Author: HB Auld, Jr.

I am a Christian grandfather, married to a wonderful woman since February 2, 2002 (that’s 02/02/02), and yes, we were married at 2:02 p.m. I have two wonderful sons and daughters-in-law, a step-daughter and her husband, and a step-son and his wife. These four families have blessed me with 16 grandchildren. I retired as a Senior Chief Journalist August 31, 1987, after 22 years of active service in the US Navy. During my naval career, I was stationed in Adak, Alaska; Okinawa, Japan; Pensacola, FL; Syracuse, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Naples, Italy; and Washington, DC. Lest someone think I was “shorebound,” I also served temporary duty on various ships, including: HMS Hermes, a Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier; and the USS Ticonderoga, a US Navy Aegis Cruiser; among others.

Are You Praying Hard or Hardly Praying?

A little more than one year ago, Jannie and I moved from Longview, Texas, to Paris, Texas. It was hard leaving our little church there, Fellowship Baptist Church.  We had a difficult time finding a church where we fit in, but we finally felt God leading us to Mt. Olive Baptist Church here in Paris.

What an amazing choice that was for us!  We truly feel God was leading us to Mt. Olive Baptist Church. The pastor, the music Praise Team, the Sunday School Class, and the true church–the people–are really what we needed in our lives.

Take today’s service, for instance.

What an awesome church service this morning at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Paris, Texas. Pastor Tim Reger started the service with the baptism of Jacob McNeal, the 10-year old son of one of my favorite couples there: Marc and Wendy McNeal.

Danny White and the Praise Team’s music was awesome…most of the songs were upbeat, old-time, blue-grass gospel songs with a country and western flavor.

Then the Praise Team sang one of my all-time favorites, “Praying Hard,” for the Offertory.

The service was topped off with a wonderful sermon from Pastor Tim about “Who do you say I am?” from Mark 8:22.

The day ended with what we used to call “dinner on the grounds,” a potluck lunch prepared by some of the women in the church. Taco salads, enchiladas, and desserts…..um, um good.

What a wonderful church we have at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Paris, Texas. Come visit us some Sunday morning. The church is located at 3509 County Rd 42600, Paris, Texas. Sunday school begins at 9:45 a.m. and church starts at 10:45 a.m.

The Floods of 2015

This is a video shot from a drone by Paris, Texas, videographer, Tony Corso, of the Red River just before Highway 271 over it was closed to traffic.

Six weeks of rain in Texas have produced record floods in Texas.

In North Texas, the month of May was the wettest May on record in the 117 years of record-keeping.  The month is the third wettest month of ANY month in that 117 years.  Only April, 1922, and April, 1942, were wetter than May, 2015.

All of the lakes in North Texas have overflowed their banks, as has the Trinity River that flows through Dallas and many other North Texas towns and cities.

The mighty Red River which slices apart the states of Texas and Oklahoma has risen so much that the four-lane Highway 271 north of Paris, Texas, and south of Hugo, Oklahoma, was finally closed to traffic until the historic river recedes.

A New Website

Over the past week, I have made some changes in my Domain Name Server and decided to also build a new personal website.

I now use Bluehost.com to host my Domain Name (http://www.hbauld.com) and use the website builder Weebly to manage that personal website there.

While it is not at all spectacular as far as websites go, it is just a little personal place where I can celebrate my Scottish roots and host my personal email accounts, a Contact Me form, and a link to this blog.

If you are reading this, I hope you will visit http://www.hbauld.com and leave your comments on the Contact Me tab.  You can also leave your comments here at the bottom of this blog entry.

For The Fallen — Lest We Forget

For the fallen

The following are stanzas three and four of the poem, “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon. The original was published in the Times of London September 21, 1914. It is now usually a part of the Ode of Remembrance and the entire seven-stanza poem is recited as a tribute to the casualties of all wars:

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

The normal response after stanza four is “Lest we forget.” Today on Memorial Day, “We will remember them….lest we forget.”

Memorial Day, 2015

Remembering Their Sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day, 2015. Many people forget that this is a day to remember the fallen, those who gave their last full measure of sacrifice for our Nation and for their comrades-in-arms. The following essay was written and posted by my good friend, US Navy Retired Chief Petty Officer Robert N. (Bob) Jenkins. I thought it said it all, in a MUCH better way than I ever could and so I am borrowing his essay and re-posting it here. Today, when you are tempted to “thank a vet” for Memorial Day, I hope you will remember Bob’s words here. Thank you, Shipmate Bob Jenkins.

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Pardon me for getting on a soapbox for a minute, but I want to draw a distinction between Memorial Day and other patriotic holidays. Many earnest and sincere well wishes are sent out to all members, past and present, of our nation’s armed forces on Memorial Day. Most of these wishes should be sent on Armed Forces and/or Veterans Day. Memorial Day is meant for paying homage to those who have given their life in service to our nation and the freedom we enjoy.

The origin of Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War. There are many stories from those first years’ observances that illustrate the true purpose of this important day to honor those who died in service to this nation. Civil War deaths account for nearly half of the 1.2 million American Soldiers who died in our nation’s wars. It’s no surprise that a tradition known as Decoration Day was borne out of the tragic loss following the Civil War.

According to historians, on April 1865 former slaves helped recover 257 Union Soldiers from a mass grave in a Charleston, S.C. racetrack, a site that had served as a Confederate prison. After the Soldiers were properly buried and the area fenced in, Charleston’s residents gathered, sang hymns and laid roses on the graves.

In 1866, in Columbus, Miss., a group of women decorating the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle, noticed the barren graves of Union soldiers and the women placed flowers on those graves, as well. The practice was repeated at multiple gravesites during the period.

After World War I, the observance was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars, and volunteers began placing small American flags on each grave at cemeteries across the nation.

From its origin to the evolution of Memorial Day observances today, one key premise remains. It is a moment in time that we all should stop, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to this country.

Today, the American flags marking each grave at cemeteries across the nation represent an intangible devotion. Words can never express our gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our armed forces—and that of our Gold Star Families. We are forever indebted to them. We honor them by upholding the standards for which they fought so valiantly.

I urge everyone to remember the special significance of Memorial Day and what makes it so special and different from other patriotic holidays. What our fallen have paid, is a debt we cannot repay ourselves except in the honor and respect we show them.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 (KJV)

Delta Airlines Handles Military Remains with Respect

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Editor’s Note: There is a lot of false information about this video circulating the Internet.  The following explanation accompanied this video and gives the true details behind it.

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My name is Brian McConnell, I work for Delta Air Lines and coordinate the Honor Guard program for the military fallen, however the information put out by most people sharing this video is incorrect. I know it has been shared with the heading “Watch what Delta does for Fallen Soldier and his K9” but that info is incorrect.

The truth is, the first fallen coming off the aircraft, covered in the U.S. Flag is a soldier missing over 63 years from the Korean War who was identified and was being returned to his family, the second and smaller box was actually additional bone fragments of a soldier who was already sent home and buried, they were to go and be interned with that soldier.

When the video was first posted we had a description on the video but as you are probably aware of internet “trolls” got on it and started some very vile comments and disrespectful comments. Some were very hurtful to our military so rather than have the families who have lost a loved one have to see them we shut off the comments,

So when it was shared “millions” of times, somebody assumed it was a current conflict soldier and his K9 companion. I have posted in many of the video comments that this is incorrect but when my comment is 8 pages down, nobody sees it.

Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey, Jr. on Chief Petty Officers

Admiral Bull Halsey
Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey, Jr., US Navy

At the end of WWII, all the towns and cities across the country were looking for a “Hero” to celebrate America’s victory with, Los Angeles chose Admiral Halsey and had a ceremony on the steps of the LA County courthouse to honor America’s hero and at the end of it when Admiral Halsey was leaving, they had a line of sideboys.


The sideboys were active duty and retired Chief Petty Officers that
had been brought in from all over the country who had served with
Admiral Halsey at one point in their careers.


Admiral Halsey approached one of the retired Chiefs, and they winked
at each other.


Later on that evening at a reception for Admiral Halsey, one of the civilian guests at the event asked the Admiral about the wink he shared with the Chief. Admiral Halsey explained, “That man was my Chief when I was an Ensign, and no one before or after taught me as much about ships or men as he did.


You civilians don’t understand. You go down to Long Beach and you see those battleships sitting there, and you think that they float on water, don’t you?”


The guest replied, “Yes, sir, I guess I do.”


To which Admiral Halsey stated, “You are wrong. They are carried to sea on the backs of those Chief Petty Officers.”

— ADMIRAL WILLIAM F. “BULL” HALSEY, JR.

Master Chief Journalist Dennis Stanley Reinke Passes Away

I just learned tonight that retired US Navy Master Chief Journalist Dennis Stanley Reinke passed away a few months ago.  He was 71 years old. Below is Master Chief Reinke’s obituary. RIP, Shipmate.

Dennis Stanley Reinke was born Jan. 4, 1942, in Worthing, S.D., to the late William Stanley Reinke and the late Matie Stroman Reinke. He grew up in Hill City and graduated from Hill City High School in 1960. He attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1961.

During his 26-year career, Reinke served in assignments as a journalist at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, Alameda Naval Station, San Francisco, Calif., was a journalism instructor at the Defense Information School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., served two tours in Vietnam; public affairs officer at Naval Air Station, Capodochino, Naples, Italy, and manager of the public affairs office at Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy. He then served as detailer of the journalist and draftsmen communities in the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C. His final assignment was in the Directorate of Freedom of Information and Security Review, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Master Chief Reinke retired from the Navy in 1987.

Following his Navy retirement, Reinke served as an operations research specialist in the Department of Defense, offices of the Joint Staff, Directorate of Information Management. He retired from that position in 2000.

Reinke was a member of the Little White Church and regularly attended Immanuel Bible Church (IBC) in Springfield, Va., until he became home bound. He co-managed the Treasure Chest Ministry at the IBC for two years. He also was a member of the Fleet Reserve Association and Naval Order of the United States.

Reinke died Sunday, March 10, 2013, at Potomac Center, Arlington, Va. He was 71.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, of 43 years; sister, Sharon Paschke; brother-in-law, William Paschke; nephew, Rodney (Julie) Paschke, of Jordan, Mont.; niece Karla Paschke, of Murray lowa,; two grand-nieces; and one grand-nephew.

A committal service with military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

A New Class

Well, this “old dog” took the first of I hope several classes today, free at my local library.

Today, I attended a class in Basic Excel. The second in this series of Basic Excel classes will be next Thursday.  After that, there are classes in Advance Excel.

Although I have used Excel for several years, I have never made extensive use of it and thought it was time I learned more about using spreadsheets. The only real practical usage I have had was about 10 years ago when I used Excel to maintain statistics on a team I managed. That spreadsheet was set up by my boss and I merely maintained the stats in it.  This time, I am learning how to CREATE the spreadsheet and perhaps use it in some every day applications.

At any rate, whoever said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” was wrong. Although I had a brief exposure to Excel 10 years ago, most of this morning’s class introduced this “old dog” to new information.

I’m anxious to learn more and see how I can apply it to some information in my daily life.