The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

The Millen News will be closed Friday, Dec. 29, and Monday, Jan. 1, for the New Year’s holidays. News items and advertisements for the Wednesday, Jan. 3, edition should be turned in no later than noon, Thursday, Dec. 28. I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

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Christmas is over and all that remains are the remnants of its passing – gift boxes, wrapping paper, bows and, probably, a lot of leftover food. There are also those gifts that must be exchanged.

Would it not be wonderful if we could manage to also keep some remnants of the Christmas spirit year-round – the excitement and anticipation and love and concern for our fellow man that seems to be magnified during the holiday season?

For some reason, however, things return to “normal” after the holidays, and we lose our Christmas spirit until the next Christmas.

I think that will be my only New Year’s resolution this year – to keep the Christmas spirit all year? (I’m sure the day will not end before I’m tested on that one.)

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Happy birthday this week to: Tejas Sardar, Alistair Campbell, Carrie Cook, Wally Sasser, Hud McTeer, Al Knight, Mary Hydrick, Horace Weathersby III, Megan Johnson, Chester Joyner, Megan Johnson, Debbie Davis and Rodney Garvin.

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Military Active Duty List: Capt. Donald Slade Burke, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.; 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 Battalion-Augusta, 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; Capt. 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.