Soldiers doing great job for all of us
The American soldier is many things to many people.
In the past two years, our fighting men and women have been honored, vilified and stereotyped. Many have been killed. Most did not ask for their assignments in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they know they have a job to do - and they do it.
We think they do it well.
If you want evidence, you just have to look at the example of Marine Sgt. Caleb Pleasants, who was shot while on a mission in the treacherous Al-Anbar province of Iraq. Today, he is back in Whitefish recuperating from his wound and telling the story too few Americans get to hear.
Even in Sunni-controlled Iraq, where support for Saddam was greatest before the war, Americans are not considered the enemy by the Iraqi people, Pleasants told the Inter Lake. Instead, the soldiers are seen as friends who have come to rid their region of the "gangster" terrorists whom they call "Ali Baba."
It is important for Americans to step back and see our soldiers through the eyes of those Iraqi civilians - not as oppressors but as liberators.
We cannot solve all the world's problems through military force. Everyone understands that. But sometimes force can be used to move the world closer to peace.
Men like Caleb Pleasants have been entrusted with that job. It is not easy, but it should not be thankless either. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Pleasants and the rest of our fighting men and women for a job well done.
The community of Somers held its breath last week when it heard that "Scarecrow Sue" Snyder was hurt in a Thanksgiving fire at her home.
Snyder survived her injuries and is recovering at a Seattle burn center.
The outpouring of concern and affection for Snyder is testimony to the kind of mark she has made in the community. An artist with a flair for using other people's castoff materials, she's also known for her generosity and kind heart.
After she moved from Indiana, she bought the old Methodist Church in Somers, where she crafts unique scarecrows and other items for sale. The church, and Snyder, are dear to Somers residents. We join them in sending wishes for a speedy recovery to Scarecrow Sue.
Great guns! It seems that the good old days are back again for Northwest Montana hunters, who stacked up the highest check-station statistics in 10 years at the close of the big game season last weekend.
Game populations plunged during the big winter of 1996, and so did the fortunes of hunters in the years that followed. Consider that in 1996, 2,569 whitetail deer were counted at the check stations, and the following year the count dropped to 862.
Game populations have been rebuilding ever since, along with hunter success. The 24,843 hunters who stopped at the check stations was the highest in 10 years. The 1,932 whitetail and the 372 mule deer were the highest since 1996. And this year's count of 224 elk by far exceeded all counts in the last 10 years.
Many freezers are full for the winter, thanks to the 10-year rebound.