Forty years after service, Vietnam veteran fights again for his life

December 18, 2009 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment 

Today Thomas is fighting cancer he believes was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. Forty years after his tour in Vietnam, he still has the photo of the kids he coached before he entered the service. In Vietnam he kept the photo with him to remind him what life was like back home.

Today Thomas is fighting cancer he believes was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. Forty years after his tour in Vietnam, he still has the photo of the kids he coached before he entered the service. In Vietnam he kept the photo with him to remind him what life was like back home.

“I fought for my life then. I’m fighting for my life now,” said Rockford resident George Thomas. With throat and neck cancer and a 50/50 chance to beat it, according to his doctors, Thomas will be spending the holidays at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge and is being treated at Lacks Cancer Center in Grand Rapids. Thomas will face 35 sessions of chemotherapy to fight his inoperable cancer.

Thomas said he hopes sharing his story might save another Vietnam veteran’s life. He hopes his battle will inspire others to be diligent in doing all they can to detect and fight cancer early on, should it strike.

At 19, Thomas joined the U.S. Army and volunteered to go to Vietnam. He was there for 11 months total in 1968 and 1969.

“It was what everyone was doing then,” he said. “I was proud to serve my country. I am proud I served my country.”

Thomas said he never would have been drafted, because he had a high draft lottery number. He wanted to do what was right.

Once in Vietnam, he faced the harsh reality of fighting for his life. He knew he could be killed at any time. He looked forward to returning home to his old life.

“I used to lie awake in my bunker and cry. I tried not to cry out loud, because there was another guy in the bunker, but I’m sure he was crying, too,” Thomas said.

Then, it didn’t occur to him that the worst danger could be the chemicals the United States was using to keep them safer from enemy fire. He kept his faith by reading a tiny Bible every night and through prayer.

Thomas said he and others were routinely exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange—named because of the orange-striped containers in which it was shipped.

“One guy was smart. He would strip off all his clothes right in front of us and wash off,” Thomas said.

Thomas said there was little he and others in his five-man unit could do to avoid the herbicide, which was sprayed to remove the jungle foliage in which their enemy hid.

“We walked through it, we drank it. We sterilized water from the streams, but it still had dioxin in it. It’s the world’s most powerful poison.”

When Thomas left the service with an honorable discharge and having earned the Bronze Star Army accommodations medal, he thought he could put the war behind him.

“I listened to the older vets who told me to be careful because we were dying of cancer,” he said.

In his early 20s, Thomas heard tale after tale of veterans, young men like himself, who were dying.

Thomas himself then began experiencing problems. Recurring skin lesions affected his athletic lifestyle. He began to experience seizures that he said cost him jobs. He said co-workers performed CPR on him at one point.

In 1981, Thomas was 30. He was the feature in a Grand Rapids Press story about Agent Orange. A Lansing attorney had instituted a class action lawsuit for veterans, their wives and children who may have suffered from the effects of Agent Orange. In the story, one Veteran’s Administration doctor said only one ailment could be traced to the chemical, a skin disorder. He said the illnesses reported by Vietnam vets were no more pronounced in that group than in the general population of the country.

Thomas wasn’t in agreement then, and he isn’t now. Now 15 illnesses are recognized as “presumptive” as related to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam. They are acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy, chloracne, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, diabetes mellitus (type two), Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgekin’s lymphoma, porphyria cutanea tarda, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers and soft tissue sarcoma.

The recognition that the chemicals were dangerous is little consolation to Thomas, who blames the drug companies who he thinks got rich off their deadly product and did too little to protect those injured by it.

“My whole life I never smoked, I never drank, I never ate red meat, I kept in good shape and worked out,” Thomas said.

He kept track of the vets he knows who had cancer.

“I never forgot what that vet told me about making sure I got my six-month checkups,” Thomas said.

Not long ago, Thomas was shaving and noticed something odd. His neck looked uneven in the mirror. “I had a biopsy and found out I have cancer,” he stated.

While many prepared for Thanksgiving dinner and made Christmas plans, Thomas was having pre-chemotherapy dental work done. He had to have a mask made to protect his face during the therapy and he began his treatment.

“Regular physicals wouldn’t have caught this,” he said of his cancer. “Blood tests wouldn’t have caught this.”

At 59, Thomas is again facing a fight for his life. He hopes his story will be a reminder to other veterans to be vigilant.

“Get all the tests you can get your doctor to do. Get your throat checked, get the colonoscopy, whatever you can do, do it,” he said.

Thomas is currently staying at Hope Lodge, 129 Jefferson SE, in Grand Rapids through his treatment.

“What keeps me going is Jesus,” he said. “Maybe he’s trying to teach me a lesson. Instead of turning three-fourths of my life over to him, I need to turn it over to him 100 percent.”

“I’m going to beat this,” Thomas said, although he worries because of the many veterans he’s known who didn’t survive their cancer. “If I can help save another vet’s life, I want to. I want to save my life, too. I won’t give up now.”

Print This Story Print This Story

Tags: , , ,

Brandon Boelema joins Rockford Police

December 18, 2009 · Filed Under Top News Stories · Comment 

Brandon Boelema joined the Rockford Police Department December 1.

Brandon Boelema joined the Rockford Police Department December 1.

“There aren’t many jobs were you have to wear a bulletproof vest everyday,” said Brandon Boelema. He believes those in law enforcement choose that career because they love it.

Monday, December 1, was Boelema’s first day as officer with the Rockford Police Department. Boelema is a 2003 graduate of Northview High School, a 2007 graduate of Grand Valley State University with a bachelor in criminal justice. He is also a graduate of the university’s 16-week police academy. Prior to joining Rockford Police he was an officer with the Bloomfield Township Police Department for two years.

“I’m very excited,” said Boelema of his new position. “I’m happy to be back and be around my friends and family and patrol where they live and work.” The new officer said police work is interesting because every day is different. His first day at work was when the department arrested 15 teenagers on various charges.

Boelema is a second-generation law enforcement officer in his family. His father retired from the Kent County Sheriff Department the year Boelma graduated. He highly recommends the career to others. “Everyone in law enforcement loves their job or they would get out of it and do something else,” he said. “I get paid to have fun.”

Rockford’s Police Chief Dave Jones described Boelema as the strongest candidate he has ever seen. “He served an internship with us while he was in college,” Jones said. “He very quickly integrated himself in the special events we participate in here in Rockford, Youth Night, the Trialthlon, the Expo. He was McGruff the Crime Dog at the Expo.” Jones said all of the officers in the department thought very highly of Boelema. “We didn’t have an opening for him when he graduated.”

When Rick Rafferty left the force, Jones said he thought of Boelema. “I hadn’t forgotten him, you keep talented people in mind.” Jones said the department where Boelema was employed is very like Rockford in their philosophy of community policing. That and Boelema’s strong ties to the community, through his internship and because his family lives here, made the decision a clear one. “He is very articulate, very bright, able to clearly express those shared values.”

Rockford has ten full-time police officers and three part time officers. Boelema replaces Officer Rick Rafferty, who took a job with the state of Michigan. “There are no nights or weekends, so that was good for him,” said supervisor Lt. Scott Mazur.

The job can be a dangerous one, Boelema admitted. At his previous department, a routine traffic stop gave him one of those heart-thumping experiences most people would associate with the job.

“I walked up and looked in the car and the guy had a nine millimeter gun at his feet,” Boelema recalled. “It turns out he had six different felony counts.” Boelema said the danger of the job doesn’t worry him. “We are trained to deal with it,” he said.

Print This Story Print This Story

Tags: , , , ,

Plainfield Fire Department on life-saving streak

December 18, 2009 · Filed Under Top News Stories · Comment 

Plainfield Fire Chief Dave Peterson earned a prestigious title in 2009, and recently his firefighters have saved two people who were without pulse or respiration when the rescue workers arrived.

Plainfield Fire Chief Dave Peterson earned a prestigious title in 2009, and recently his firefighters have saved two people who were without pulse or respiration when the rescue workers arrived.

“I am very proud of them. These are the things that keep us going some days, the fact that we do save one.” Plainfield Fire Chief Dave Peterson was commenting on the actions of his firefighters.

A 9-1-1 call brought firefighters Jerry Burk and Brian Stevens to a home where a resident was not breathing and didn’t have a pulse. The unconscious subject couldn’t be defibrillated because he had to heart rate. The firemen administered “old-fashioned CPR” and by the time the subject arrived at the hospital was breathing and had a pulse. That was Tuesday, December 8.

That effort happened the same day the department received a letter from a woman in the state of Washington. She wanted to thank the department and share her belief that they saved her parent’s lives.

A year ago the department installed a fire detector and carbon monoxide (CO) detector in their home. The CO detector sounded an alarm in the middle of the night and it turned out their furnace was leaking the deadly gas.

Peterson said a similar incident had happened at a Leisure Village home earlier this year, and an elderly couple was likely saved because of the detector.

On Thursday, December 10, Plainfield Fire responded to a medical call for help and found a 39-year-old female without pulse or respiration.

Again, because defibrillators work by changing the electronic waves of the heart, one could not be used because the heart was not beating. The firefighters began CPR and the patient responded and is now doing fine.

“This was the second save in two days for this shift,” Peterson said.

If it has been a controversial year for the department, it has also been one of such milestone events.

Earlier the department announced that Peterson had earned a recognition that very few fire chiefs ever receive. Peterson was nominated for, and received, the international professional designation of “Chief Fire Officer.”

Peterson was voted to receive this honor by the Commission on Professional Credentialing. The designation makes Chief Peterson one of only 616 Chief Fire Officers worldwide.

“This is very prestigious,” said Rebecca VerBeek, administrative assistant to the chief.

The process includes an assessment of the applicant’s education, experience, professional development, technical competencies, contributions to the profession and community involvement.

VerBeek said the process requires writing a dissertation-style document. In Peterson’s case, he wrote about innovative ways to use part time staffing. His policy has saved the township’s taxpayers about $3 million since its implementation in 2001.

Peterson is also President of the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs.

Peterson has been chief of Plainfield department since 1993.

Print This Story Print This Story

Tags: , , ,

Krause Memorial Library patron wins $1,500 prize

December 18, 2009 · Filed Under News · Comment 

CREATIVE SAVINGS—Lynette Gasper is pictured accepting her grant with her husband Tim, daughter Lydia and KDL Director Martha Smart.

CREATIVE SAVINGS—Lynette Gasper is pictured accepting her grant with her husband Tim, daughter Lydia and KDL Director Martha Smart.

by ANA OLVERA

This year the Kent District Library (KDL) partnered with the Library of Michigan Foundation, the Michigan Education Savings Program and the Michigan Education Trust to provide parents with the opportunity to win $1,500 toward their children’s educational expenses with a “Get Creative at Saving for College” contest. Statewide, six lucky winners were selected, one of which was Lynette Gasper, who frequents the Krause Memorial branch of KDL.

The $1,500 award was presented to Gasper at the KDL’s November Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, November 19. For Gasper’s efforts, the Krause Memorial branch also received $1,000 to help fund literacy initiatives for young children.

“We’re planning on using the money for activities and supplies for our early literacy area,” said Jennifer German, branch manager at Krause Memorial Library.

The contest was in conjunction with Summer Reading Club. When parents signed up their children, they were also able to fill out a form for the contest. Throughout the state, 7,000 people entered the contest and winners were selected through a drawing. The contest ran from June 1 to August 21.

Kent District Library is a millage-supported system encompassing 18 branch libraries in 26 governmental units throughout Kent County. KDL serves 362,312 people in all areas of Kent County except the city of Grand Rapids, Cedar Springs, Sparta and Solon Township.

Print This Story Print This Story

Tags: , , , , , ,

Rockford resident, long-time newspaperman launches book of his favorite columns

December 18, 2009 · Filed Under News · Comment 

Rademacher1Two signings scheduled

He’s not Santa Claus, but he is bearing gifts for sale—and just in time for the holidays.

Tom Rademacher, a resident of Rockford and recently retired from a 31-year career at The Grand Rapids Press, will host two book signings in town to celebrate the release of his first collection of columns, entitled “Splitting Wood.” The first will take place from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Rotary Pavilion in downtown Rockford, across from Arnie’s Bakery and Restaurant on Squires Street. The second will occur from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at MVP Athletic Club, at the northeast corner of East Division Street and Northland Drive NE, Rockford. Rademacher, who’s 55, works there part-time as a lifeguard.

“Splitting Wood” contains nearly 100 columns culled from Rademacher’s 21 years as a columnist, during which he interviewed thousands of people with stories to tell. His work recently earned him the top national award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, competing in the general interest category against writers from the largest newspapers in the United States. But the accolades, he says, belong to “the people who opened up their doors to me, who said yes when I came knocking, and who sometimes didn’t even know they had something extraordinary to offer.” The best stories, he says, “almost always came from the guy next door, the lady down the street, some kid playing around the corner. I’ve interviewed presidents and movie stars and sports icons, but it was everyday people who had the most to share, who were doing something profound, even if it was something so common as showing up for work.”

The book, which he’s self-publishing under the name Lake Michigan Books, is endorsed by some heavy hitters, including “Heloise,” the one-name icon whose “Hints from Heloise” column has been a staple for decades.

“Tom… is a journalist with a heart as big as my home state of Texas,” says Heloise. “He writes about real people and real situations in a way that will make you laugh and cry. You will be touched by his stories.”

Rademacher’s book also carries high praise from Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of the No. 1 bestseller “The Last Lecture,” which has been translated into nearly 50 languages. Zaslow defines Rademacher as someone with “a gift for articulating the ways in which all of us are connected, and in each of his deftly crafted stories, he reminds us of the love, hope and humor in our own lives.”

Colleen Pierson, who teaches media courses at Rockford High School, says “Who else but Tom Rademacher could convince readers to donate band instruments to a struggling middle school… help a family in need, or attend the funeral of a total stranger? This book is a godsend.”

“Splitting Wood,” which is a metaphor to describe the essence of people once they reveal themselves, retails for $14.99. Rademacher will be both selling and signing his books at the pavilion and athletic club. Information about other signings scheduled throughout the Grand Rapids area—as well as a way to order the book by mail—is available by visiting tomrademacheronline.com. Beginning Dec. 17, the book also can be purchased at all three area Schuler Books & Music stores in the area. A portion of sales will be donated to the Santa Claus Girls, a long-time charity sponsored by The Grand Rapids Press.

Rademacher and his wife Hollie (nee Baker, who graduated from Rockford High in 1974) live on Maple Street with their three sons—Tom, 21, Patrick, 20, and Andrew, 17.

Print This Story Print This Story

Tags: , , , ,

VIEW PREVIOUS NEWS »