No, I'm not going to drone on and on about things I know nothing about...things "red" and "blue" but I will say I was surprised by the defeat of Ike Skelton from Missouri in this week's elections. Skelton has been a big supporter of the military, especially to us engineers, mainly because of his strong promotion of Fort Leonard Wood and mid-Missouri.
Unless you served at Leonard Wood before the moves of the MP and Chemical Schools, and the expansion of joint training, then you can't appreciate how much the installation has changed from what it once was. I was, for example, there when the Engineer School moved in from Fort Belvoir, and I was also there when the first discussions were underway concerning how to expand the post even further with the move of the MP and Chemical Schools.
I remember when many wore bib-overalls to theme-based social functions like "Purple Martin Night", I remember when the "strip" of mom and pop retail establishments lining the road to the post from off the I-44 exit had places such as "Mitch's Old Fashion Cafe" (which by the way served the best and greasiest breakfasts anywhere). I remember when trips to Rolla to purchase things we wanted or needed and which were not available in the PX or commissary or off-post, were very common. I also remember when the Ramada Inn was the only large motel available near post. I could go on and on but you get my point.
Changes made to the Leonard Wood region from then until now, significant as they are, were a direct result in many ways to the efforts of Ike Skelton. You can say what you want about the pluses and minuses of each political party's accomplishments or lack thereof, but one thing stands out to me in the case of Ike Skelton. He cared about us in the military...especially us engineers. Thanks Ike!
