Blackwell-Frazier American Legion Post #142 Hominy, Oklahoma

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

I guess the cat is out of the bag, our Post 142 has finally resumed our Monday morning breakfast at the Hut. We normally serve biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon when it is Jimmy Himes turn in the kitchen which is on the first, second, and fourth Mondays of each month. The third Monday is Dennis Kidder’s turn to deliver with donuts and pigs in a blanket. When there happens to be a fifth Monday in the month, like this month, then Don Rainwater gets his opportunity to surprise everyone with his epicurean delights.

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

A long, long time ago, in the far-off land of I-Cannot and I-Don’t-Know, there was a young boy who had convinced himself that he could not read, could not write, and could not spell. He had convinced himself that it was anyone else’s fault but his. He was more than willing to blame his stepfather who loved to praise the boy by calling him “Dummy” because he could not even read the simple grammar used in the Sunday funnies. He could have used the excuse that he felt apprehensive because of his mother’s embarrassment and not understanding why he could not read since she was such an excellent reader. This story/scenario prompts this writer this column to amazingly wonder how he could have ever been so blessed to be appointed to write this article for Post 142.

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

I guess that everyone has heard of or read about “The Gunfight at the OK Corral” at some time. It was a very real shootout that took place in Tombstone, Arizona on Wednesday, October 26, 1881 between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and group of outlaws called the Cowboys led by Ike Clanton.

Here in Hominy, OK we have our own “shootout”, although it is nowhere as dramatic as the one in Tombstone, AZ, portraited in the move “Tombstone” by Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp), Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday), and Stephen Lang (Ike Clanton).

The terminology “shootout” is only used as a good-natured intra-Service rivalry and camaraderie that all veterans do among themselves. The Army and Marines harass the Navy and the Air Force and visa-versa. It is all-in good fun and only veterans can pick on each other.

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

This past couple of weeks has been a real trial for Hominy as well as the entire state of Oklahoma. The below zero temperatures caught many Oklahomans and especially the Hominy residents and the Hominy management personnel. The residents of Hominy, including 28 Post 142 Legionnaires, have had to conserve water after letting the water drip to keep the pipes from freezing. After the pipes froze rendering some hot water heaters became inoperable, showers, laundry, and dishwashing were nonexistent except with cold water if available. The Hut also had to let their faucets drip to prevent the pipes from freezing and possibly bursting.