long. End of Story.”
My personal idea of a state funeral for Gaddafi: Place his remains in the nearest dumpster and drop the dumpster in the local sewer recycling plant. At least, all the manure finally gets processed together.
The kind of hatred that Gaddafi spread in the 1970s up until his death makes me wonder why anyone would care who killed him or how he died ? The idea that people intend to waste money and time to initiate an investigation into the Death of Gaddafi is ludicrous.
At the end of World War II, Italian citizens rose up against Benito Mussolini and he ended up on a meat hook in a public square for all the world to see. People saw that he was dead with their own eyes and for a time the buzzards got to feast on his flesh. He too was considered an evil man. I don’t recall the Italian Government initiating an investigation into The Death Of Mussolini. Perhaps, they decided to waste their time and money to rebuild their nation.
Gaddafi’s Death means an old terrorist snake is dead. An old dead copperhead in the field means it will no longer breed or spread it’s poisonous venom. In the Ozarks, when we kill an old copperhead, we smile and Thank God that’s one less old snake to worry about, even if we don’t dance in the streets.
Of course, in the Ozarks, Old Timers would usually burn the snake where it was killed to keep other snakes away. It may be an old wives’ tale, but it seemed to work because it would seem like years before you would ever see another snake near the spot where you killed the old copperhead.
In Libya, I would hope that the citizens took the time to celebrate and dance in the streets to remind other global war criminals, terrorists, and dictators that eventually citizens of any nation can rise up against any old poisonous terrorists snakes.
Sam
Saga of The U.S.S. Stone County
United States Navy names a ship after an Ozarks county
The
U. S. S. Stone County
by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
The Ozarks is in the middle of the United States, surrounded by the Boston Mountains in Arkansas and the home of numerous hills and hollers. In terms of geography, Ozarks’ terrain is remote. Historians, geographers and map makers will probably disagree on the overall boundaries of the Ozarks.
For this country boy, the Ozarks in Missouri, starts around Jefferson City, Missouri’s state capitol, and extends down to Little Rock, Arkansas, Arkansas’ state capitol. The terrain is rugged with cliffs, bluffs, rocks and rivers. There are large bodies of water in the Ozarks, but some of those are man-made, like Table Rock Lake.
Ozarkers don’t always have “sea legs” and you don’t expect to find ports or harbors this far inland in the United States. Likewise you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find a lot of sailors in the Ozarks, but, then, again, America is a land of surprises and the unexpected.
Stone County, Missouri, in southwest Missouri, sits on the border with Arkansas. Before the construction of Table Rock Dam around the 1950s, James River would of probably been the largest body of water flowing through several southwest Missouri counties for about 133 miles. However Stone County, Missouri men as early as World War I saw service in the United States Navy and World War II welcomed more of Stone County’s sons into the ranks of America’s fleet.
Nonetheless, why would the United States Navy commission a ship after an Ozarks county in the middle of the United States ?
There is, no doubt, an “Official” answer to that question. But, in Stone County, the credit always goes to the late United States Seventh District Congressman Dewey Short, known as “The Orator of the Ozarks.”
Through the years, I had heard rumors about a U.S. Navy ship named “The U.S.S. Stone County.” I served in the United States Air Force, so I tend to be more interested in helicopters and airplanes. I have friends who served as Air Force historians, but I don’t know any U.S. Navy historians. Thus, the U.S.S. Stone County remained in the dry dock of my memory.
During Stone County, Missouri’s 160th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday, September 24, 2011, I had my trusty Canon camera and was shooting photos of the events.
The Ship’s Bell
Suddenly, there it was : The ship’s bell of the U.S.S. Stone County.
I snapped the photos and continued capturing other digital images. Once I downloaded the digital images, over the course of days, I looked at each image. The brass bell of the U.S.S. Stone County was one of the digital images that got underway in the ocean of my mind. The image of the ship’s bell just didn’t seem to flow with the rest of the images of the day’s events. I stayed on course working with the other images. Every now and then, the image of the ship’s bell would signal my memory.
I logged the ship’s bell as a stand alone photo that I would one day soon post to my blog. My decision to post the photo to my blog is because we, military retirees, like to come across information about bases we have served at, planes we have flown on or ships that some have served on.
October 13, 2011 – tonight – I decided to write a cutline for the photo and realized I knew nothing more about the ship other that it’s name and the fact that it was named after Stone County, Missouri.
What ever happened to the U.S.S. Stone County ?
Google time. I typed in U.S. Navy ship U.S.S. Stone County. A web page from the Naval Historical Center supplied the answers to the history of this ship. Briefly, the U.S.S. Stone County, originally named LST 1141, saw service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
If you are trying to find the ship, the U.S.S. Stone County, then, you will have to direct your search to the Kingdom of Thailand and ask about a ship named, “Lanta.” If you want to see the U.S.S. Stone County ship’s bell, then, put a stop at Galena, Missouri in your vacation plans to visit Silver Dollar City, Branson or Table Rock Dam. Be sure to contact Galena city officials a few days before you plan to visit to try to set up an appointment to see the bell. Contact City of Galena officials at :
City of Galena
111 Main Street
P.O. Box 234
Galena, MO 65656
(417) 357-6226
(417) 357-8033 fax
Hours M-F 8-4
Or email the City of Galena clerk: clerk@galenacityhall.org
U.S.S. Stone County crewmen can drop me an email at samuelwarren55@gmail.com and tell me their “war stories” about service on this ship and if they would like I will post their stories to my blog.
I’m sure the Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society would love to hear from people who served aboard the U.S.S. Stone County. The original Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society website is at this link: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mostone/society/society.html
A second generation web site for the Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society is currently under construction at this address: www.schgs.weebly.com
In honor of those U.S. Navy historians, who take the time to chronicle the events of ships and sailors, here, then, is the web address for the Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center: www.history.navy.mil/ For people interested in the United States Naval history of the U.S.S. Stone County, here is the link to that web page: www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/lst1141.html
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