Dear Editor:

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking as an unseen benefit. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. There is a person in Millen that understands its upshot though.

I would like to comment on Mr. Jim Hite, not only does he maintain a great attitude towards life, but also he lives it. He maintains his health, spiritual needs, and mental abilities to be a successful communicator. As an outsider to Millen now I still cherish it from far afield, I have not lived there in 24years, but am drawn to it as if I never left. It is where I grew up for 18 years, where numerous people in my childhood molded me into the personality I am today. So when I witness all the hardships that are ongoing there I feel powerless, incapable of helping the community that nurtured me for so many valuable adolescent years.

Mr. Hite always has a great life lesson, positive observation, or commentary to oblige people to think about life’s tragedies while reflecting on the better good. I can reveal many world disasters that I have witnessed in my military career all over the planet. Two things bring about survival of a community or their demise; these are proven fact repeatedly.

First is demise; it is necessary to transform and/or expand your mindset as citizens. If you are unwilling to do that then you will bring to a standstill any type of revitalization effort. To accomplish this community needs to speak with one voice, not a sporadic few. If you listen to the intermittent few then you become disjointed and fight amongst each other. Key examples of this are present day Iraq and Afghanistan. Their people have many different views on their survival as a people. Iraq is starting to understand this concept does not encourage growth as a nation; they have changed their mindset and are showing minor promise. Afghanistan, not so much and we see their evident demise in the news daily.

Finally survival, if you can speak as one, decide on how to advance change/outcome in the community then people will take notice and want to reap those positive benefits with you. The most basic way to accomplish this is to stick with your moral compasses, whether that is God, Country, or Jenkins County succeeding above all other counties. Bottom-line is it can be accomplished together as a group of one, not the many.

Mr. Jim I think you are on an honorable path for the county I still consider my home and I applaud you for the effort you put forth in trying to inspire Jenkins County to grow and become a prosperous community, the one I miss dearly.

V/R Major Slade Burke, USAF