WELCOME HOME 478TH UNIT FROM IRAQ

SSG Ralph Class, left, and a buddy, Steve Slattery from Ohio are pictured above while serving in Iraq. Class is from Pendleton County and arrived home May 22.

S/4 Michael Jenkins holding his daughter Lydia. Beside Michael is his wife, Amanda and on his right is his son, Gabriele. The photo was taken at the Welcome Home Rally at Ft. Thomas on May 22.

SSG Stan Wylie is pictured with his wife, Sarah, when he arrived home in Ft. Thomas on May 22. Sarah is also a member of the 478th Battalion. She arrived home three weeks earlier.

Local soldiers come home

The old fort at Ft. Thomas was alive with cheering sounds this past Thursday when all 400 members of the 478th Battalion came home. Family, friends and just those that wanted to thank the soldiers were on hand to meet them. The Freedom Riders escorted the soldiers home and everyone waiting had a small American flag to wave. Pendleton County had three soldiers with that unit: SSG Stan Wylie, SSG Ralph Class and S/4 Michael Jenkins.

Stan is the husband of Sarah Wylie and the son of Stan and Verda Wylie of Falmouth and grandson of Ralph and Verda Bonar of Falmouth and grandson of Stan Wylie I of Richmond. Stan and his wife were both serving in Iraq but she returned home approximately three weeks earlier. They were married on August 4, 2007.

Stan was the Commo Chief for the 396th company. He was responsible for insuring all elements of his Company and had properly functioning communications equipment and among other things was in charge of trouble shooting any complications.

Sarah was a Combat Medic responsible for the health and welfare of the soldiers in the battalion.

Both were beneficial to the mission in and outside the wire. They had the opportunity to see many parts of Iraq and interact with the local population. Stan and Sarah both started in Ramadi, Sarah was then relocated north to Camp Speicher and Stan was sent west to Camp Fallujah. Both are just happy to be back and grateful that all had safe returns. They can't wait to get back to a normal life together with their families and friends.

Ralph, 36, has been with the Army Reserves for approximately 16 years. This was his first tour in Iraq. He has one son, Cody. Ralph is a graduate of Pendleton High School as are the other two soldiers and is employed at Louis Trauth Dairy in Newport. "It was really great to see all the people there welcoming us home last Thursday," said Class.

S/4 Michael Jenkins is the son of Casey Jenkins, Falmouth, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Oaks. He was in Iraq for one year.

Judge/Executive Henry Bertram had the banner made to hang over top of U.S. 27 at the entrance to Southern Elementary School and workers for the city of Falmouth hung the banner up.

Falmouth Fire Chief David Marquardt, left, and Assistant Fire Chief Darrin Brown, right, presented Volunteer Fireman Bob Pettit with a hatchet plaque recognizing his many years of volunteer service to the fire department. Photo by D. Dennie.

Community and organizations express thanks for never-ending volunteer hours to our county

By D. Dennie, Editor

A large crowd of people met on Saturday, May 17 at St. Xavier Hall in Falmouth to salute and thank a member of our community for all of his volunteer hours and his service to this county and its residents.

It seems like Falmouth resident Bob Pettit has always been here. He has served 37 years of service to the Falmouth Volunteer Fire Department, serving as fire chief on down. He spent 15 years as a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on the Pendleton County ambulance, and worked a total of three years as a 911 dispatcher with Pendleton County Dispatch. No matter what emergency you went to he was there helping others.

Besides his dedication to our county Bob retired with 33 years of service as a surveyor from the Kentucky Department of Transportation.

Pendleton County Emergency Management Mgr./Dispatch Supervisor Mike Moore put together a video showing some photos of Bob as a small child growing up here and photos of him on the fire department and ambulance. Moore presented Pettit with a beautiful painting of three firemen at a fire. A gold plate told him it was from the 911 Dispatch Center for all of his dedicated service.

Pendleton County Judge/Executive Henry Bertram told those in attendance that he had served with Bob on the fire department for many years. "Most of us go through life and have two or three good friends. But here sits a man that has a whole room full of people who care deeply for him," said Judge Bertram. "Yes, many are co-workers, volunteers, family and many friends, but they know that when Bob went out on fire runs or ambulance runs that they were in good hands."

For more of this story, see this week's Falmouth Outlook

Southern Campbell firefighter Chuck Dietz explains the use of nozzles to Pendleton County High School juniors at the Southern Campbell Fire House on May 14, 2008. Photo by Roger McKinney.

Students discover how firemen use math

By Roger McKinney, Reporter

One of the anti-motivational factors present in the learning of higher mathematical skills is the student question, "How do I use this stuff?" To seek the answer to that pupil inquiry a group of 38 Pendleton County High School juniors took a field trip to the Southern Campbell Firehouse. The students were under the supervision of Math Coach Gina Lea and Math Intervention Specialist Shonda Justus.

At the firehouse on May 14, 2008 Rumpke was sponsoring a presentation called "Mathematics in the Fire Service" or "How Firemen Use Math." Rumpke Safety Director Larry Stone explained that math was essential to every profession and its importance to firefighting was only one of many examples. Director Stone said that the program was a way that Rumpke gives back to the community.

Standing near a fire truck control panel, Southern Campbell Firefighter Chuck Dietz showed the students how the amount of water pressure pumped through the hoses was determined by gauges, nozzles, hoses and color coding. "This is the way we correctly apply the wet stuff to the red stuff," he said. Then, Firefighter Dietz carefully detailed how math was used in the process.

For more of this story, see this week's Falmouth Outlook

Sweet Williams are sure pretty

Beautiful purple wildflowers decorate the bank in front of Charles and Lorraine Gallagher's home right off of Highway 27 N As you pass the old Highway 17 entrance, now called Bethel By-Pass, take a look on the bank. They have been there for many years. The flowers are extra pretty and very vivid this year. Mrs. Gallagher says they have been there before they moved there and they have lived there 42 years. She estimates about 50 years maybe and they are called Wild Sweet Williams. Photo by D. Dennie.

Additional items this week include:

Primary

The Rabbi - Morgan History - Morgan Schools Part 5

Buckle up for biscuits!

Pendleton County Primary Recapitulation Sheet

Wildcats lose to Nicholas in 38th District Tournament play

2008 Pendleton County Grad pullout section

and more!