Author Archives: combs2jc

The first week of June, my daughter and I went to see the H.L. Hunley in Charleston, South Carolina. First I want to encourage you to see the submarine.

Second I want to let you know that this is an active and ongoing research and preservation effort that is on going with the H.L. Hunley. Because of the work being done on the submarine, it is only open to the public on weekends.

Here are just some of the photos we took of our visit. I will post more later over the next few weeks.

Elizabeth inside a full size replica of the Hunley.

The $20 gold piece that save Lt. Dixon’s life at the Battle of Shiloh. His fiancé gave it to him and he kept it as a good luck piece. It was found on him inside the submarine when it was recovered.

The $20 gold piece that save Lt. Dixon’s life at the Battle of Shiloh. His fiancé gave it to him and he kept it as a good luck piece. It was found on him inside the submarine when it was recovered.

The $20 gold piece that save Lt. Dixon’s life at the Battle of Shiloh. His fiancé gave it to him and he kept it as a good luck piece. It was found on him inside the submarine when it was recovered.

Facial reconstructions of the last crew of the Hunley.

Facial reconstructions of the last crew of the Hunley.

Facial reconstructions of the last crew of the Hunley.

Facial reconstructions of the last crew of the Hunley.

That is the real question. Why is there sickness, disease, and particularly cancer? And why do children die from these? I had a friend that lost faith in God over this question. Near my home three children have died from the same cancer in the last year. There has been more death I have seen and heard about in the last few years than I could have imagined. Why? Why does this happen to children? Why does God let this happen?

The same former friend also thought I needed to let go of the death of my oldest daughter, it has been eleven years after all. My former friend could understand if my daughter had been a teenager or something because then I would have memories (my daughter was a newborn). I did not answer, but I should have. There are many types of grief. For the first year my grief was over what I had lost. But, all of my memories with her were from a 90 minute period of time and eventually, I came to terms with what I lost, that is when my grief changed. Now I grieve not over what I lost, but what she lost. It is not a grief that stays on the surface on a daily basis. But it is a grief that is sparked from time to time by events, sights, sounds, smells, almost anything at any time can spark it. The one thing that is constant is you never know when it will surface, or how long it will be until it surfaces again. When you hear someone say, “He/she would have loved that” and they are talking about someone who has passed away – that is the kind of grief I/they/you are talking about. It is the same kind of grief we feel whenever we hear of someone dying too young. We grieve because those children never got to play with other kids, learn to talk & walk, have a first day of school, a first date and so many other things that (depending on their age) they never got to do. Chances those children lost. The death of a child is the hardest to bear, the hardest to understand.

One more thing before I get back to the main topic.

I am not going to start writing a religious column. I do not discuss politics, finances, or religion on this blog, nor do I accept articles from people for this blog on those three subjects. However, I do want to address this one issue.

First, let me say I am a Christian. A Christian who was taught from childhood that God is all knowing and all powerful. My Sunday school teachers taught me that God could do anything. They were wrong. Let me say that again. My Sunday school teachers were wrong, God can not do anything. As a matter of fact the average human being can do things God cannot do. Human beings can lie, steal, cheat, kill, be greedy, cheat on spouses and a whole slue of other things that God cannot do.

There are many things that exists because of human beings and for no other reason, bad things. This includes diseases and sickness. Now people did not create cancer, and there are many very good people working on cures for various cancers and other diseases that kill people. These are people who WANT to cure these killers. But, there is big money in research and I am equally convinced there are people who do not want these diseases to be cured for their own selfish reasons. Those people do not want the money to be shut off or they do not want to lose they power they have because of that research. I also equally believe that the day will come when many of these diseases will be cured. This is my opinion I offer no proof of this and have no intention of even trying. I also do not believe those who are more concerned with money or power can stop a cure, but they can slow one down.

So, why does this happen to children – it is not fair! No, it is not fair. But so far I have not seen one thing from science or religion that has ever promised life will be fair, actually quite the opposite. Life is damn hard and damn unfair.

Worse than children dying of sickness we cannot yet cure are the men, women, and children who die every day of diseases, parasites, and starvation – things we can prevent. Every day there is people who die by their own hand because of depression. The suicide rate of veterans unbelievably high.

But, at the end of the day each of us has to answer this question for ourselves. Why? I do believe there is a God, but if I can do things God cannot do and I cannot prevent cancer then how can I blame God for cancer.

The answer I have given myself is this. I cannot save every person on the planet. But today I can help one person. And for today, making a difference in the life of one person is enough – for today.

Recently, I went to a covered bridge in Union County, Ohio with my camera and spent a little while admiring a 142 year old wooden covered bridge. Often I hear people asking, “Why did they make bridges covered?” I have heard many good answers. But, the reason for covered bridges was an answer to an engineering problem.

Before bridges were made of iron, steel, and concrete, they were made of wood. They created wooden truss from which the bridge was built. The problem was that a wooden bridge exposed to snow, rain, and sun, would only last ten to fifteen years. By building the bridge with sides and a roof they could extend the life of the bridge. Like I said, this one is 142 years old.

So, without further ado, here is the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Entrance to the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Interior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge looking at another bridge beside the Culbertson Bridge. The wooden bridge cannot handle the weight of some of the modern vehicles using this road, the a smaller bridge was built to handle the heavier traffic.

Exterior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Exterior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Exterior of the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Historical marker for the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Historical marker for the Culbertson Covered Bridge.

Monday is Memorial Day, an American holiday. It is the weekend the summer season starts in the United States. The holiday was created to remember those persons in the armed forces of the United States who gave their lives in the line of duty in the service of our country.

In America today, Americans seem to have forgotten that. They use the holiday to remember friends and loved ones (who did not serve) or other people who died while performing civic duties to their community, they use the holiday to thank veterans (we have our own day which is November 11, and it is called Veteran’s Day), or any number of other things. For many it is just the first weekend of summer, a weekend for sports, picnics, and BBQ’s.

This weekend I am going to remember those who died wearing the uniform of the United States military, in particular, those who are buried in military cemeteries outside the United States. Men like Bill Goodykoontz. He was serving in France in World War One. He was killed in action the first day of the battle of Belleau Wood. He is buried on the battlefield where he fell, never to return home again to a home he gave his life for. Bill was a young man and never had a chance for a wife and kids of his own. He died making it possible for my daughter to be born in a free country.

So, this weekend I am going to quietly think about Bill Goodykoontz and the price he paid for my daughter than me. I never got to meet Bill, but my grandfather always missed his older brother.