Vickie Jenkins
Staff Writer

Meet Mr. George Martin, 69, an Army Veteran, a kind and considerate gentleman that believes in second chances in life. He is also an amputee. Martin is an amazing man that has a story to share with others.
Martin had a rough childhood with his parents and ended up going to live with his aunt. His aunt was attending a little, country church. “I remember being about 12 years old and I would go to church with her and then one Sunday, all of a sudden, I felt God calling me. It was a strong feeling that I had never experienced before,” Martin said. “It was as though God knew that I needed to know what love was. So, it was that Sunday that I got baptized in a horse trough. Back then, that is what they used,” he added.
It was the year 1967. Martin was in the Army, fighting the Vietnam War. It was on March 13, 1968 that Martin found himself in a foxhole. He got shot in the leg 3 different times with an AK47. “That is a mean weapon,” Martin said. “A tourniquet was placed on my leg to stop the bleeding but every time my heart beat, I felt the blood gushing out!” He was taken to the hospital where Martin had bled to death and was pronounced dead!
This is when Martin felt a peace come over him. He heard the nurse say, ‘we lost him.’ This is when Martin felt himself floating upward. “It’s true how people say they see a tunnel, full of light. I saw that tunnel and then, I saw Heaven open up! I saw all of God’s Glory!” Martin said. “I saw streets of gold; a pure gold that seemed transparent. It was beautiful! I had an overwhelming feeling of peace, love and joy! It was so magnificent! There was beautiful green grass, not a flaw in it. I heard a choir and orchestra, praising the Lord. I was surrounded by beautiful flowers! The praises were everywhere! I saw water in the distance and it sparkled like diamonds! Beams of glory were all around! I heard God speak to me…I am going to put you to sleep now. I have a purpose for you!”
“The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a body bag. It was dark and I felt a toe tag. With all my might, I tried to move, as much as I could. I heard a voice close by and then, a scream! I was out for 3 days but I was alive! The doctors and nurses were trying to get me stabilized, sending me to a hospital in Japan. I got very ill and spent 8 months in the hospital. Being in Vietnam, we had all been sprayed with Agent Orange. (A herbicide and defoliant chemical, causing many health problems for any individual who were exposed.) It was eating up the inside of my body!”
“That was 50 years ago. The Lord has seen me through so much but I am alive! I continue to give Him praises. I attend a little, country church and I share my testimony in different churches around Oklahoma. I am thankful to God for giving me a second chance and showing me that I still have a purpose here on earth.”
“Yes, I am an amputee; I am living my life for Him. A big thank you to Patriot Prosthetics and Orthotics for everything,” said Martin.
A big thank you to Michael Huggins and Dallas Curtis for taking care of the many Veterans and their prosthetics. The first prosthetic that Martin had was a wooden one, heavy, uncomfortable and bulky. That was in 1968. Now, thanks to Patriot Prosthetics and Orthotics, Martin’s prosthetic is light weight, comfortable and a digitized prosthetic. Martin has been going to Patriot Prosthetics and Orthotics for about 20 years.
“They are such great people over there and I trust them with everything.” Martin said.
It is of the utmost importance of the staff to treat each patient with respect, dignity and fairness. They strive to promote a greater acceptance of each prosthesis or orthosis through a positive spirit and education for each patriot’s individual potential and rehabilitation. They are committed to providing the highest quality of Prosthetic and Orthopedic care with compassion. The staff is dedicated to learning the latest advanced technology to better serve the needs of each patient.
A heart-felt thanks to the many men and women who have or are presently serving our country today. You have given us freedom.

It would be 65 degrees and we’d be traveling.

David Duke

It would be a perfect day and I’d be working outside planting flowers and gardening.

Mindy Duke

Running or working in the garden.

Greta Pigg

Out on the golf course with it 75 or 80 degrees.

Keith Pigg

FREE Home Care Is Available Now!

“As a young boy in the mid 80’s, I remember making home visits (off SW 51st & Western) to my then 85 year old, great-grandmother, Mrs. Tennie Frass, also known as ‘Ninny’ to us kids. Today, over 30+ years later it chokes me up knowing that she could have received 40 hours per month of FREE home care services through this unique program AND because she was a widow of a WWII Veteran! However, the care was never introduced…. Why? because no one knew about it.”
Question: Have you heard of a ‘not-so-popular’ benefit called the Aid & Attendance through the VA? In 1952, Congress passed Title 38 of the US code creating the Department of Veteran’s Affair which authorized benefits for Veterans. One of these benefits was the Aid & Attendance (a.k.a. the A & A) that was created to provide non-medical care for those that qualify. An incredibly powerful benefit that covers non-medical expenses of light house cleaning, bathing, meal prep, laundry, transportation, medication reminders, companionship and much more… again, if you ‘qualify.’
Qualification requirements include the following: · over 65 years old · Veteran served 90 days of active duty, one day during a major wartime (i.e. WWII, Korean, Vietnam) · be honorably discharged · have a medical condition causing them to need assistance with ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living) · have limited income and assets (excluding home and car)
Fact: Traditional methods of getting ‘entitled’ with the A&A takes an estimated 6-24 months before care starts… why so long you ask? Because most family members don’t understand the precision and articulation of the estimated 15+ pages of VA required forms. When these items are submitted to the VA, in most cases they’re sent incorrectly. So what is our estimated start of care? It ranges from 2-4 weeks! It’s not voodoo or black magic but it does include an experienced staff. Moreover, there are never any hidden fees or upfront costs and remember, once you’re entitled, the benefit can remain in effect for the rest of your life!
“I can only imagine how good life would have been for Ninny had we known about this program so many years ago. My goal today is to NOT allow other ‘Ninny’s’ to go through life without the awareness of such an awesome and available offering!”

This article was submitted by Steve Lee, Founder & Owner and Shelley Degelos, Area Manager in OKC, (siblings). Veterans Aide at Home, is a non-medical home care agency dedicated to Veterans, Spouses and their Widows/ers with coverage in CO, OK and WY. For more info, Shelley Degelos and our OKC office number is 405.415.1444 or email her at: Shelley@VeteransAideAH.com

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Richard Bailey has spent his entire life in communication. Spanning Asia for the telecommunications industry and then working in the computer and internet industries, Bailey has always been focused on the best way to get a message across.
Retired since 2000, Bailey is now applying his talents as chairman to help the 21st Century Norman Seniors Association communicate their needs as the City of Norman prepares to build a new senior center.
Norman seniors have been watching intently as the city has wrestled with funding a new senior citizen.
For some, it’s been promises broken. For others, it’s simply been a long process that has the promise to unfold into not only a one-of-its kind center but a new wellness philosophy for Norman’s 25,000 seniors.
Welcoming seniors and “anyone who aspires to be a senior,” Bailey’s group is focused on not only seeing that Norman seniors have a place to call home but there’s a philosophy behind it that places value meeting ever-changing needs.
“I think (the value of seniors) is something that’s horribly overlooked,” Bailey said.
AN OLD CONCEPT
The first senior center built was in the 1940s in New York City. Built to provide leisure activities for primarily widows, the center allowed case workers a central location to reach the population.
About 30 years later the city of Norman moved its senior center into a 45-year-old Carnegie Library down the street from the county courthouse.
“And we’re still there,” Bailey said. “And we’re still basically operating under the same service concept that was developed in the 1940s.”
“The whole concept of senior centers has changed dramatically.”
Norman’s population has grown more than 50 percent to nearly 120,000 residents since 1990.
And the senior population is growing exponentially every day.
A NEW VISION
“Remember that every student at Norman North and Norman High School will be a senior citizen during the lifespan of this building so you have to think about not just the people who are there today but the people who will be there in the future,” Bailey said.
The building will be physical evidence the importance of Norman seniors has been recognized but Bailey says it’s about a concept that embraces senior wellness.
Norman’s current senior center has a half-hour wellness class once a day.
“The new concept is health and wellness on demand and has people there organized to help seniors get the best benefit out of the facilities that are there,” Bailey said. “It’s well-proven that the overall cost to society is reduced by spending money on senior activities to keep them healthy.”
The new concept embraces intergenerational activities. More and more high school and college students are seeing the benefit of spending more time with seniors.
“If you think really hard about it it could extend down to an organized latchkey operation for parents who needed it,” Bailey said.
The new concept also embraces volunteerism.
“The seniors that are there today are better educated, healthier and more involved in activities than ever before,” Bailey said. “And if you organize a set of services in the senior center around people who are willing to volunteer to do things you can get a tremendous number of people that will be active.”
And don’t forget about the ever-growing number of seniors or soon-to-be seniors who are serving as caregivers for their own parents.
Bailey has been through that experience.
“There should be an organized set of caregiver activities within a senior center so people can know they can go there and learn and understand from people who have been through it,” he said.
In March, the Wall Street Journal noted people over 65 years old would outnumber children by 2035, a first in U.S. history, according to updated projections released by the Census Bureau.
The milestone would be the latest marker of the nation’s aging, which has accelerated with baby boomers’ move into their senior years and recessionary effects on births and immigration over the past decade.
The growing elderly population will also put pressure on lawmakers to shift funding toward programs such as Medicare and Social Security, particularly because elderly Americans vote at high rates, said Kenneth M. Johnson, a demographer at the University of New Hampshire.
Norman’s senior center serves almost 150 seniors each week.
“We haven’t evolved our programs in our current vision enough to really meet the needs of a significant or even a small portion of the senior community,” Bailey said. “But the value of that senior community to the whole community is much greater than its use right now. It’s an overlooked resource.
You can find out more information online at www.normanseniors.org as well as the group’s Facebook page listed as Friends for a 21st Century Senior Citizen’s Center.

By Darlene Franklin

I often feel like I live on a pendulum between pride and neglect, with patience as the fulcrum.
My natural tendencies, formed by years of childhood abuse, make me overly sensitive. I’m right to be concerned when my physical needs go untended for hours. But sometimes I get upset over little things.
I feel guilty when I think about Jesus. He wasn’t neglected; He was abused, painfully, to the point of death (Isaiah 53:7)
But at times Jesus did “complain.” He cursed a fig tree (Matthew 21:19). He talked about his ill treatment in his home town and by religious leaders (Matthew 13:57.)
Those became occasion to teach spiritual truths. My complaints are centered on my needs.
The Bible gives us many other example of patience under persecution, such as Joseph and David. My question was, is it ever okay to say “enough!”
I looked for affirmitive examples.
I had hopes for Hagar, who ran away from the great patriarch Abraham. His wife Sarah mistreated her handmaid, perhaps even to the point of physical abuse (Genesis 16:6.)
Get this. God told her to go back. (Genesis 16:9) The Bible is silent on Abraham’s treatment of Hagar until after the birth of Sarah’s son Isaac, fourteen years later. That time, Abraham and Sarah sent Hagar and her son away. (Genesis 21)
Both times, God appeared to Hagar personally and promised to take care of them. He gave them the courage to continue.
God didn’t get Hagar out of her situation; He helped her endure. The question remained, is there never a way out?
And what about the times God lets the bad stuff happen, like to Job? When his life fell apart, his friends insisted sin must be the cause. Yes, God allowed Satan to test Job with loss of family, things, and health, but in the end He vindicated Job before his friends. What if it happened to me? I didn’t know I could stand it.
The story didn’t end there. God had an entirely different plan for Esther. Her husband the king had issued an edict that all Jews be killed—not realizing his new queen’s heritage.
Esther recognized her unique position to act on behalf of her people—and it terrified her. Because if she approached the king without his permission, she would face an even more immediate death than the date set for slaughter. After she fasted and prayed, he received her. And he did what he could: he gave permission for Jews across his empire to fight back.
In the New Testament, I read a troubling account of the Gentile mother who approached Jesus for healing for her daughter.. Unlike other occasions, Jesus turned her away. He said He had come first to the Jews, comparing them to children and her to a dog.
That would have made me angry. But not her. Instead she said, “Even dogs get to eat scraps that children drop from the table.”
Jesus rewarded her faith and healed her daughter. Sometimes standing up for my rights is a way of demonstrating my faith.
Then there’s the enigmatic apostle Paul. He insisted on returning to Jerusalem even though he would be imprisoned. During his trial, he exercised his rights as a Roman citizen by appealing to Caesar. Earlier in his career, when he was falsely accused, he would trot out his citizenship papers and say “tut-tut, you can’t treat me this way.”
I might wish the answer was always, no, I don’t have to put up with neglect. But God may call me to endure for a time. Or I might need to stand up for myself and fight the ensuing battle.
Perhaps the question isn’t how long I’m asked to be patient or how much I’m asked to accept without complaint. The question is more, what is God doing in the situation and what does He want? My best course of action is to bring my complaints first to him, and then move as He directs.
I’m a pawn in the spiritual battle. No, not a pawn. A favored piece, with tests of patience as my strategy.
I am a Yoyo
I am a yoyo
Vacillating back and forth
Kind, loving—angry
Irritated—patient, hopeful
Can the yoyo come to rest?
Compelled
Compelled
To camouflage my truest self
In order to survive
But I won’t be
Denied

Salvation Army fights summer heat

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

The temperature climbed into the 90s in May and Dee Watts started getting concerned.
“We were freaking out,” said Watts, the Director of Social Services for the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Command. “We went from spring to blazing. Normally, we have time to get these collected and get them out but we’re already there.”
This past June marked Watts’ 27th year with the Salvation Army. She’s worked on the organization’s annual fan drive for 25 of those years.
But this is one of the earliest summers she can remember.
Fan distribution began in late June and will continue this month until supplies are gone.
“However many we get we will give,” she said.
To request a fan you must go in person to the Salvation Army at 1001 N. Pennsylvania or contact Watts at 246-1070.
“It gives us an opportunity to help our community,” Watts said. “With the weather being so hot most (clients) are medication sensitive.”
A box fan costs $20. Any amount was accepted but donors were urged to purchase “a blade” for $5.
“With that limited income, with medications and limited resources (a fan) can mean everything,” Watts said.
Last year, Watts was able to send out 1,100 fans to those in need.
“When we were giving out 50 fans we thought we were doing something great,” Watts laughed remembering starting the program up nearly a quarter century ago. “It went up to 200 and we thought that was amazing. Then when it went to 500 we thought we had plateaued. Last year with 1,100, you just don’t think there are that many people in need.”
The Salvation Army also offers food pantry as well as other assistance.
Westlake Ace Hardware has been a proud sponsor for the Salvation Army to partner with for the past few years and Watts spent at least one June Saturday afternoon manning a donation table inside the 11801 S. Western location.
“It keeps us on their minds and that need and that cause,” Watts said, sitting just inside the front door. “We so need Oklahomans to come in and help because it’s been so drastic. (The temperature) has not had any lull and the need is so great.”
One great way to stay cool is to come indoors to one of the Salvation Army’s Senior Centers.
Also in June, the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma announced that it will host Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma.
The series of reading and discussion programs are made possible through a grant from Oklahoma Humanities with generous funding from the Inasmuch Foundation and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.
The Warr Acres Senior Center, 4301 N. Ann Abor, will be the venue for the four-part series, The Oklahoma Experience: Looking for Home. The Salvation Army’s senior centers are very excited to participate in this program which reinforces the search for home is not only for a place on the landscape, but also for the peace of mind that comes from a sense of belonging.
The titles in the series include: Sundown by John Joseph Mathews; The White Man’s Road by Benjamin Capps; Walking on Borrowed Land by William A. Owens; and Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie.
The first reading and discussion group is set for July 17th from 9-11 a.m. with Kurt Lively leading the discussion of the title Sundown. Participation is free, however seating is limited. Individuals wishing to participate should contact Diane Maguire, Warr Acres senior center coordinator, at 405-789-9892.
“We are very excited to be offering this reading and discussion program,” said Lisa Sydnor, senior programs manager. “This series was chosen specifically because many of our participants enjoy Oklahoma history. The discussions and open dialogue between the scholar and attendees will be interesting and thought provoking. I am extremely thankful to Oklahoma Humanities for investing in The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma with this program.”
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma has been serving the elderly population for over 50 years. There are currently four senior centers in the Oklahoma City metro area serving approximately 350-425 seniors each week. The centers are open to anyone age 55 or older, free of charge. Wellness activities, lunch, Bible study, and reading and discussion groups are all a part of the current programming taking place.