News from April 3, 2003 issue

Phone calls relieve home tension
Marion's Brian Long heard from his brother, Cpl. Shaun Long Monday night, the first time since war broke out in Iraq.

Cpl. Long, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, used a phone card to talk 30 minutes to his brother and parents, Tom and June Black of Marion.

"He's at Camp Commando in Kuwait," Brian said, along with Fredonia's Brad Bowman, who Long met in Kuwait. "They were having chow, he'd bathed and everybody was in good spirits.

"He said they hadn't received any packages because they had been in southern Iraq and said they would possibly be going back north in the next couple of days."

The phone call relieved Cpl. Long's family, who has been watching news coverage of the war "24-7," according to Brian Long, noting the family was relieved to learn he was no longer in Iraq.

While Cpl. Long himself hadn't phoned home since the conflict started two weeks ago, the family received word that he was doing okay last week.

"A person in his battalion called his wife and we got the message to tell everybody that the 2nd (Battalion) was all right," Brian said. "Apparently they had found an Iraqi cell phone and used it to call."

Cpl. Long, a 1999 graduate of Crittenden County High School, joined the U.S. Marines the summer after graduation. He is also the son of Ronnie and Kathy Long of Marion.

Another local family received some relief recently thanks to a call from the Middle East.
Jane Rich said a brief phone call she got last Friday helped ease some nerves and made spring break all the better. Rich works in the high school cafeteria and is on spring break this week as are all students and faculty.

Her son, Lance Cpl. Joey Rich, serving in the 1st Expeditionary Brigade near Nasiriyah, sent word to his family that he is OK.

"One of his buddies e-mailed his girlfriend and he gave them our phone number and asked her to call and let us know he was OK," said Jane Rich. "I was a nervous wreck."

Rich's unit, the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, C-Company, lost several soldiers during heavy fighting last week near Nasiriyah.

"I guess he knew we were watching the news and were worried," Rich added. "At least I know he's OK, that's the main thing."

Watson: Iraq war is just

As the highest ranking officer currently serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marion native Maj. John Watson has some interesting insight and strong feelings about the fight for which he's just been deployed.

"I saw what Saddam did to his own people and to the people of Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield and Storm. He is an evil man, who has little to no regard for human life," said Watson in an email last week to The Press.

"If there was ever a just war, in my personal opinion, this is one. We have the opportunity to end the suffering and oppression of not only a country, but bring a lasting peace and democracy to a very vital region of the world."

Watson is the operations officer for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery unit of the U.S. Army. He is a career military man, serving in the U.S. Army since 1989. Watson received his officer's commission from Murray State University, where he was a student and member of the ROTC program.

The Army major says his unit provides close artillery support for infantry and armor divisions directly engaged with the enemy. The battalion's guns ire 100-pound high explosive munitions that can travel several miles.

"The battalion is well trained and ready for anything that is asked of it," Watson said. "Morale is high, with most of the soldiers just wanting to get to work and get the job done so they can return to their families."

Watson's artillery is unique to the battlefield because it communicates directly with front line personnel high-speed via voice and digital data signals.

"The key to our success, unlike aircraft, is that we are an all-weather system. So when the dust storms ground the aircraft, we simply up the volume of fires in support of our maneuver brothers," Watson added.

His battalion is currently in the process of completing its deployment orders to the Middle East. He couldn't be more specific about a time or location because of security reasons.

Local projects indicate economic boom

The completion of several ongoing construction projects in Crittenden County may not result in a large number of jobs, but officials say that isn't the only indicator of their economic benefit.

There are five ongoing projects with a combined $11.2 million investment in Crittenden County, not including Farmers Bank's half a million dollar new branch in Salem or the $2.7 million construction project the Marion-Crittenden County Airport Board is expected to begin in coming months.

A quick trip through Marion reveals the following activities: a $4.2 million gymnasium at Crittenden County High School; a $1.4 million Family Life Center under construction at Marion Baptist Church; the $960,000 Technology and Education Center in the Industrial Park; and a $70,000 expansion project at The Peoples Bank.

While there aren't outward signs of construction, Crittenden Health Systems is in the initial stages of a $4.6 million project that will include expansion and relocation of several departments in the hospital and the construction of a new physicians building.

In the next few weeks, CHS will open a new Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic in Salem. The addition of several services throughout the organization could result in a dozen new jobs over the next couple of years, according to Greg Moore, CEO.

Moore, who also serves as president of the Crittenden County Economic Development Corporation, said each community project strengthens Crittenden County's infrastructure.

"From an economic development standpoint, these things have to be available for us to successfully recruit new businesses," he said. "(These projects) add significant value to the overall infrastructure and increase the odds of recruiting ­ the airport, roads, the Tech/Ed Center, healthcare, the school project, Marion Baptist Church's center and banking... there are quite a few going on."

As Chris Sutton, Assistant Director of the Pennyrile Area Development District, puts it, the projects add more tools to the county's economic development tool box.

"They play a part in the all-encompassing picture," Sutton said. "Above construction, which is a temporary activity, you have the new school gymnasium, the airport, the tech center and they put more ammunition in the arsenal. You need those things to compete in terms of economic development.

Sutton said quality of life and the availability of services is the second thing companies examine if they are looking to relocate or expand, second only behind the community's workforce.

"The most telling thing is a lot of little towns give up, but you don't see that in Marion," he added. "A lot more is going on in Marion now than in cities twice its size. That says a whole lot."

The short-term effects of ongoing construction projects has a big local spinoff, Sutton says.

Construction workers, especially those who live outside of Crittenden County, likely buy lunch, fuel and other necessities in town. While some general contractors working at these building sites may not be from here, many have employed sub-contractors from this area. Additionally, many of the supplies needed for these projects are purchased in Marion.

"Most of the projects are local people putting local money into the economy," Sutton added, noting that forthcoming improvements to Marion's sewer and water services and new U.S. 641 are vital pieces of a community's infrastructure.

Longtime Marion businessman and economic development board member Terry Ford said despite the fact that the economy in general is down, things are what some would deem "booming" here.

He notes that not only are there several large ongoing projects, others in the past couple of years also provided large boosts to the economy, including expansion at Turner & Conyer, the new Pamida, Par-4 Assemblies and the handful of downtown businesses that have popped up in the last several years.

"You look around and there is a lot of activity going on, and sometimes people can't see the forest bcause of the tree right in front of them," he said.