Navy Capt. Jeremiah Denton, Virginia Beach, Va., stepped off a jet after eight years in communist prisons, fired a sharp salute to the flag of his country, spoke a few words and walked briskly to a bus which took him and others to a hospital.
It was as though he had been gone for a weekend instead of eight years.
There will be many stories yet to come, but for the moment all was centered on Captain Denton.
He was just great. He was something else.
And when he finished his few brief words, his voice was broken as he said, "God bless America." And, if you didn't get a sniffle started then and accumulate some moisture in your eyes, then you just didn't get the message.
The best remark we've heard came from a Nebraska City war veteran who is very proud of his country.
As the captain finished those last three words, the Nebraska City man's eyes were moistened. He stood, clenched his fist and said "that's my kind of an American!"
We got a note in the mail the other day that the Iowa Air National Guard will send fighter-bombers over Nebraska City Tuesday through Saturday.
That's interesting because in order for the pilots to make the flight from Des Moines and back, they have to turn somewhere and that's where the G forces are . . . you bet, across beautiful downtown Talmage, over the Lorton Lounge, stirring George Fenske at the Dunbar post office, turning over Nehawka and hitting the throttle for home.
The route is for the 132nd Tactical Fighter Wing which flies F100 Super Sabre fighter-bombers. The air speed scheduled by the Guardsmen is 360-420 knots which is crowding 500 m.p.h.
I don't know anything about the Iowa Air Guard, but I do know something about servicemen. And I'd just about bet a pair of boots that some of those cocky pilots will celebrate the return of the POW's by opening throttles over Nebraska and Iowa . . . much to the surprise and pleasure of residents.
I never did know who it was, but there was some young jet pilot who used to make weekend runs over the Iowa bottomland.
Several years ago, before the camouflage painting, the silver fighter zoomed over the North 40 and powered toward the Iowa bluffs.
Generally it was in the afternoon and because of the sun glistening off the shiny metal of the plane, we got a clear view.
The pilot would turn his jet north along the bottomland, (with the bluffs in the background) then somewhere in the Percival area he pulled up . . . and judging by the sound let 'em know that he was in the area.
We surmised that he is a relative of someone of the Iowa bottomland and was just saying "hi mom and dad."
I say there, old chap.
The "energy crisis" which affected Nebraska City's schools in January will be told in a special program in London this week.
John Reynolds, producer of the show for the British Broadcasting company, telephoned the other day from his New York office to ask what happened in Nebraska City.
Liz Farrell, secretary to the producer, said the BBC wanted to tell the story over the network to be released "probably Monday" in London.
Nebraska City's class days were cut to four days a week to conserve fuel and resumed normal scheduling when the frigid temperatures left us and fuel supplies became available.
Liz didn't have to tell us she was from Great Britain . . . she probably thought we talked funny.
Didya hear the one . . .
About the guy who liked to "tie one on" every so often?
Well, this guy was driving to meet his cronies for the party and heard a "flop, flop, flop" . . . a flat tire.
He got out, changed a tire, started down the road again and heard, "flop, flop, flop" . . . he changed the wrong tire.
The Valentine cards.
Mrs. Glen Wilcox has gone to the drawing board and displayed a number of Valentine cards at Steinhart Lodge. My favorite is the scene in the hospital room where the doctor is reading the benefits from the ailing man's insurance policy. Pretty tricky, Libby. Who sells that kind of insurance?
Stolen.
If you really think that old soldiers just fade away, try getting into your old Army uniform sometime. Vern Livingston sez if a man opens the car door for his wife, you can be sure either the wife or the car is new . . . according to a "retired" doctor in Nebraska City the best method to lose weight is to eat all you want of everything you don't like.
My favorite Valentine present came from my family: a box of peanut clusters, and they're almost as good as those made by Mrs. Glenda Crume. We had a chance to sample the peanut clusters and other goodies that Mrs. Crume's daughter, Mrs. Mary Bell, had delivered to the firemen at the fire-rescue complex the other day.
We had to arm wrestle Fireman Jim Chaney for seconds.
Nebraska City Volunteer firemen who have been snorting because the fire-rescue building is being shared with other city departments, have been soothed by putting their energies into another area — more equipment.
The new aerial firefighting appratus is going to cost plenty, somewhere around $95,000 to $130,000. Firemen have been doing a lot of work checking into equipment to get the most for the Nebraska City tax dollar.
Many people have said the town needs some type of aerial equipment and firemen have been trying to match up the needs, wants and spondulix. And that's often like cutting an apple pie in squares.
There is still a rumble in the back row about the firemen meeting in the basement where the acoustics are something to be desired.
Mark Wurtele has been outspoken on this. He wants the firemen to move their meetings to the Friendship Room in an effort to convince the council that the firemen want their meeting room back. It's occupied by the city clerk, now.
Mark put the motion on the floor at the meeting the other night in the basement room but there was so much noise no one heard him and the meeting was adjourned.