LILBURN, Ga., (May 25, 2011) - Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day.
This Saturday, May 21st, 16 of the Boy Scouts from Troop 580 in Lilburn, GA continued in this fine tradition. They cleaned up the Corinth Missionary Baptist cemetery and placed a small USA flag (donated by Woodmen of the World) on each of the 67 veteran's gravestones. This cemetery is located in Gwinnett County at the intersection of Pounds Road and Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain, GA.
They would challenge all citizens to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.' Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
This News is brought to you by Lilburn Handyman Services offering licensed professional craftesmen and affordable handyman services. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction.
Call 678-785-6021.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Marine, The actual Child, The Surprise
LILBURN, Ga. -- Jillian von Brauer looks at a picture of her son, Lance Corporal Cameron Davis in his full dressed Marine uniform.
What does she see?
"One of the proudest moments of my life, and one of the saddest moments of my life. It was the day my son graduated from boot camp, he was no longer my little boy," von Brauer said.
Shortly after reflecting on that picture, her son was deployed to Afghanistan.
While he served, Ms. Von Brauer showed she could still do something special for her little boy.
"Cameron's known since elementary school that he wanted to be a Marine. His dream was to be a Marine, and to go into infantry, and he did," she said.
Cameron, the Marine, served in Afghanistan, where is classified but he was in a dangerous area, in the heart of the operation.
"Between mountains with Taliban on both sides," his Mom said. "When something bad would happen, they would go River City. That's when all communications are dropped," she added.
Ms. Von Brauer hated thinking about what she couldn't control, so she focused on what she could.
She knew her son loved his car. She also knew it was in terrible shape and she wanted to fix it up, but she'd spent most of her excess money on care packages and supplies.
"He was under the dream that was he was going to have a lot more money after deployment, and he was going to buy a brand new car," Ms. Von Breuer said.
Buying the new car was not going to happen and Ms. Von Brauer was determined to get the car repaired. "A mechanic suggested I call the 11Alive Help Desk and that's what I did," she said.
The Help Desk's Bill Liss got right on it.
"Ms. Von Brauer had a contact with an auto body shop in Lilburn. We brought him the car and he looked at it and said the car needed help, lots of it, and very quickly," Liss said.
It wasn't long before Mike Stancell of the Lilburn Auto Center got right on it. "As an Army veteran myself, I actually felt for him, so I said we'd take care of it," he said.
Stancell got right on the telephone and called seven vendors to help -- 12 actually ended up doing the work-all absolutely free. "We're talking about tires, a new transmission, a full paint job, pounding out all the dings-a complete overhaul and re-make," Liss said.
They did it all.
"Then they found out Cameron's wife had a car that needed some work, and they went and took care of the transmission on her car too," Liss added.
All told, it took two months to put the car together, and what it ended up being, for all intensive purposes was a new car," Liss said.
Then, a few weeks back, Cameron came home, not knowing not knowing his black BMW had found the Fountain of Youth.
And then, the soldier, the son, received the surprise.
"Oh wow-- that's *my* car?" "That is unbelievable! I can't even believe that's my car," Cameron said as he stood on the street and watched his "new" BMW come around the corner on a flatbed truck.
Surrounding the car, all the Lilburn people who made the car a reality.
Today, Cameron - and his car - are back on base in North Carolina. He will soon deploy again. "I guess the only other thing I have to say is that I really love my son and I am really proud."
"He's my little boy, he's my grunt son, and he's my hero."
The Vendors
Lilburn Auto Center
Osborne Body Works
Henderson Custom Upholstery
Norcross Transmission
NAPA Auto Parts
United BMW
Global Imports
Discount Tire
HB Body
ACS
Mike's Auto Glass
Gwinnett Place Ford
This News is brought to you by Lilburn Handyman Services offering licensed professional craftesmen and affordable handyman services. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction.
Call 678-785-6021.
What does she see?
"One of the proudest moments of my life, and one of the saddest moments of my life. It was the day my son graduated from boot camp, he was no longer my little boy," von Brauer said.
Shortly after reflecting on that picture, her son was deployed to Afghanistan.
While he served, Ms. Von Brauer showed she could still do something special for her little boy.
"Cameron's known since elementary school that he wanted to be a Marine. His dream was to be a Marine, and to go into infantry, and he did," she said.
Cameron, the Marine, served in Afghanistan, where is classified but he was in a dangerous area, in the heart of the operation.
"Between mountains with Taliban on both sides," his Mom said. "When something bad would happen, they would go River City. That's when all communications are dropped," she added.
Ms. Von Brauer hated thinking about what she couldn't control, so she focused on what she could.
She knew her son loved his car. She also knew it was in terrible shape and she wanted to fix it up, but she'd spent most of her excess money on care packages and supplies.
"He was under the dream that was he was going to have a lot more money after deployment, and he was going to buy a brand new car," Ms. Von Breuer said.
Buying the new car was not going to happen and Ms. Von Brauer was determined to get the car repaired. "A mechanic suggested I call the 11Alive Help Desk and that's what I did," she said.
The Help Desk's Bill Liss got right on it.
"Ms. Von Brauer had a contact with an auto body shop in Lilburn. We brought him the car and he looked at it and said the car needed help, lots of it, and very quickly," Liss said.
It wasn't long before Mike Stancell of the Lilburn Auto Center got right on it. "As an Army veteran myself, I actually felt for him, so I said we'd take care of it," he said.
Stancell got right on the telephone and called seven vendors to help -- 12 actually ended up doing the work-all absolutely free. "We're talking about tires, a new transmission, a full paint job, pounding out all the dings-a complete overhaul and re-make," Liss said.
They did it all.
"Then they found out Cameron's wife had a car that needed some work, and they went and took care of the transmission on her car too," Liss added.
All told, it took two months to put the car together, and what it ended up being, for all intensive purposes was a new car," Liss said.
Then, a few weeks back, Cameron came home, not knowing not knowing his black BMW had found the Fountain of Youth.
And then, the soldier, the son, received the surprise.
"Oh wow-- that's *my* car?" "That is unbelievable! I can't even believe that's my car," Cameron said as he stood on the street and watched his "new" BMW come around the corner on a flatbed truck.
Surrounding the car, all the Lilburn people who made the car a reality.
Today, Cameron - and his car - are back on base in North Carolina. He will soon deploy again. "I guess the only other thing I have to say is that I really love my son and I am really proud."
"He's my little boy, he's my grunt son, and he's my hero."
The Vendors
Lilburn Auto Center
Osborne Body Works
Henderson Custom Upholstery
Norcross Transmission
NAPA Auto Parts
United BMW
Global Imports
Discount Tire
HB Body
ACS
Mike's Auto Glass
Gwinnett Place Ford
This News is brought to you by Lilburn Handyman Services offering licensed professional craftesmen and affordable handyman services. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction.
Call 678-785-6021.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Surgical treatment Helps Lilburn Woman Overcome Being overweight
LILBURN, Ga. -- Hiking the hill in her Lilburn neighborhood was something Yvonne Wallace couldn't do one year ago.
"It was a great challenge for me. And to be able to do that now is joy," she said.
Last March, Wallace weighed 288 pounds. "I had been on this roller coaster. I would lose and then I would gain," she said in 2010.
The 56-year-old widow and mother was first in line for gastric bypass at Gwinnett Medical Center's new bariatric surgery program. Even Wallace is shocked at how far she's come since then.
"My goodness, how large I looked at that time," she said as she watched CBS Atlanta's story from last March.
So far, she's lost 95 pounds, but even better is what she has gained. "I was on medication for high blood pressure, for high cholesterol, for gastric reflux. I was on medication for arthritis. I'm not on any of that medication now," Wallace said.
Getting there hasn't exactly been easy. "Getting used to the fact that I don't need to eat as much as I used to eat -- it was a mental adjustment," she said.
And what she eats has become even more important. Her daily diet is packed with protein, fruits and vegetables. Exercise has also become a priority.
"It's not something that gee, you can live any way you want to, you can eat any way you want to ...and you're going to be fit and trim. That is not true."
There are still struggles. "There are times when I just want to come in and have nothing but chocolate," she said. But, Wallace reminds herself what life was like before and vows to never go back.
"I've been given a second chance and I don't want to blow that. This is a gift," Wallace said.
There are many more like her at Gwinnett Medical Center. Dr. Robert Richard performed Wallace's surgery and has done 70 others over the last year.
He said the support programs offered at GMC help the patients stay on track, but it's a lot of hard work. Bariatric surgery is no quick fix. "A lot of people have the perception that a weight loss surgery is the easy way out, and that's far from the truth. It is hard. It's hard to make different lifestyle changes," Richard said.
The hospital's website offers tools such as a BMI calculator and detailed information about bariatric surgery. Click here to sign up for a free informational seminar.
This News is brought to you by Lilburn Handyman Services offering licensed professional craftesmen and affordable handyman services. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction. Call 678-785-6021.
"It was a great challenge for me. And to be able to do that now is joy," she said.
Last March, Wallace weighed 288 pounds. "I had been on this roller coaster. I would lose and then I would gain," she said in 2010.
The 56-year-old widow and mother was first in line for gastric bypass at Gwinnett Medical Center's new bariatric surgery program. Even Wallace is shocked at how far she's come since then.
"My goodness, how large I looked at that time," she said as she watched CBS Atlanta's story from last March.
So far, she's lost 95 pounds, but even better is what she has gained. "I was on medication for high blood pressure, for high cholesterol, for gastric reflux. I was on medication for arthritis. I'm not on any of that medication now," Wallace said.
Getting there hasn't exactly been easy. "Getting used to the fact that I don't need to eat as much as I used to eat -- it was a mental adjustment," she said.
And what she eats has become even more important. Her daily diet is packed with protein, fruits and vegetables. Exercise has also become a priority.
"It's not something that gee, you can live any way you want to, you can eat any way you want to ...and you're going to be fit and trim. That is not true."
There are still struggles. "There are times when I just want to come in and have nothing but chocolate," she said. But, Wallace reminds herself what life was like before and vows to never go back.
"I've been given a second chance and I don't want to blow that. This is a gift," Wallace said.
There are many more like her at Gwinnett Medical Center. Dr. Robert Richard performed Wallace's surgery and has done 70 others over the last year.
He said the support programs offered at GMC help the patients stay on track, but it's a lot of hard work. Bariatric surgery is no quick fix. "A lot of people have the perception that a weight loss surgery is the easy way out, and that's far from the truth. It is hard. It's hard to make different lifestyle changes," Richard said.
The hospital's website offers tools such as a BMI calculator and detailed information about bariatric surgery. Click here to sign up for a free informational seminar.
This News is brought to you by Lilburn Handyman Services offering licensed professional craftesmen and affordable handyman services. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction. Call 678-785-6021.
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