The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

The news last week that Jockey International is closing its sewing operations at the Millen plant was a shocker to everyone. Rumors have circulated from time-to-time in recent years to this effect, but until last week it was only rumors.

Most of the employees at Jockey have been there for many years, and this is like a death in the family for them. Not only are they losing the financial security upon which they have relied for so long, but also the personal contact with coworkers who have become friends through the years.

Employees will be eligible for longtime benefits and retraining from the Georgia Department of Labor and other sources. While this is certainly good news in the midst of bad, it does not, in my opinion, change the severity of the situation. When 203 persons lose their jobs, it is "bad", regardless of the benefits available to them. It is doubtful that the benefits will measure up to what the employees are accustomed to earning.

I have spoken to several employees over the past week and the one thing I have gotten from every conversation is that these people are used to "working" for a living, and the idea of not having a job to go to every day is devastating for them. They want to "earn" a living rather than be dependent upon "benefits."

I sincerely hope and pray that each of them will be able to do just that in the future.

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Happy birthday this week to; Margaret Larisey, Jimmy Knight, Jerry Dailey, Felicia Dailey, Christian Chance, Frank Wilson, Aaron Tanner and Amanda Elizabeth Bragg, Dougie Spinger, Betty Coulter, Loretta Price, Tammy Jenkins, Larry Jenkins and Dreta Kent.

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Celebrating wedding anniversaries this week are: The Rev. and Mrs. Steven Adams and Dr. and Mrs. Joe Griffin.

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Military Active Duty List: SPC Grade E4 Arthur Lamont Milton Jr., HHC 1-36 Infantry Support, Friedberg, Germany; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Ft. Stewart; Petty Officer 2nd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Maryland; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; LCPL Dwain "Cade" Lee, 1st Marine Division Combat Service Support Group II Security Element, ArRamadi, Iraq; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering BattalionAugusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; SFC Floyd Bolton Jr., 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky; SFC Maria Bolton, 61st Medical Detachment, 21st Combat Support Hospital, 4th Medical Brigade, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky; 1st Lt. Andrew P. Thomas, U.S. Marines, 2nd Marine Division, F.A.S.T. Company, Yorktown, VA; Sgt. 1st Class Steven Yager, 362nd Sig. Company, Korea; MM3 Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; SFC Ronnie Perryman, E-7, Georgia Army National Guard, Battery A, 118th Field Artillery Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas.