Man With Molino Relatives Hailed As A Hero In Iraq
November 23, 2008
Sgt. Keith Fuqua, a Milton man with relatives in Molino, is among a group of men being called heroes after capturing a wanted Iraqi.
Marines with Company C, Task Force 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, conducted a cordon and search operation recently, which led to the detainment of the battalion’s number one High Value Individual.
Muhammad Ayid Fayyad is suspected of being involved with individuals who planned and executed attacks against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces.
The company learned Fayyad was in the vicinity of a local barbershop in Khalidyah and quickly responded by establishing a cordon around the area.
Marines with 4th Platoon, Company C, set up blocking positions on the main roads leading in and out of the cordon where the company’s Personal Security Detachment provided security for the closed off area.
Lance Cpl. Chelsey Wilson, a 24-year-old assaultman from Pensacola, Fla., was a vehicle commander in 2nd Platoon, which was responsible for the assault and search of the area.
Wilson said as he and two other Marines patrolled near the barbershop they began to notice suspicious behavior.
“There were four men cutting hair inside the shop at the time,” Wilson recalled. “Some of them tried to leave when they saw us, but we held them in the shop.”
The Marines realized one of the four men in the shop was indeed Fayyad after questioning the men and then took him into custody.
Fuqua, a 25-year-old squad leader from Milton, Fla., said it was no surprise Fayyad did not resist being detained.
“The operation was successful due to the precision in which it was executed,” Fuqua said. “Every element came together and we got this guy off the streets. The Iraqis are safer.”
Fayyad was immediately taken to the battalion’s Detainee Collection Point for questioning, and then was transported to a higher command for follow-on questioning.
The operation was successfully completed with no casualties to Marines, local nationals or Fayyad.
Story and photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Schmidt
Barrineau Park Veterans Wall Of Honor Surpasses 100 Photos Of Veterans
November 22, 2008
The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center surpassed 100 photos this week, with each photo honoring a veteran from around the small community.
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the wall, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
Having the boys up there that have been killed,” she said, “makes me real said.” Five of those on the wall were killed in action.
Marine Thomas Edward Jones was killed in Korea in 1950. Army CPL Joseph N. Landry, III was killed in action in 2007. Terry Beasley died in service in 1965. CPL Jonathon Ross “J.R.” Spears died in Iraq in 2005. LCPL William “Trey” Yuhasz died while serving his country in 2004. Rollin Golightly also died in service and is honored on the wall.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
When NorthEscambia.com visited the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center last week, Steve Jogan was hard at work on the office laptop.
“I’m trying to get this program to get rid of the background so the face stands out,” Jogan said as he worked hard in his graphics program to improve a photo. “Sometimes it takes a lot of work with these old photos to make them look good.”
Jogan himself is on the Wall of Honor; he’s retired Nav, with 27 years of service.
“We are going to have to raise the Wall of Honor sign,” Berry said. Organizers never knew there would be over 100 photos on the wall, so their sign had to be moved to make room for more photos.
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at 587-2266.
For a complete photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Pictured above: The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Pictured below: Nita Berry (left) and Nancy Fillingim at the Wall of Honor. Fillingham’s husband Aubie Fillingham is in the picture by her shoulder. Pictured above middle: Steve Jogan works on a new photo for the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Poarch Creek Indians Perform In Century, Flomaton
November 21, 2008
The Poarch Creek Indians presented pow wow dances Thursday at the Century Branch Library, the Century Care Center and at Flomaton High School.
About 50 children enjoyed the performance at the libary. The children decorated pow wow drums and received necklaces before watching the 17 dancers perform traditional dances.
For a complete photo gallery from the library performance, click here.
Pictured above: A Poarch Creek Indian dancer performs at the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon. Pictured below: A packed house for the performance. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Told She Would Never Walk Again After Wreck, Tina Vickery Stands Tall
November 20, 2008
In seconds, Tina Vickery went from a transportation supervisor responsible for transporting hundreds of North Escambia students by bus everyday, to a world where doctors told her that she would probably never walk again.
It was the morning of February 26, 2008, at about 8:00. She had just left Ernest Ward Middle School, and was southbound in a school district car on Highway 97 near Dixie Feed in Molino.
“I remember it. I remember everything,” Tina said Wednesday morning at at a bus driver Thanksgiving lunch in Molino. “It happened so fast. It happened so fast. There was nothing I could do.”
Elisha J Tyler, 50, of Molino lost control of her van when she hit standing water in the roadway and spun into Tina’s lane. “My most vivid memory is seeing her head toward me. I just hit her. There was nothing I could do.”
It was a bad wreck. A very bad wreck. Elisha’s van lay on its side, nearly folded in half. Tina was in her crumpled school district car, watching everything around her as emergency vehicles arrived. She saw, and remembers everything until the ambulance workers wheeled her into the emergency room where she was given strong pain medication. The next thing she remembers is waking up as nurses were removing her breathing tube. The first thing she asked was if the other driver survived.
After weeks in the hospital, Tina transferred to in-patient rehab. It was three and a half months before she could place any weight on her legs. Even then, doctors told her that her chances of walking were very slim.
“They told me I would probably never walk again,” Tina said. “But here I am walking again. What a blessing!”
Wednesday morning, she stood before her employees, the 35 bus drivers that transport students to the Escambia County Schools from Molino to Century to Walnut Hill. It was a Thanksgiving lunch, and Tina was thankful to be standing there.
“This has probably been one of the worst years of my life,” she told her employees. “But you were there for me. I thank God for each one of you. I hope He blesses each one of you.”
It was a proud moment for Vickery to be able to stand before her drivers, her friends.
“I had such wonderful support from my coworkers, my family and my friends,” she said of the months after the accident. “It’s not like we are coworkers. We are like a family.”
The bus drivers visited Vickery often in rehab. They cooked for her family. They took care of her personal business and errands. “It’s like we are family,” she said. “When one had a problem, everyone steps in, during the good times and the bad.”
Back on May 15, the drivers pulled a little surprise on their boss. Barbara Hollingsworth, one of the drivers, arranged for the drivers to use a handicap equipped bus to sneak Tina out of rehab. Since Tina was in a wheelchair, they even put people in two other wheelchairs in the back of the bus so that she would not be alone. They took her to Barnhill’s for lunch. It was the first time since the day of the accident that Tina had walked on her feet on the ground.
” I thank God for letting her come back because she is such a blessing to all of us and a great superior,” Hollingsworth said.
Tina is back at work now as the north end route supervisor for the Escambia County Schools Transportation Department for three half days per week. She is still attending physical therapy each week.
She looks at life a bit differently now, nine months after the accident.
“I give thanks to God each day,” she said. “The little things are not as important anymore when you look at the big picture.”
Even in her lowest moment, she continued to thank God. “I realized during those months of rehab that there were people that were there that were so much worse off than me. I was so thankful for all that God has done for me.”
To see a photo gallery from the Thanksgiving lunch, the trip to Barnhills and more stages of Tina’s recovery, click here.
To see a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the accident scene in February, click here.
Pictured top: Tina Vickery’s accident on Highway 97 on February 26, 2008. Pictured above: Tina Vickery on Wednesday with bus driver Marie McPhillips. Pictured below: North Escambia bus drivers at a Thanksgiving lunch on Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park PTA Fund Raiser
November 20, 2008
The annual PTA fund raising drive at Molino Park Elementary School is a little bit different this year. Basically, it’s a no fund raiser, fund raiser.
Rather than asking the children and their parents to sell something like in past years, Principal Alice Woodward says the school’s has simply asked parents, grandparents, guardians and their friends and families to make a contribution to the school.
The math is simple, Woodward said. With over 400 children, if each gathers about $20 in donations each, the school will quickly reach its goal of $8,000.
Donations should be sent to school with Molino Park students by early next week, or donations can be made in the school office.
Some of the recent projects funded by the PTA include SuccessMaker software, supplies and materials for each of the school’s teachers, grandparent’s day, field day and more.
As of Wednesday, donations were at $700 of the $8,000 goal.
Retired Walnut Hill Chief Video Tribute
November 17, 2008
Retired Walnut Hill Fire Chief Robert Stewart was honored at a reception Saturday night with a video tribute.
The video featured scenes from the fire department’s recent calls, along with scenes featuring the chief at work and at play. He was shown answering fire calls, with his new grandson, with his family, at department functions and even playing Santa Claus on his way to Enon Country Manor.
The video also featured a special “thank you” from Valerie (Baker) Brock, who thanked Chief Stewart for saving her life.
The video was produced by NorthEscambia.com using our photos and video footage, along with pictures submitted by fire department members and Robert’s family.
Watch the video by clicking play below. (If you do not see the video, it is because it is being blocked by your employer or school.)
To read about Saturday night’s reception, click here.
To read about Valerie (Baker) Brock’s accident, click here.
Northview Freshman To Undergo Brain Surgery
November 14, 2008
Nathan Therrell is important part of the Northview High School football team, but you’ve probably never read his name in news story, seen him in a team photo or heard his name on the public address system at the stadium. As the team’s waterboy, Nathan quietly spends Northview’s games doing what waterboys do…serving and helping. Now that football season is coming to a close, Nathan needs your help.
Wednesday, Nathan will undergo brain surgery at the Miami Children’s Hospital to remove something the size of a grain of rice that has caused years of problems for him. It’s called a hypothalamic hamartoma, also called an “HH”. The HH is not a tumor, nor is it a cancer; it is a tissue growth.
The HH causes seizures, a problem Nathan has had for four years. They were originally controlled by medication, but the medicines have failed to work, his mother Tina Therrell said. They’ve tried radiation and laser treatments. None have workeed. That led the family to decide to have the surgery to remove the HH from the middle of the Northview freshman’s brain.
“It’s been very expensive for us,” mom Tina said. “We have insurance, but we’ve made five trips this year to Miami. The expenses from that really add up.”
A barbecue lunch sale was held Friday at the Century Fire Department and a car wash was held Saturday to raise funds for Nathan’s medical expenses.
Pictured above: Nathan Therrill waits on the Northview sidelines, his water ready to go. Pictured below and bottom: Nathan watches last Friday night’s Northview game. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Honors Veterans
November 14, 2008
Molino Park Elementary School honored veterans Thursday night with a musical program entitled “United We Stand”.
The fourth grade classes of Mrs. Garrett, Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Madrill, Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Nelson presented the program that included patriotic songs like “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “My Country ’tis of Thee” and “America the Beautiful”. The program included a salute to veterans and a moving song “American Tears”.
The evening also wrapped up a 10 day canned food drive for the Manna Food Bank that netted over 1,600 cans of food. The first place award for the most food collected went to Ms. Doyle’s class, second to Ms. Greene’s class and third to Ms. Hatch’s class.
For a complete photo gallery from Molino Park’s “United We Stand” program, click here.
Pictured above and below: Scenes from Molino Park Elementary School’s Veterans Program “United We Stand” Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Restoration Works Begins On Old 100 Steam Engine
November 12, 2008
A shiny coat of paint and more is in store for Century’s Old 100.
After over a year with no obvious changes, the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society contracted Mr. Denvard Moss of Birmingham to begin work on the restoration of the steam engine Old 100. Deep South Cranes of Pensacola made a trip to the historical park in Century to move some components of the engine so work might begin in earnest.
It turns out that the men operating the crane were a couple of North Escambia and Santa Rosa County fellows, Curtis Fillingim of Walnut Hill and Bryan Watson of Jay. Both men have some pretty solid connections with this part of the counties, having lots of relatives living in the area.
Because of the estimated weight of the boiler and tight place the crane had to operate, Deep South had to send their largest piece of equipment to make the moves. In preparation for the shifting around of the boiler, estimated to weigh in at over ten tons, and the tender’s water tank, a mere 2 tons, Moss had to manhandle several railroad crossties in position to rest the parts.
For more photos from Old 100, click here.
Moss, who has restored many steam engines across the southeast, is presently dividing his time between the historical former T.R. Miller locomotive now at the historical village just off Tarragona Street in Pensacola, and another engine in Cummings, GA. He comes highly recommended to the ASHS by Louis Zadnichek, a former scrap metal broker residing in Fairhope, and a former owner of Old 100.
In 1976, Zadnichek, the late engineer J.R. Phillips, and Max Grice, a scrap metal dealer of Mobile, three Railway & Locomotive Historical Society members, purchased the wood-burning “cabbage stack” engine for junk in late 1974 from the Jim Walter Door Corporation of Century, and trucked it 95 miles to Mobile where they restored the No. 100 to operation as part of the Alabama Bicentennial. The engine, a 48-ton Baldwin 2-6-2 with slopeback tender, underwent a 13-month overhaul costing nearly $40,000.
No. 100 was built in September 1919 for the Britton Saw Mill Co., Florala, Ala. Four years later, it was sold to The Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company in Century for use on its subsidiary common carrier, the Escambia Railway, abandoned in 1947. The Escambia Railway once operated a total of nearly 200 miles of logging railroad in Florida and Alabama with an all-time roster of at least 29 locomotives. No. 100 was used as a general-purpose logging engine until 1935 when it was rebuilt for use as the sawmill’s switch engine.
As the sawmill switch engine, No. 100 would occasionally operate over Louisville & Nashville tracks from Century to Flomaton, Ala. This practice continued up until its retirement in 1954, making it the last wood burning steam engine to run on “Old Reliable” tracks. From 1954 to 1957, the 2-6-2 was used as an auxiliary sawmill boiler and then placed on display on Front Street in Century.
By late 1974, the No. 100 was in such poor condition from vandalism and weather deterioration that Jim Walter Doors, new owners of the sawmill, decided to sell the eyesore for junk. Fortunately, the locomotive found a good home and was saved from the torch.
No. 100 was used as a standby switch engine on a private industrial railroad in Mobile. The engine was designed with a low center of gravity for rough track, tight clearances and sharp curves, as well as to deliver high tractive effort for relatively little fuel and water consumed, so the 2-6-2 was right at home in its new role. The engine was normally fired up once every two weeks.
After the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, Old 100 was sold to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Indiana, a not-for-profit Railroad Museum, where until the early 1990s it faithfully hauled tourists on a daily roundtrip run. The late J.R. Phillips, who did the restoration work on #100, had a lifetime driving privilege of this historic and locally beloved engine.
When the engine developed boiler problems, it was removed from service until a new boiler might be fabricated. However, there were problems with the new boiler upon delivery and because of financial concerns and tightening of Federal regulations, the engine was not placed back in service at all, but rather sat in a sad condition for over 14 years.
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society inquired as to its availability for sale and upon discovering the WVRR was receptive, set out to raise funds to bring the engine back “home.” With the assistance of grants from the State of Florida and a tremendous outpouring of support and donations from local people, the engine made its way from Indiana to Century in May of 2007.
Placed on a specially laid track, supplied through the good graces of CSX workers and their spare time, the engine seemed doomed to languish again in its own back yard because of disagreements as to its future. However, the move to restore it to a static display condition is once again under way, as a result of more private funding and the expertise of Denverd Moss.
Moss is optimistic that real progress in the restoration may be seen early 2009 and shortly thereafter an icon of Century’s past will once more be the town’s centerpiece.
For more photos from Old 100, click here.
Article and photos submitted by Jerry Simmons
Pictured top: Old 100 was dismantled to allow for restoration work to begin on the 89 year old steam engine. Pictured below: The boiler is lowered to the ground. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Atmore Honors Veterans With Parade
November 12, 2008
Atmore honored area veterans with a parade Tuesday afternoon.
Several floats, a band and more were in the annual Atmore Veterans Day parade.
There were several motorcycle riders in the parade, including members of the forming chapter of of the Escambia County Christian Motorcyclists Association, Doug and Tyler Chandler of Atmore and James Price of Bay Minette. They were joined by members of the Baldwin County and Mobile C.M.A. chapters.
“We were humbled to participate in the Veteran’s Day parade to honor the men and women who gave us the right to ride the roads and spread the message of Jesus Christ. We don’t take for granted our freedom to travel share our faith with others. Only because of the blood of others who died in battle can we share the saving grace of the blood of Jesus Christ,” Doug Chandler said.
For a complete photo gallery from the Atmore Veterans Day Parade, click here.
The Escambia County C.M.A. chapters is currently recruiting members from both Escambia County, Alabama, and north Escambia County, Florida. For more information about the local chapter of C.M.A., email BigDCMA@mchsi.com or call (251) 294-0386.
